Arthur Wong Ngok Tai Movies

This action-fantasy opus from Hong Kong director Gordon Chan - a co-production of Hong Kong, China and Singapore with a predominantly Chinese cast - represents at least the third screen incarnation of a famous macabre Asian short story from the Qing Dynasty. (Prior versions emerged in 1966 and 1993). The setting is the Yuan Dynasty of the 13th and 14th centuries. As the tale opens, soldiers rescue a resplendent orphan girl, Xiao Wei (Zhou Xun) from desert bandits. She is taken in by General Wang (Chen Kun) and his wife Peirong (Vicki Zhao), who lavish attention on her, but three months into the unofficial adoption, a bizarre series of events befalls the city: a gruesome serial killer begins striking all over the map, killing his victims by ripping out human hearts. Deeply distrustful of the young girl and suspicious that she may actually be a bloodthirsty demon disguised as a human, Peirong summons the help of General Pan Yong (Donnie Yen), a washed-up, burnt-out alcoholic who has formally retired from military service. Lo and behold, as it turns out, Pan has befriended a Chinese ghostbuster, Xia Bing (Sun Li), who, as it turns out, has been chasing Xiao for years in revenge for her ghastly murder of one of his relatives. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The ghost of a young boy haunts a Taipei apartment block in Better Than Sex director Su Chao-pin's urban spook story. Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) is a paranormal investigator who uses an anti-gravitational device called the Menger Sponge to trap wayward spirits. Upon exploring a haunted Taipei apartment complex, Hashimoto and his crew capture the specter of a young boy who apparently perished under mysterious circumstances. When Hashimoto brings local policeman Yi Chi-tung in to help identify the boy, jealous ghost hunter Su Yuen (Barbie Hsu) makes a tragic attempt to steal the ghost that leaves Yi free to release and follow the spirit. As Yi's turbulent past slowly begins to come into focus, another, more malevolent supernatural force somehow related to the boy threatens to rain doom down on all involved in the investigation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The prequel to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's smash hit Infernal Affairs opens in 1991, with Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) explaining the frustrations of police work to gangster Sam (Eric Tsang). He also expresses his desire to see the seemingly reasonable Sam take over he reins of the local triad from the current boss. When that boss is murdered, with no apparent heir, it seems that Hong Kong is going to explode in an all-out gang war. But the boss' bespectacled, soft-spoken, and well-mannered son, Hau (Francis Ng), unexpectedly takes charge, calmly and cleverly defusing the situation. Meanwhile, Yan (Shawn Yu, reprising his role as the younger version of Tony Leung's character in the first Infernal Affairs) is thrown out of the police academy for breaking the rules, and it's discovered that he's Hau's half-brother. Wong recruits him to work undercover in Hau's organization. Ming (Edison Chen playing the younger Andy Lau) is a corrupt cop secretly working for Sam. His progress up the ranks of the police force is swift, but his relationship with Sam is threatened when he finds himself falling in love with Sam's girlfriend, Mary (Carina Lau). For his part, as the handover of Hong Kong to China approaches, Hau plots to become involved in "legitimate" politics, and to avenge himself against those he believes responsible for his father's death. Chapman To reprises his role as the goofy Keung. Infernal Affairs II was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Directed by former critic Chen Kuo-fu, Shuang Tong (Double Vision) is a Taiwanese effort at combining various aspects of the crime and horror genres with the excitement of martial arts. Led by detective Li Feng-po (Leon Dai), a group of detectives use physical violence to get a confession from a suspected criminal. Meanwhile, several murders are occuring--a business man is found drowned in his office; a politicians mistress Chiang Hui-hui) is burnt to death in her apartment, and an American clerk (Geo Gerstein) is eviscerated in his own church. Without a background in finding serial killers, the Taiwan authorties see fit to call the FBI. Agent Kevin Richter (David Morse) teams up with foreign affairs officer Huang Huo-tu (Tony Leung Kar-fai), and the pair sets off on a surreal trail which leads them through psychedelic fungus and a strange Taoist cult fun by former-businessmen. Eventually, Huang's (Leung Kar-fai) own inner demons are exposed and turned against him in a violent conclusion. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Patrick Leung's Wanpak Mchai (Demi-Haunted) is a supernatural drama set in the world of opera. Buster (Eason Chan) is an opera performer who is haunted by a female singer from the '30s named Giselle (Joey Yung) who died an unfortunate death. Giselle convinces Buster to stage a performance of the opera that contains the song she was singing when she died. In the meantime, she helps him get closer to Chole (Katy Yeung), the daughter of a local crime boss. Yumiko Cheng and Christine Ng round out the cast as the manager of Buster's opera troupe and his daughter, who both are dealing with a loss of their own. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

A young girl witnesses a horrific street accident. A man (Anthony Wong in a pivotal cameo) is hit by a trolley and decapitated. Fifteen years later, June (Shu Qi) is all grown up, and doesn't even remember the accident. One night at a club, Peter (Eason Chan), an unhappy young man, sees June dancing, wearing an eye patch, and approaches her. She quickly uses him to get away from another man, and drags him to a karaoke bar. Just as abruptly, they leave the karaoke bar, and she has him take her to his place. The next morning, he awakens to find his apartment splattered with red paint, and fifty dollars missing from his wallet. He and his roommate, Simon (Sam Lee), then discover Peter's father (James Wong) lying in the bathtub, jabbering about how he doesn't have Alzheimer's, but he's possessed. Eventually, Peter runs into the elusive June again, and they seem to be developing a relationship. But despite his romance with this mysterious woman, things continue to go badly for Peter. He loses his job as a hairdresser, and his father commits suicide. Soon, he discovers June's secret. Ever since she was a little girl, she's seen ghosts. She wears dark glasses or an eye patch sometimes, so she won't have to see them. Soon, it becomes clear that one ghost in particular is haunting June--the ghost of a man demanding his head back. As Peter gets closer to June, he begins to unravel the mystery, and discovers a connection to his own family's past. Visible Secret was written by Abe Kwong and directed by Ann Hui (Ordinary Heroes). Kwong would later direct the sequel. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Kevin (Andrew Lin), a terrorist, blows up a plane somewhere over Singapore. In Hong Kong, two impoverished computer geeks, Peter (pop star Aaron Kwok) and Benny (Daniel Wu), meet up with Peter's brother, Greg (Ray Lui), who is on the run from Singapore after being named as a suspect in the bombing. Gun play, location shifts, and an alliance with the mysterious Salina (Singapore TV star Phyllis Quek) ensue as the techies go in pursuit of justice and international terrorists. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong action genre craftsman Tsui Hark directed this martial arts tale, his second collaboration with actor Jean-Claude Van Damme after Double Team (1997). Van Damme stars as Marcus Ray, a Hong Kong fashion designer who specializes in "knock-offs," cheaply produced jeans and sneakers meant to look like major-label merchandise. With his new partner Tommy Hendricks (Rob Schneider), Marcus hopes to go legit and put his shady past behind him, but Tommy is really an undercover CIA agent investigating the smuggling of mini-bombs in Marcus' products. An unwitting pawn in a scheme concocted by the KGB and Tommy's CIA superior Johanson (Paul Sorvino), Marcus must clear his name and save his company. His quest to do so becomes even more complicated when local authorities link him to a murder and a vice-president, Karen (Lela Rochon), arrives from Marcus' parent company to investigate discrepancies in his bookkeeping. Knock Off is based on a script by Steven E. de Souza, author of 48 Hrs. (1982) and Die Hard (1988). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

"Once upon a time in distant China, there were three sisters. One loved money, one loved power, and one loved her country." So opens this historical, melodramatic chronicle of the influential lives of three daughters from one of pre-Communist China's wealthiest families. Two of the Soong sisters married important figures in 20th-century Chinese history. Soong Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic while her sister May-ling married Sun's successor, the famed Chian Kai-shek. The oldest daughter Ai-ling married industrialist H.H. Kung, a wealthy and powerful man who eventually became Hong Kong's finance minister. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Patrick Leung directed this bloody Hong Kong thriller about a nameless hitwoman (Jacqueline Wu) who, for reasons not entirely clear and never fully developed, has a lower than average body temperature. She is cold-blooded in other ways as well, assassinating her targets with steely detachment and having only two real acquaintances: the Cambodian woman who gives her killing assignments and money, and the street vendor Long Shek (Lau Ching-wan), at whose stand she habitually relaxes after successful hits with a bowl of noodles. Long Shek dubs her Pretty Ghost, and the two gradually become something like friends. Pretty Ghost ends up traveling to South Korea to assassinate a local gangland kingpin, a job she decides will be her last. Unfortunately, the dead man's bodyguard, Yichin (Han Sang-woo), is out for revenge and comes after Pretty Ghost, and she is quickly betrayed by her Cambodian boss. Violent as it may be, the film also spends a good deal of time exploring Pretty Ghost's character, and her slow change from icy killing machine to humanized woman is well handled by Wu and screenwriter Szeto Wai-cheuk. Shirley Wong and Cheung Sung-kei co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

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

Taiwanese society is closely examined in this complex political drama that includes elements of black comedy. The underlying thesis is a call for nouveau riche Asian countries to expand their horizons and reconsider their traditional ways. The relationships within the film are quite convoluted. All the characters are somehow connected by blood, friendship, or sexual chemistry. The story revolves around Molly, a well-born young woman who helms a PR company which is backed by Akeem, her rich boyfriend (to whom Molly's talk show host sister was formerly engaged). Molly's best friend and personal assistant is Qiqi, a former schoolmate from the lower middle class who is to marry Ming, a low-level government employee. Larry, Molly's business manager and friend of Akeem, runs Molly's company. Feng wants to be an actress, and works for Molly while waiting for her big break (she also romances Larry). Birdy is an avante-garde playwright trying to produce his first commercial play. Things heat up when Molly reevaluates her life after firing Feng over a disagreement. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide