Andy Lau Movies

At one time there was a special genre of Hong Kong entertainment films which focused on gamblers and their like. In 1989, that genre was decisively revived thanks to the very successful release God of Gamblers. In that earlier film, among his other accomplishments, the master gambler played by Chow Yun Fat managed to pass on many of his skills and abilities to a younger associate, played by Andy Lau. In this one, Lau's character, now a master gambler in his own right, is being pestered by a young man (Stephen Chow) with intermittently available psychokinetic powers (the ability to move objects with the mind). However, not only is that ability only available to the boy when he's in love, but there's a lot more to the gambling business than the ability to cheat occasionally. They get into enough trouble to keep the story moving briskly, and this comic action film did well enough to warrant a sequel. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The extremely eccentric Manchurian princess who is briefly seen in The Last Emperor in the scenes set in Manchukuo, receives a more comprehensive screen treatment here. Born a scion of the rapidly fading Ching (Manchu) dynasty of China, Yoshiko Kawashima (Anita Mui) was taken away by the Japanese to be raised in their country's court circles when she was only six. For political reasons, she was married off to a Mongolian prince by the Japanese. Shortly after that, she embarked on a startling career of war and romance, beginning with having an affair with a Japanese officer, and including many affairs with women. Her assertiveness won her an officer's position in one of the armies of the period. After the war, this woman (who never considered herself Chinese) was shot by the Chinese as a traitor to "her" country. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This 1989 thriller, directed by Jing Wong, resurrected the subgenre of the Hong Kong gambling film. Do San (Chow Yun-Fat) is a slick professional gambler on a seemingly endless winning streak. On his way to defeat a rival in a card game, Do's streak comes to a close when a head injury leaves him brain-damaged. Reduced to the mental capacity of a child, his friend "Knife" (Andy Lau) and Knife's girlfriend Jane (Joey Wong) are left to care for him. They soon realize that his gambling abilities have been left intact, and in a series of events reminiscent of Rain Man, Do makes a comeback. Yun-Fat, who gained international reknown as an action hero in such thrillers as The Killer and Hard-Boiled, shows a surprising amount of range in this departure from his usual role. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide

Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Lau Kar-wing directed this gangster-themed crime-drama about the internecine struggles within a powerful triad family. Lung Ying (Ko Chun Hsiung) is the patriarch of the clan, and -- in a setup used in many such films since The Godfather -- is attempting to slowly move the family away from criminal enterprises and into legitimate business, although his sons and employees make it nearly impossible. Allan (Alan Tam) is a ruthless killer who later has to seek refuge in Taiwan. Kar-wai (Miu Kiu-wai) is the fiery tempered Sonny Corleone character, Hua (Andy Lau) is the calm, rational one, and Chung (Max Mok) is the dedicated student whose learning is unable to prepare him for what is to occur. Yip (Kenneth Tong) is the most dangerous to Lung Ying's plans, as he is a compulsive gambler whose addiction to the activity will lead the family to irreparable harm. Eventually, two thugs from another family, Ko (William Ho) and Keung (Norman Tsui), have Lung Ying killed and ambush the Lung family at his funeral. That's when Allan, Chung, and Hua get together to bring down Keung, who followed his deadly strike on the Lungs by murdering his own employer, Ho E (Ku Feng), and taking control of his organization. This leads to the inevitable bloody shootouts, reprisals, and dire consequences for many of those involved. The film is bolstered by a supporting cast familiar to any Hong Kong film buff, including Kent Cheng, Shing Fui-on, Phillip Ko, and Kara Hui. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Taylor Wong Tai-loi directs this sequel to his gangster epic Rich and Famous. With crime boss Chai (Chow Yun-fat) now a successful legitimate businessman, Yung (Man Chi-leung) wants to kill him more now than ever. While Chai tries to negotiate gangland peace, Yung steady kills off every competitor in the crime family until there is no one but Chai left. War between the two men seems inevitable. Meanwhile, Kwok (Andy Lau), Yung's brother, returns from self-imposed exile in Malaysia to calm tensions. At the same time, one of Chai's underlings tries to take Yung out himself but fails miserably while Yung orders the murder of Kwok's wife and child. Chai and Kwok soon band together to kill Yung. Though this film was intended as the sequel to Rich and Famous, it was actually released first. The producers thought that this film had more commercial promise. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A Cantonese detective trained in Scotland Yard returns to Hong Kong to take on the mob in this bloody crime drama. His assignment leads him to the hit man (Lau Tak Wah), an orphan who was raised by the notorious leader of the syndicate. Although they respect each others abilities, the hit man and the cop head for a violent and inevitable showdown. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Looking to cash in on the popularity of Steven Spielberg's mega-hits E.T. and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hong Kong schlockmeister Wong Jing directs this yarn about Andy (Andy Lau Tak-wah) who, along with buddies Pin-pin (Siu bin-bin) and Pancho (Wong Jing) ventures to Greece to find his long lost friend Shen (Phillip Ko Fei). They soon discover Shen is being tailed both by the KGB and by Interpol after discovering some rare gems in an archeological dig. After a unkindly series of events, Andy winds up back in Hong Kong with the stones, which, it turns out, is not gems but rather an alien life form. Meanwhile Karov (Richard Norton), an evil magician, is hell bent on getting his hands on the gem/alien no matter what. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This third installment in the popular "Lucky Stars" series -- directed by Sammo Hung -- finds Muscles (Jackie Chan), Kidstuff (Hung), Fung (Yuen Biao), and the gang taking a well-needed vacation in Thailand courtesy of the Hong Kong police department. Also on the trip is police inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu Hui-chang) on orders to track down a list of drug dealers from informant Ma (Melvin Wong Kam-sun). Unfortunately, Ma gets whacked by a Thai crime lord, but he tells Woo as he draws his last breath that he mailed the list to his friend in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Muscles and the gang are shaking down Lau (James Tien Chun), a drug dealer who, it turns out, is being targeted by the same baddies that killed Ma. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A landmark of the nascent Hong Kong New Wave of the early '80s, this melodrama -- directed by Ann Hui -- concerns the plight of Vietnamese peasants shortly after the fall of Saigon. The film centers on a Japanese photojournalist named Shiomi Akutagawa (George Lam Chi-cheung) who ventures to Danang to document Vietnam's attempts at rebuilding after the war. At first he's bussed around by government officials showing off quaint villages and happy, healthy children. Later, he manages to get permission to wander about the countryside without a government chaperon. Soon he happens upon a young lass named Cam Nuong (Season Ma Si-san) who is from a desperately poor family. At first she is suspicious and even hostile towards the foreigner but quickly they develop a bond of sorts. As Akutagawa starts seeing Vietnam through Cam Nuong's eyes, he starts to realize that everyday life is far different from the state propaganda. Villagers live in constant terror of marauding soldiers, and children scavenge the bodies of executed prisoners for valuables. This film, which was shot in Mainland China, garnered armloads of Hong Kong Film Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. This film also launched the career of future pop icon and movie star Andy Lau. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide