Benny Chan Movies
Invisible Target director Benny Chan draws inspiration from the 2004 English-language thriller Cellular for this tense tale of a self-centered debt-collector who risks his life to rescue a desperate mother and her young daughter. Bob (Louis Koo) is a single father with a dead-end job as a debt collector. Essentially an easygoing, helpful guy, Bob tries in earnest to perform well in his new position while dealing attempting to clean up his act so his sister won't move to China with his son. He's making progress too, so when he receives a frantic phone call from a woman named Grace who claims she's been kidnapped, he reports the disturbing call to the local police. Although the detective on duty dismisses the call as a prank, Bob's instincts tell him differently and he quickly makes the decision to investigate. Realizing that he's the only personal capable of saving Grace and her daughter from a painful demise, Bob prepares to risk everything - including his own family - in order to save two people he's never met, and may not even exist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Koo, Barbie Hsu, (more)
Gen X-Cops director Benny Chan helms this action-packed police thriller starring Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, and Jaycee Chan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, (more)
- 2006
The Jackie Chan-headlined action farce Rob-B-Hood concerns Slipper (Chan), a character caught up in a hornet's nest of problems. Raised by poor parents and expelled from school at an early age, Slipper became notorious for his lightning-fast footwork and quick-fingered hijinks, but managed to tally up a massive amount of gambling debt. With no other choice, he accepted his crooked landlord's bid to participate in a series of crazy heists. They paired up with another shady character, Octopus (Louis Koo), and successfully kidnapped BB, a tycoon's grandson, but unforeseen complications led the trio to keep the baby longer than they had originally intended. Now, when the men learn that a triad intends to collect on some unpaid ransom and kill the child in the process, they decide to keep the baby indefinitely, as an unofficial "adopted son," and train him in the ways of burglary. They receive assistance, in this endeavor, from a teenage hanger-on, Pak Yin (Charlene Choi); a nurse named Melody (Gao Yuanyuan); and the landlord's missus, (Teresa Carpio). Suddenly, however, the rollers and the triads begin to close in, and the men must figure out a way to return the baby to his folks. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Koo, Michael Hui, (more)
A top celebrity cop finds his ability to solve a series of kidnappings and white collar crimes sidelined by the grief he harbors for his long-missing girlfriend in this dramatic Hong Kong action entry from director Benny Chan. Ever since Suen Sui-yan (Aaron Kwok)'s girlfriend went missing without a trace ten years ago, everything just seemed to fall apart for the high profile policeman who could once do no wrong. These days Suen is investigating a lucrative money laundering scheme, but upon being assigned the task of escorting a crooked accountant named Hung (Patrick Chow) to the Hong Kong airport, his luck takes an even darker turn when an assassin's bullet kills his unfortunate charge. Suen's suspicions that something is amiss are soon confirmed when a barrister acting on behalf of powerful businessman Yiu (Lo Ka-leung) denies that his client played any part in the killing and Yiu's assets are freed-up since the potential police witness has been permanently silenced, and before long the suspicious suit is struggling to pay off a sizable debt to the triads. Soon after triad boss Jim (Lau Siu-ming) admits to a fondness for Yiu's pop-star son Yiu Ha (Tommy Yuen), the adolescent singing sensation is suddenly kidnapped. Now, as Suen struggles to make a connection between all the events and reveal the identity of the mysterious assassin, the resemblance between Barrister To (Ekin Chang)'s beautiful wife Amy (Angelica Lee) and Suen's own long-missing girlfriend fast begins to cloud the determined cop's head and complicate the case. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Kwok, Daniel Wu, (more)
A police officer has been disgraced in front of both the department and the entire city, and when the sadistic gang that wronged him attempts to cement their grip on the terrified community, the only man who can come to their aid is the one nobody believes in anymore as the long-running Police Story saga receives an exciting breath of fresh-air from director Benny Chan. Police Inspector Wing (Chan) used to be Hong Kong's top cop, but when his entire team is wiped out by a youthful group of cold-blooded bank robbers, Wing quickly falls into a deep depression. A year after everyone including Wing's fiancée has lost their faith in the fallen police inspector, Wing gets a second shot at glory when he is assigned an ambitious new partner and given the opportunity to bring the gang that nearly destroyed his life to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, (more)
A deadly car accident threatens to cause a violent gang war on the crowded streets on Hong Kong's Mongkok district in writer/director Derek Yee's thriller One Night in Mongkok. Officer Milo (Alex Fong)'s task force is assigned to the case when a gangster's son is accidentally killed during a drunken dispute with a rival gang. He soon learns that a hitman has been hired to take out the rival gang leader. While Milo and his crew desperately try to find and stop the hired gun, fearing all-out war in the streets, Lai Fu (Daniel Wu), a smart but inexperienced killer from a small town in the mainland, arrives in Hong Kong to do his job. A decent sort, he intercedes when he sees a thug threatening a prostitute at his hotel. She turns out to be Dan Dan (Cecilia Cheung from Running on Karma), from a small town not far from his own. Dan Dan is a very practical young woman, and when she sees the wad of cash Lai Fu is carrying (half of his payment for the job), she pretty much latches onto him. Since she knows her way around town, this turns out to be a help to Lai Fu when he finds out that the contractor who hired him has ratted him out to the cops. As it turns out, Lai Fu isn't really that interested in killing for money, and has an ulterior, more benign motive for his trip into town. But the cops and assorted bad guys are closing in anyway. One Night in Mongkok, winner of the 2004 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay, had its New York premiere at the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Wu, Cecilia Cheung, (more)
Benny Chan's Heroic Duo features an unlikely duo working together to crack a very mysterious case. Officer Ken Li (Ekin Cheng) learns that a fellow officer has committed a horrible crime. However, the perpetrator has no recollection of having done it. Ken Li seeks help from a former psychiatrist and current prisoner Jack Lai (Leon Lai). The pair soon learns that a master hypnotist might be behind this and several other disturbing events. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Lai Ming, Ekin Cheng, (more)
Making its American debut as part of the cable TV anthology Jackie Chan Presents, Metal Mayhem was originally released theatrically in Asia and Europe as Tejing xinrenlei 2 -- a title which roughly translates to Gen-X Cops II, proof enough that the film was intended as a sequel to the futuristic money-spinner Gen-X Cops. Paul Rudd is seen as "loose cannon" FBI agent Ian Curtis, one of several high-tech peacekeepers assigned to protect a group of American scientists at a Hong Kong-based international exposition. The fun begins when state of the art attack robot RS-1 (Skip Wilder) is unveiled at the exposition -- only to be promptly stolen by disgruntled ex-designer, Kurt (Richard Sun). With the help of this new super-weapon and a virtual army of hypnotized Hong Kong cops, Kurt intends to either take over the world or destroy it in the attempt. Aiding and abetting Curtis in his efforts to retrieve the robot is his slinky girlfriend, Jane Quigley (Maggie Q). Originally released at 110 minutes, Metal Mayhem was televised in the U.S. in a two-hour slot (plus commercials) over the Sci-Fi Channel on February 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Young upstart cops are thrown into a maelstrom of danger in this Hong Kong-lensed action thriller. Ten tons of powerful explosives, recently recovered from smugglers, have been stolen by a Japanese terrorist group, led by criminal mastermind Akatura, and the Hong Kong police have to act quickly before the explosives fall into the wrong hands or are used against the wrong people. Chan (Eric Tsang), a effective but non-conformist police detective, decides to use cops that no one will suspect are cops; he pulls three promising but unlikely-looking students from the Police Academy and gives them a crash course on tracking terrorists. Jack (Nicholas Tse), Alien (Sam Lee), and Match (Stephen Fung) are soon sent out to infiltrate the operations of Akatura's right-hand man Daniel (Daniel Wu); along the way, they join forces with Y2K (Grace Yip), a female crime fighter with a talent for electronics. But the young cops soon discover that busting an international terrorist network is no piece of cake; their initial plan goes haywire, and they learn that Akatura plans to use his new-found firepower against the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Boasting a high level of visual polish, Gen-X Cops features visual effects from Joe Viskocil and Sam Nicholson, who have worked on such blockbusters as Independence Day, Apollo 13, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Jackie Chan also makes a brief cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toru Nakamura, Eric Tsang, (more)
Jackie Chan wrote, directed and stars in this English-language action-comedy tale of about a commando group that travels to South Africa to kidnap scientists working on new energy sources. However, a Washington-based cover-up requires a downed plane after completion of the mission, and Jackie is the only survivor of the plane crash. When the crash trauma leaves him with amnesia, his question, "Who am I?" becomes his name -- Whoami. Recognized by CIA agent Morgan (Ron Smerczak), Whoami learns covert operatives have sent assassins to eliminate him, and the martial arts footwork gets fancy with Whoami heading to Rotterdam in hopes of recovering his memory. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, (more)
Benny Chan Muk-sing spins this high-octane police thriller. Noted character actor Lau Ching-wan plays Zhu, a respected though short-tempered cop who finds himself transferred to the Emergency Unit after smacking his superior. When his friend and former colleague Yang (Francis Ng Chun-yu) is murdered during a mob turf war, Zhu vows vengeance, assembling an unofficial posse of his Emergency Unit underlings to take out the gangsters. After a bold robbery of millions of U.S. dollars from the Interpol HQ -- in a scene that was lifted straight out of Michael Mann's Heat -- the gangsters are desperate to get the cash out the colony. Their solution is to highjack a transport plane. Of course, Zhu and the gang cotton on to their dastardly plan just in time, leading to a hair-raising battle within and on top of the aircraft. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Simon Yam Tat-wah stars in this B-grade cop action flick as Man-hwa, an undercover cop who has been on the job so long that he has forgotten his priorities. When the cops set up a sting for notorious drug lord and Man-hwa's buddy Lu Chan-feng (Yu Rongguang), our hero dithers on handing the criminal over to the authorities. Lu manages to escape but falls victim to a bomb planted in his get-away car. After the funeral, Man-hwa starts to put the moves on Lu's gorgeous ex Yung (Christy Chung Lai-tai) even though he is already involved with the long-suffering June (Eileen Tung Oi-ling). Later, it emerges that Lu is not actually dead and he insists on having Man-hwa assist him on a kidnapping venture. Man-hwa is forced to choose between his career and his friend. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yu Rongguang, Christy Chung, (more)
The title of this Hong-Kong film is a little deceiving. It is actually more of a biker-action film with a hint of romance targeted for adolescent audiences. Frank is an angry young-man on a motorcycle. His girlfriend and total opposite is Celia, a mainlander trying to earn enough money to defend her brother, a political prisoner. Her chosen profession is prostitution. She came to Frank after encountering problems with both the police and gangsters. While the mobsters continue their pursuit of Celia, Frank enters a motorcycle race to try to win the cash prize that will help Celia out. He is helped by a worker at the track. One of the pursuing policemen also tries to help, but he is too late. Blood is spilled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Kwok, Kwok Tsuen On, (more)
This thriller stars Hong Kong actor Andy Lau as Wah, the getaway driver in a robbery attempt. When the heist goes bad, the gang takes a girl named Jojo (Wu Chien-lien) for their hostage. After they finally evade capture, the gang plans to kill her. Only Wah is against this plan and escapes with Jojo. The two go on the run from the criminals as well as the cops and realize that their only remaining option is to fight back against their pursuers. Although another film was marketed as Moment of Romance 2, and also stars Wu Chien-lien, it is not an actual sequel to this film. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Benny Chan directs and Tsui Hark produces this sprawling fantasy yarn. The film opens with kung fu master Ma Kwun-mo (Tony Leung) being saved by the stunning Pak Wan-fai (Anita Mui) and her pet crane Yuen Yuk. In gratitude, Ma promises not to reveal Pak's identity to anyone. Later, at a kung fu meeting attended by Ma, the evil So Pang-hoi (Lawrence Ng) orders a fleet of poisonous bats to kill every other student at martial arts schools. His plans are thwarted by Yuen Yuk. While hurriedly searching for a remedy for the bats toxins to treat stricken pupils, Pak encounters the embittered Butterfly Lam (Rosamund Kwan), and soon the two are embroiled in a vicious battle using lethal sound waves. Meanwhile, So continues on his quest to take over the world. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
