Andy Lau Movies

This Cantonese-language romantic serio-comedy features multihyphenate Andy Lau as playboy Sam Ching. Many regard Sam as one of the most eligible and desirable bachelors in Hong Kong, given his carefree attitude toward life's obstacles, remarkable intelligence, and vast fortune. Unfortunately, despite Sam's professional success, he suffers from a long and rocky history in his personal life that includes a lengthy series of dysfunctional relationships and three prior divorces. Life improves dramatically when a sassy young woman named Milan (Shu Qi) waltzes into his world and takes over emotionally; Sam falls in love at first glance when he spots her at a Macau casino. Unfortunately, her twin careers -- she works as a cabaret dancer and poker dealer -- mesh poorly with Sam's social status, especially given his high-profile image. The couple soon make headlines in all of the major newspapers, and their perceived incongruity leads Milan to undergo preparations as a society woman, Hong Kong's number one "It Girl." A complication arises when Sam grows concerned that Milan might actually be after his money; he asks the girl to sign a prenuptial agreement; she grows indignant and instantly leaves him. When he recognizes her sincerity and the depth of his love for her once and for all, he'll do anything to win her back. But it just may be too late. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Mongolian Pingpong director Ning Hao weaves this tangled heist tale concerning a priceless piece of jade, and the bumbling thieves willing to do whatever it takes to assume ownership of the gem. The owner of a dilapidated factory has discovered a valuable piece of jade on his property, and now in order to keep a greedy real-estate developer at bay he's looking to find a buyer for the stone. Until that happens, however, the factory owner has determined to put the stone up for display at a run down temple so that potential buyers may admire its beauty. In order to protect the stone, the factory owner assigns hardworking assembly-line worker and former detective Bao (Guo Tao) as his head of security. Now, if Bao can only put his prostate troubles aside long enough to keep three thieves, a skilled burglar hired by the scheming real-estate developer, and the son of the factory owner away from the stone, he may be able to ensure that the factory remains open and he still has a job at the end of the day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A former doctor believes he may have found a connection to the woman he loved and lost in this romantic melodrama. Ko (Andy Lau) is a young doctor married to Zi-qing (Charlene Choi), but while he has a beautiful and caring wife, Ko’s career is time consuming and he doesn’t get to spend as much time with his spouse as he’d like. After Ko breaks a dinner date with Zi-qing, she’s driving home when her car is struck by another driver; she dies shortly afterward. Shattered by the news, Ko leaves behind his career as a doctor and takes a job driving an ambulance. When Ko answers an emergency call at a car crash, he finds himself looking after Tse Yuen-sam (Charlie Young), a school teacher who recently received a heart transplant. Zi-qing donated her internal organs for transplant, and Ko senses that Yuen-sam now carries the heart of his late wife. Eager to know more about Yuen-sam, Ko finds her home and reads her diary, learning that her love life has not been happy – she was married to a dress designer who was having an affair with a model, and Yuen-sam confronted him with the news, he opted to divorce her and take up with Amber Xu. Having saved Yuen-sam’s life, he now takes it upon himself to help her find the kind of happiness he lost when Zi-qing died. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong cinema star Andy Lau stars in director Feng Xiaogang's crime story about two married con artists who attempt to turn away from the grift but give in to temptation after boarding a train that's overflowing with shady characters. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Magic Kitchen stars Sammi Cheng as Yau, a female chef who has built a very successful professional life, but at the expense of a rewarding personal life. While making an appearance on the popular television program Iron Chef, she comes into contact with an old lover who she discovers is planning on marrying one of her close friends. She becomes jealous and starts using her chef's skills to get even. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Infernal Affairs III picks up where the first film left off. Ming (Andy Lau) is cleared of any charges involving Yan's (Tony Leung) death, and is eventually assigned to the Internal Affairs division. He discovers that another cop, Yeung (Leon Lai of Fallen Angels), quickly rising through the ranks of the police department, has a mysterious link to Shen (Chen Daoming of Hero), who was apparently Sam's (Eric Tsang) connection to the mainland. Ming strongly suspects that Yeung is another one of Sam's moles, and is determined to expose him, while keeping his own connection to Sam a secret. It's a tricky proposition because Yeung also seems to suspect Ming, and appears to have the same goal in mind. With the help of Dr. Lee (Kelly Chen), Yan's psychiatrist, Ming looks deeper into Yan's final days, and flashbacks explore the undercover cop's dealings with both Yeung and Shen. Eventually, Ming finds an incriminating tape of Sam conversing with his mole, and has a climactic confrontation with Yeung. Anthony Wong and Chapman To also reprise their roles from the first two films in flashbacks. Infernal Affairs III was shown, along with the rest of the trilogy, at the 2004 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

"Big" (Andy Lau of Infernal Affairs, wearing a gargantuan prosthetic muscle suit) is a competition weight lifter and part-time male stripper. One night while dancing at a strip club, Big responds to the frantic exhortations of a comely patron (Cecilia Cheung) and strips completely naked. Unfortunately for Big, she turns out to be Detective Li, and she promptly busts him for indecent exposure. Worse yet, a murder has just taken place in the office above the club, and when Big tries to escape his minor charge, he's caught by the cops and questioned in connection with the murder. Detective Li helps him get out of the jam, and he, in turn, helps her track down the elusive killer. Li develops a romantic interest in Big, but he seems to want to avoid her. Pressed to explain himself, he eventually reveals his bizarre and tragic past. Big was a kung fu monk until a woman friend of his was murdered years ago, sending him into an uncontrollable rage, during which he inadvertently killed a sparrow. After meditating over the bird's corpse for a long time, Big developed the ability to "see karma." He can look at any animal (including people) and see what they did in their past lives. When he looks at Detective Li, he sees that in a former life she was a brutal Japanese soldier who murdered many. Even though she's a good person, she still carries that soldier's karma, and Big believes she'll eventually have to die for his crimes. Despite his misgivings, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the persistent young cop. Running on Karma was directed by the team of Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai (PTU). The film was shown at the 2004 edition of Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Following up on his two-fisted 2000 flick The Mission, Johnnie To, along with Wai Ka Fai, directs this high-octane shoot 'em up about a pair of hired killers vying for their reputation and for a beautiful girl. O (Takashi Sorimachi) is a reclusive, highly disciplined assassin who is considered the top killer of Hong Kong. Since the murder of his comely housekeeper, with whom he secretly has fallen in love, he has grown even more inward. For him, any connection to the outside is fraught with danger, usually leading to death. Tok (played by pop star and heartthrob Andy Lau) is the polar opposite of O -- brash and eager to be number one. Chin (Kelly Lin) is O's part-time housekeeper -- a replacement to her murdered predecessor -- and current obsession. When Tok seduces her -- in between knocking off gangsters in a Bill Clinton mask -- he forces O out of his seclusion and into a confrontation with his rival. Meanwhile, Interpol, lead by Inspector Lee (Simon Yam of Bullet in the Head fame), is hot on their trail. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A young woman's broken heart leads her to pack on the pounds in this romantic comedy from Hong Kong. Mini is the obese woman in question, and when she meets a man named Fatso, he helps her get herself back on track and shed the pounds. After dropping the unwanted heft, Mini rekindles her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, but has she fallen for Fatso? ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Two expert swordsmen (known as "Sword Saint" and "God of Sword," respectively) must train for the duel of their lives. Scheduled to take place on top of the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City, the duel has inspired trickery amongst nearly everyone involved. The most nefarious plot is discovered by a renowned minister, whose experience selling tickets leads him to believe that someone is planning to assassinate the emperor. The Duel was directed by Andrew Lau and Law Man-Dik, and stars Anthony Wong, Nick Cheung, Andy Lau, Yu Kei, and Ekin Cheng. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

A lawman finds his loyalties put to the test in this action thriller from Hong Kong. Shing (Louis Koo), a top student at the Police Academy, is groomed for a special assignment -- to crack open the Hung Hing triad from the inside as an undercover agent. Shing is able to join up with the Hung Hings and becomes close friends with notorious gangster Fei Ling (Andy Lau). However, when Fei Ling and his henchmen become involved in a gang war with another triad, Shing learns that the rival gang has also been infiltrated by an undercover cop, White Head (Sui-Kei Lee). When Shing is given his assignment to wipe out the enemy gang, he must decide if his loyalty is with the law or with the triad. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong director Johnny Mak (Long Arm of the Law) helmed this drama detailing triad links to Taiwanese politics, with a several real-life political parallels. In 1995, a corrupt official (Li Li-chun) positions wealthy mob kingpin Chou (Tony Leung Kar-fai) as a candidate in upcoming elections. Aggressive cop Fang (Andy Lay) raids one of Chou's clubs, but Chou gets off without a conviction. However, Chou is no longer a nominee after Fang exposes his illegal tie to government construction contracts. Chou then becomes an independent candidate, proclaiming revenge on all his betrayers. Action scenes include wild gunplay in the Shihlin night marketplace and cabdrivers' riot that brings Taipei traffic to a standstill. The film's original title, Hei Jin, translates literally as "black gold," colors indicating the underworld. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide