Bill Tung Movies
Many actors become typecast, but in this regard, few can approach Hong Kong actor Bill Tung. Martial arts star Jackie Chan appears to cast Tung as his uncle in as many films as possible, to the point that the always likeable "Uncle Bill" is as much a fixture in Chan's films as the bloopers and outtakes that roll with the ending credits.~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
Ever wondered what a James Bond movie might be like if (a) Bond was from Hong Kong, (b) he was too busy to chase women or drink martinis, and (c) he spent a lot more time kicking people? Well, Jackie Chan gives us an idea of what the results might be as he plays a superspy in this funny and fast-moving action saga. Jackie (Jackie Chan) is a top cop from Hong Kong whose services are enlisted by the American CIA to follow a woman named Natasha (Grishajeva Nonna) who is travelling to the Ukraine. Natasha is smuggling U.S. currency into the former Soviet Union -- enough of it that a terrorist named Tsui (Jackson Lou) has been able to purchase a nuclear warhead from the Russian Mafia on the black market. Joining forces with Russian intelligence, Jackie and Ukrainian agent Gregor (Yuri Petrov) follow Tsui's trail to Australia, where Annie (Chen Chun Wu), the terrorist's sister, works at an oceanic theme park and uses deadly sea creatures to protect the illegally-obtained warhead. As usual, narrative takes a back seat to Chan's peerless action sequences and stunt work, including a chase of snowboards, a battle with sharks, and a memorable fight in which Chan proves that a ladder can be a splendid strategic weapon. As with many of Chan's films, Police Story 4: First Strike has been released under a multitude of titles in different territories, including Jackie Chan's First Strike, Police Story 4: Piece of Cake, and Police Story 4: Story of the CIA. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, (more)
After years as a major star in most of the rest of the world, Jackie Chan finally broke through to stardom in the United States with Rumble in the Bronx, a dubbed and re-edited version of Hung Fan Kui. Here Chan plays Keung, a police officer from Hong Kong who travels to New York to attend the wedding of his uncle, Bill (Bill Tung). Bill has just sold his grocery store to Elaine (Anita Mui), and Keung finds Elaine to be a pretty good reason to extend his visit to New York. However, a mean-spirited and fashion-challenged street gang has moved into the neighborhood and is demanding protection money from the local storekeepers. Elaine is ready to sell the store and move on, but Keung is determined to show the toughs that he's not about to be pushed around. Things get even more sticky when the hoods are on the trail of a lost cache of stolen jewels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, (more)
Jackie Chan returns in one of his greatest roles in this action-comedy sequel to his 1978 Hong Kong blockbuster Drunken Master. Wong Fei Hong (Chan) is a young master of the martial art of "drunken boxing," in which fighters use alcohol to blind themselves to pain and release the angry brawler within; with the right amount of drinks under his belt, Hong can become a furious one-man army. Hong accompanies his father (Ti Lung) on a voyage to China, where they purchase a precious supply of ginseng. When Hong discovers thugs stealing from their luggage, he leaps into action to get their belongings back. Instead, he winds up with a box of valuable Chinese artifacts, which criminals are hoping to smuggle to England at a tremendous profit. Hong sets out to fight the gangsters and give the artifacts back to their rightful owners, but while his stepmother (Anita Mui) encourages him to use his drunken boxing skills, his father feels his boozy antics bring shame to the family. Jackie Chan brought some of his most elaborate stunt work to Drunken Master 2, including a remarkable fight on a bed of hot coals; Chan also directed part of the film, after Lau Kar Leung was fired after a number of disagreements with his star. Six years after it became a box office hit in Asia, Drunken Master 2 earned a theatrical release in the United States; the film was re-titled Legend Of The Drunken Master (in part because the original Drunken Master never had a proper theatrical release in America), re-edited, and dubbed into English, with a new score by Michael Wandmacher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, (more)
Even for viewers who can take or leave martial-arts films, the work of Jackie Chan bears special attention. Chan is quite simply the hardest-working movie star in the world, regularly participating in the sort of death-defying stuntwork which would make most American action heroes cringe in fear. Combining his daredevil heroics with an almost goofy brand of self-effacing humor, Chan is one of the genre's most entertaining and engaging personalities. In this film, third in the Police Story series, Chan plays a Hong Kong detective working undercover with the Chinese police to nab a Malaysian druglord. The usual hair-raising gamut of stunts follow, and numerous shootouts, fights and explosions surround the plucky cop as he combats bad guys atop a moving train, a bus, a motorcycle, a speedboat, cars, and trucks, eventually being swung through the city at high speed on a rope-ladder suspended from a helicopter. For the kind of fast-paced exotic thrills that make James Bond look like a wimp, this film is the place to go. There are some amusing comedy bits too, as when Chan's superiors all go undercover as his long-lost family, and the story zips along at a feverish clip. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Michelle Khan, (more)
- 1990
Wellson Chin Sing-wai directs this gross-out fantasy-comedy about Piao Hung (Amy Yip Chi-mei), a busty demon living in Bangkok who hunts virginal men born at a specific time. Piao performs oral sex on the unsuspecting men, sucking out their souls. When she manages to reduce 100 men to mere quivering husks, she will achieve fantastic powers. After finishing off victim number 98, she gets assaulted by magician Miu (Bill Tung Biu). Piao manages to fend off the attack by hiding in a box that gets transported to Hong Kong. There she winds up meeting hapless loser Chin Sau-yin (Nat Chan Pak-cheung) whose patronage of a prostitute still couldn't relieve him of the burden of virginity. Piao, who has already polished off victim number 99, is looking to make Chin victim number 100. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Yip Chi-mei, Bill Tung, (more)
This was internationally famous Jackie Chan's breakthrough action film, the work that got him past the ethnic boundaries of Hong Kong and into competition at the New York Film Festival in 1986. It also got him into the hospital after performing a stunt in which he fell through a glass canopy -- and stopped breathing. The story itself is not particularly profound. Kevin (Ga-kui) (Chan) is an honest, self-effacing cop who manages to capture drug lord Cho (Cho Leung) almost single-handedly. A reluctant Kevin is then assigned the job of protecting Cho's secretary Selena (Brigitte Lin) who is going to testify against him. Sure enough, the trial date comes, and Selena disappears, while Cho has to be set free for lack of evidence. The next thing he knows, Kevin is framed by Cho for the murder of a fellow (dirty) cop and is running like heck from the bad guys as well as the police. Some incredible stunts in this film include Chan being dragged behind a double-decker bus. One of Jackie Chan's trademarks are hilarious outtakes shown during the end credits, and they are among the best here. This feature is repeated to great advantage at the end of his 1998 hit Rush Hour as well. Police Story picked up "Best Picture" and "Best Action Choreography" at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Festival and was nominated for several other awards that year. Sequel after sequel followed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, (more)
