Sammo Hung Movies
Unlike his frequent collaborator, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung is relatively unknown in the U.S. However, in his native Hong Kong, he is member of a renowned comedy team that includes Chan and Yuen Biao. The three have a similar theatrical background -- all three are childhood friends and received training at the Peking Opera Academy. Hung was typically a bumbling sidekick to Jackie Chan, although martial arts fans often argue that Hung is actually the better martial artist. Many would find this surprising, most likely due to Hung's appearance: overweight, with a jovial, easy-going manner. Lacking the traditionally heroic physical traits that his friend has in spades, Hung is often overshadowed by Chan, to the point that Chan has received top billing for films in which Hung was truly the star (My Lucky Stars). Beyond his slapstick onscreen performances, Hung is unrivaled in the field of film stunts and has functioned as stunt coordinator on many projects. Hung has also applied his excellent choreographic skills into a successful directing career. In a more serious performance, obviously informed by his vast experience, he portrayed a stunt coordinator opposite Michelle Yeoh in the 1997 film The Stunt Woman.~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Hong Kong action gets even hotter with the reunion of kung fu legend Sammo Hung and martial arts master Jacky Wu, plus the addition of the cuter-than-cute music group Twins (aka Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung) in starring roles. In Twins Mission, Hung and Wu play Lucky and Hey, men who unite to bring a stolen bead back to its rightful owners. With the help of two pretty twins (Choi and Chung), Lucky and Hey may be able to complete their objective, but there will be plenty of fight scenes along the way. ~ Kimber Myers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Charlene Choi, (more)
- 2008
- Add Ip Man to Queue
Behind ever great man there lies a teacher, and this was certainly true of Bruce Lee, who claimed as his mentor a martial arts expert named Ip Man (1893-1972). A genius of Wushu (or the Chinese martial arts school), Ip Man grew up in a China nearly ripped to pieces by racial hatred, nationalistic strife and warfare. He rose like a phoenix above these ashes, however, courtesy of his participation in matches against various Wushu masters and kung-fun warriors - ultimately training martial arts icons such as Lee. This biopic from director Wilson Yip dramatizes Ip's life story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, (more)
Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Shawn Yue star in this action-packed thriller concerning a disappeared crime lord and the elite team of Interpol agents who set out to recapture him at all costs. A notorious Triad crime boss has disappeared just as his case was about to go before the judge, and now he could be anywhere. Now, on the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a highly skilled team of Interpol agents wage all out war against the underworld in an apocalyptic bid to capture the heavily armed foe and ensure that justice is properly served. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An ailing veteran cop whose relentless determination to do away with an untouchable gangster has led him to employ a series of unethical tactics finds his investigation complicated by the arrival of principled new inspector and the death of a fellow cop in this explosive underworld tale from Skyline Cruisers director Wilson Yip. Facing an inevitable retirement, the beleaguered and cancer-stricken Detective Chan (Simon Yam) has grown desperate to put away Teflon-coated crime boss Po (Sammo Hung) -- so desperate that he even begins planting false evidence and tampering with video in hopes of making a charge against Po stick. As Detective Chan begins to grow accustomed to thoughts of retiring and make way for honest incoming Inspector Ma (Donnie Yen), the ongoing investigation hits a snag when an undercover cop who has infiltrated Po's gang is mysteriously killed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, (more)
Jules Verne's famous novel of a daring man who takes on the greatest voyage in history is once again adapted for the big screen in this adventure comedy. In 1872, eccentric British inventor Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) has come up with any number of gadgets to help people travel with greater speed and ease, and is working on plans for a flying machine. In a lively discussion with Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent), the head of the Royal Academy of Science, Fogg states his belief that it's possible for someone to travel around the globe in a mere 80 days. Kelvin, who makes no secret of his belief that Fogg is a crackpot, challenges him to do just that, and adds a wager to the bargain to make things interesting: if Fogg can't circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, he'll give up inventing forever. Fogg takes the challenge, and teams up with his manservant, a former acrobat named Passepartout (Jackie Chan), and lovely navigator Monique (Cécile De France) to make the epic voyage -- traveling by train, boat, balloon, horseback, or any other means at their disposal. However, Fogg and his companions are dogged along the way by the false accusation that the inventor took part in a bank robbery, forcing him to not only complete the journey but clear his name as well. Like the blockbuster 1956 adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days, this film features a number of major stars in cameo appearances and supporting roles as Fogg makes his way around the globe, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Cleese, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Kathy Bates, Sammo Hung, Rob Schneider, Richard Branson, Mark Addy, and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, (more)
The work of international superstar Stephen Chow, Kung Fu Hustle is a humorous, special-effects-filled, action-packed martial arts epic set in early '40s China. A bumbling thief named Sing (Stephen Chow) desires to be the toughest member of the dreaded gangster hit squad known as The Axe Gang, but to completely join the gang he has to commit murder. When Sing attempts to rob a crowded run-down apartment complex known as Pig Sty Alley, the locals begin to defend themselves with some high-flying kung fu skills, and a tiny war erupts between the local masters and the axe-wielding gang. After the gang busts the ancient kung fu king known as The Beast (Leung Siu Lung) out of jail, tensions reach a boiling point as Pig Sty Alley's landlady (Yuen Qiu) leads an all-out attack against the gang and Sing discovers his true heroic fate. Kung Fu Hustle, which set box-office records across Asia during its December 2004 release, also stars Yuen Wah and Xing Yu, and features fight choreography by legendary masters of martial arts cinema Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung. ~ Jason Gibner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, (more)
Though it's an English-language film, the fantasy action comedy The Medallion is one of the highest-budgeted movies to come out of Hong Kong. Cop Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) and his partner, Interpol agent Arthur Watson (Lee Evans), are in pursuit of international human-smuggling crimelord Snakehead (Julian Sands). The partners get seriously wounded and a mysterious ancient medallion transforms them into superpowered warriors called Highbinders. The two halves of the medallion are supposed to grant eternal life when joined together by a powerful young boy who was born during a specific time in the Year of the Snake. The villainous Snakehead wants to gets his hands on both the child and the medallion, and the heros try to stop him. Aided by special effects and action choreography by Sammo Hung, Chan fights his way toward a violent conclusion with Snakehead that takes place in mid-air.. Claire Forlani plays Jackie Chan's love interest, the Interpol agent Nicole. Also starring John Rhys-Davies as Commander Hammerstock-Smythe. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Lee Evans, (more)
Ho Cheung Ping, who wrote the novel that was the basis for Fulltime Killer and made his directorial debut with the crime comedy You Shoot, I Shoot, returns to the parody genre with his second film, Men Suddenly in Black. Eric Tsang does a takeoff of his role in Infernal Affairs, playing Tin, the leader of a group of four men who enact an intricate plot to cheat on their significant others while the women are away for the day in Thailand. The others are Cheung (Jordan Chan), a relatively straight-laced doctor; Chao (Chapman To), the fun-loving goofball of the group; and Paul (Spirit Blue), Tin's virginal nephew. All their machinations threaten to unravel when they discover that their wives, played by Teresa Mo, Marsha Yuan, Tiffany Lee, and Candy Lo (The Eye), never left for Thailand and are following them. The men begin to suspect that there is a traitor in their midst. They face many obstacles, but they soldier on to honor "Ninth Uncle" (Tony Leung of Dragon Inn), who once took the fall for them when their wives showed up at their favorite strip club and who is now imprisoned in his home by his vengeful wife (Sandra Ng). The film presents all this material in the style of a typical Hong Kong action film, with many references to other films and cameos by Sammo Hung, Alan Tam, Maria Cordero, and others. Ping won Best New Director and Leung Best Supporting Actor at the 2004 Hong Kong Film Awards. The film was shown at the 2004 New York Asian American International Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Tsang, Jordan Chan, (more)
- 2002
Hong Kong filmmaker Allen Lan directs the martial arts-action film Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger, which, despite its similar title and sharing some of the same actors, has nothing to do with Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Set during the Ming dynasty, the story involves horse thief Luk Ching-Yang (Sammo Hung) and his wife Liu Lu-Yian (Cheng Pei-Pei). After Luk was betrayed by his brother Kiu Hung (Tsui Goh), Lu-Yian left him. They reunite 20 years later, along with Liu Lu-Yian's adopted daughter Liu Wan-Long (Jade Leung) and the young warrior Pak Suk-Fu (Louis Fan), in order to seek revenge. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Cheng Pei-Pei, (more)
- 2002
- NR
- Add The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies to QueueAdd The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies to top of Queue
The Art of Action is a compilation film, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, that offers clips from various action films that featured martial arts action sequences. Among the films excepted for this collection are Rush Hour 2 with Jackie Chan, Charlie's Angels, and the multiple-Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The DVD release of the film features interviews with actors and directors. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Directed by Tsui Hark, The Legend of Zu is an adaptation of the 64-volume epic novel of the same name, and follows several warriors training in the mysterious Zu mountains. Somehow, the powers of the mountain are absorbed by the warriors and subsequently used to help combat the evil forces threatening the world's safety. When the mountains are invaded by a creature known only as the Blood Demon, the warriors must pool their skills in order to preserve humankind. The film features Louis Koo, Kelly Lin, Zhang Ziyi, Ekin Cheng, Sammo Hung, and Cecilia Cheung. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Hong Kong action-movie superstar Sammo Hung keeps the kicks flying in this TV action farce about a Chinese lawman (Hung) brought to Los Angeles to join forces with detective Louis McGray (Louis Mandylor) and detective Dana Doyle (Tammy Lauren). It's not long before this trio has the bad guys on the run. Filmed in Van Nuys, this series premiered September 16, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Tammy Lauren, (more)
- 1997
After wowing audiences both in Hong Kong and abroad with her jaw-dropping stunts during Supercop, Michelle Yeoh stars in this melodrama -- directed by Ann Hui -- about a stuntwoman struggling to survive in Hong Kong's notoriously cutthroat film industry. Kam (Yeoh) is a fearless stunt double trying to gain the respect of a ornery, battle-worn action director known only as "the Chief" (Sammo Hung). Though a father-daughter relationship of sorts eventually forms between the two, their relationship to the craft of stunts is complicated. Kam gets pulled away from her profession first through a bad relationship and then through looking after the Chief's kid Long (Jimmy Wong). The Chief, in turn, gets killed during a scuffle with the Hong Kong triads. This film, however, is perhaps best remembered because of a serious injury Michelle Yeoh incurred when she misjudged an 18-foot jump from a bridge to a truck. In venerable Hong Kong cinema fashion, the outtakes of Yeoh's brush with death are included as the film's end. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Martial arts master/doctor Wong Fei-hung (a familiar character in Hong Kong cinema) and his gang find adventure amidst the cowboys and Indians of the American West. The sixth in the enormously popular "Once Upon a Time in China" series of Hong Kong action films that was created by director Tsui Hark in 1991, this episode takes an entirely new direction for the series; it features plenty of broad comedy in the first half (though whether or not it was intentional is debatable), eye-popping stunts and excitement. In another unusual turn, it was also shot with scenes in English as well as the standard Cantonese. Wong's adventure's begins when he and his gang sail to San Francisco to oversee the latest branch of their Bo Chi Lam. They find a country where the Chinese are exploited and despised. Soon after arriving, the courageous Wong (Jet Li) loses his memory after the daring rescue of Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan), Wong's long-time love, who was just about to fall from a cliff. Separated from his group, the amnesiac Master Wong ends up with a tribe of Native Americans (all of whom are obviously white), who adopt him. Though they too know martial arts (as do the cowboys Wong encounters), but are no match for Wong, who proves his skill by single-handedly braving the spears, kicks and chops of an enemy tribe. Eventually, Wong reconnects with Aunt Yee and his gang; together they go on to have more adventures and battle a number of evil villains. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, (more)
Mr. Nice Guy opens on a darkened Australian warehouse full of seedy criminal types who have gathered to make a large-scale drug transaction. When it goes horribly wrong and bullets start flying, the hoods flee in different directions -- until one realizes an investigative reporter (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) has caught the whole episode on video. If she gets the chance to air it on her top-rated news show, it could bring down a powerful crime family. As thugs begin chasing her, the reporter runs into a mild-mannered TV show chef named Jackie (Jackie Chan), whom her pursuers mistake for a cohort. After several thrilling escapes, the tape has accidentally changed hands, unknowingly swapped with a children's video Jackie was bringing to a family friend. As the criminals, dispatched by mob boss Giancarlo (Richard Norton), seek out both Jackie and the reporter for the tape, Jackie's visiting girlfriend (Miki Lee) and his assistant (Karen McLymont) get mixed up in the chase. Meanwhile, the bad guys will stop at nothing, including confronting Jackie on the set of a live cooking show and trying to blow up his apartment. An English-language Hong Kong import, Mr. Nice Guy was filmed after Chan finally earned stateside success with Rumble in the Bronx, but before he was recruited to Hollywood and the Rush Hour movies. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Richard Norton, (more)
- 1996
This Hong Kong melodrama shares only the title Robert Wise's 1956 film biography of American middleweight champion Rocky Graziano. The story begins as a luminescent beauty watches two men fighting in the ring. Suddenly the story jumps back 10 months when Gloria, the girl first fell in love with Ken, one of the fighters. For the two it was nearly love at first sight, but for the intervention of Gloria's older brother who beats the stuffing out of Ken. Rocky, the pugnacious brother, is a local champion and he is currently training to take the pan-Asian title away from the current champ the Japanese fighter Yamada. Deciding that he too wants to fight, Ken begs a noted kickboxing instructor to teach him. The story then jumps to the opening fight, a bout that goes terribly awry when Ken accidentally kills Rocky. Devastated and guilt-filled, Ken leaves legitimate boxing and becomes an illegal bare-knuckle fighter. Eventually he resurfaces to take on the fearsome Yamada in the film's exciting conclusion. Serious aficionados of Hong Kong movies should keep an eagle eye out for numerous celebrity cameos that include filmmakers Clifton Ko and Ann Hui. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Master Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai directed this lyrical, dream-like martial arts epic. A famously troubled shoot, the film took two years and 40 million dollars to produce (a shocking sum for a national cinema populated with low-budget quickies) and features a virtual who's-who of the Hong Kong film world. Conceived as a prequel to the popular martial arts novel The Eagle-Shooting Hero by Jin Yong, the movie is less a straightforward action thriller than a visually striking meditation on memory and love. It nominally centers on Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung), who ekes out a lonely existence as an itinerant hired sword. Getting on in years and tormented by memories of a lost love, he also works an agent for other mercenary assassins from his remote desert abode. Ouyang's old friend and fellow swordsman, Huang Yaoshi (Tony Leung Kar-fai, who starred in the The Lover) drowns his lovelorn misery in a magical wine that makes him forget. Later, a mysterious young man named Murong Yang (Brigitte Lin) hires Ouyang to kill his sister's unfaithful suitor, Huang Yaoshi. The following day, that spurned sister, Murong Yin (Lin again), hires Ouyang to protect her dearly beloved. Meanwhile, Hong Qi (pop star Jackie Cheung) finds some redemption for a life of killing by accepting a poor girl's offer to avenge her brother's death -- a task that Ouyang brusquely shunned. In another subplot, a master swordsman (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is slowly going blind. He agrees to defend a village from horse thieves so that he can afford to go home and see his wife before his eyesight fails completely. This film is one of the most celebrated examples of 1990s Hong Kong cinema: it won multiple awards in its native Hong Kong, along with a Golden Osella for Best Cinematography at the 1994 Venice Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, (more)
- 1994
With the rising international popularity of Asian filmmaker Sammo Hung, it may be surprising that this fast-paced action-comedy -- which he not only produced, directed, and choreographed, but also contains one of his most amusing starring roles -- has not seen wider distribution outside Hong Kong. Surprising, that is, until one gets to the final third of the film, which proves that the sociocultural gap between nations can often be huge. The story begins as veteran police officer Pierre Lau (Hung) is partnered with an uptight young cop named Tang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who, in standard buddy-movie fashion, disagrees with him on almost everything. Pierre also has difficulties with overly eager customs official Wong Yuk-man (Yuen Biao), but the trio must forget their problems and work together when a group of Japanese drug dealers bomb the local police station. The action scenes are impressively staged, particularly a drug raid on the station by the criminals disguised as agents of the SDU (Hong Kong's equivalent of a SWAT team), but Western viewers may still be highly offended by the film's humor. The problematic sequence involves Tang and Wong wearing blackface in order to convince some black criminals that they are also black. The scene plays on every conceivable racist stereotype so blatantly that it makes enjoyment of the entire film problematic, but viewers able to overlook it should find the rest of the film entertaining, particularly the plethora of cameos by familiar faces like Blackie Ko, Wu Ma, Billy Lau, Melvin Wong, and Lau Kar-wing, among others. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, (more)
- 1993
Jeff Lau Chun-wai spins this wild and woolly parody of Wong Kar-wai's martial arts epic Ashes of Time, which was actually produced by Wong himself and features many of the same cast members as Ashes. This loosely plotted film centers around the misdeeds of a pair of royals (Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Veronica Yip) looking to usurp the throne. Also appearing in this film is the bubble-headed Third Princess (Brigitte Ling Ching-hsia) who martial arts ability is dubious at best, a mysterious flying head (Tony Leung Kar-fai), and the dreaded kung fu form "Toad Has a Pee Pee." Because of Ashes' notoriously difficult production, Dong Cheng actually beat the film to the theaters. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Cheung
- 1993
- NR
Hefty Hong Kong kung-fu star Sammo Hung steps behind the camera to direct this period swordplay flick. The film opens in 1895 when a band of nationalists calling themselves the Black Flag Troop get annihilated while attacking the Japanese army during the Sino-Japanese war. Fast forward a couple years to 1898 when kung-fu master Tan Tzu-tung (Ti Lung), along with his assistant Nine Catties (Cynthia Yang Li-ching), stop over in a small town. Tan quickly learns that ruffians have infiltrated the berg hoping to murder a government official. Tan, Nine, and a surprisingly skilled blacksmith manage to fight off the thugs. The blacksmith turns out to be none other than Wang Wu, the leader of the Black Flag Troop. Tan quickly tries to recruit Brother Wu to his cause -- to reform China and expel the foreigners. Soon Tan, Nine, and Wu find themselves in a plot to assassinate China's wizened, corrupt Empress Dowager. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cynthia Khan, Rosamund Kwan, (more)
This Hong Kong kung fu adventure, directed by Sammo Hung, tells the story of Fei, a fisherman (Andy Lau), and Yen Ling, a prince (Kenny Bee). When Yen Ling is betrayed by his own brother, the two form a friendship. Fei is sent to retrieve the prince's fiancee, Yueh (Anita Mui), but falls in love with her instead. Fei's friend, a killer whale, rounds off the cast of characters in this action-filled fantasy. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
This film stars two important stars of the Hong Kong kung fu cinema, Jet Li, and Sammo Hung (who also directed the film's action sequences). In addition to a blatant disregard for gravity and other physical laws, this film revolves around a popular genre theme, a battle between warriors from different schools and styles of kung fu. At the heart of the conflict is a magical sword; when the family of a young boy is murdered by villains who want the sword, the boy is taken in by his great uncle (Hung). The child grows into a strong fighter (Li), who seeks revenge on his family's killers. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li
- 1991
Sammo Hung Kam-po stars in this offbeat gangster ghost yarn as Qun, the head of a crime family gone more or less straight. While trying to collect a debt from a suicidal lass named Helen (Fennie Yuen Kit-ying), Qun winds up saving her from jumping off a tall building. This act of benevolence infuriates female ghost Siu-hung (Yu Li) who was looking to harvest Helen's "reincarnation pearl" which she hoped will help her dead son get reborn. Out of frustration, she tries to kill Qun. Qun, in return, hires a largely useless Taoist priest named Fatt (Tommy Wong Kwong-leung). Later, Qun realizes that he is, in fact, the reincarnated lover of Siu-hung, and vows to help her anyway he can. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Fennie Yuen, (more)
