Peter Pau Movies
Though you may not immediately recognize his name, chances are that if you've seen one of the films that Peter Pau photographed, you likely walked away remembering vibrant, colorfully captured imagery that lingered in your mind long after the film credits had finished rolling. A native of Hong Kong, Pau studied cinematography at the San Francisco Art Institute, graduating in 1983. Making his feature debut with The Legend of Wisely (1985), a sort-of H.K. variation on the Indiana Jones series, Pau cut his teeth shooting celluloid in such exotic locations as Nepal, including areas near the great pyramids and in the Himalayas. While this certainly prepared Pau for a certain feature he would be widely praised for nearly 15 years later, it also provided the young director of photography with experience in shooting under harsh circumstances. Making his mark on H.K. cinema over the next decade, Pau served as DP on such H.K. cinema classics as John Woo's The Killer (1989), The Swordsman (1990), and The Bride With White Hair (1993). Eventually, Pau's gift for rich and texturally complex imagery would lead him to find more work internationally. Accompanying H.K. superstar director Tsui Hark on his maiden voyage in Hollywood filmmaking (Double Team [1997]), Pau continued his stint in the U.S. as DP to former Bride director and collaborator Ronny Yu in his stateside debut (Warriors of Virtue [1997]). Alternating between work in the U.S. (Bride of Chucky [1998], again with Yu) and H.K. (Ban Zhi Yan [1999]), Pau's previous experiences shooting in exotic locations came back into play as he prepared to shoot director Ang Lee's action-packed romantic fantasy Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Citing the influences of Chinese watercolor paintings as his inspiration for the color scheme of the film, Pau and Lee's collaboration proved successful and, though he wasn't the first (or second for that matter) pick for the job, he earned international praise for his work, earning the Best Cinematography award at the 2000 Academy Awards. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Legendary martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li come together onscreen for the first time ever in director Rob Minkoff's time-traveling take on the Monkey King fable that finds an American teen transported back to ancient China after wandering into a pawn shop and discovering the king's fighting stick. Once there, the adventurous teen joins an army of fierce warriors who have sworn to free their imprisoned king at all costs. In addition to appearing as the mythical Monkey King, Li assumes the role of a silent monk, and Chan appears in the role of kung fu master Lu Yan. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping presides over the fight sequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Jet Li, (more)
Clive Owen stars in this gritty, over the top action thriller as Mr. Smith, a gun-toting badass with a hair trigger and an unknown past. He's far from a doctor and farther from a parent, but when he unwittingly discovers an innocent woman delivering a baby right in the middle of a gunfight, Smith enters the fray to save her and though the woman expires, he is the one left in care of the orphaned child. He thinks that the killers were after the woman, but soon he realizes that they had a far more unlikely target: the baby. Smith's regular company is a seedy underworld full of unsavory characters, so he takes the child to the closest thing he knows to a mother: a sultry prostitute played by Monica Bellucci, who specializes in clientele with a mommy fetish. Teamed with his hot but unlikely partner, Smith unloads barrel after barrel to protect the mysterious baby from Mr. Hertz, a ruthless criminal mastermind played by Paul Giamatti. Smith plans to figure out why Hertz and his thugs are after the baby, but if he can't uncover the truth, he'll settle for leaving them all dead in the process. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, (more)
Acclaimed director Peter Chan takes the helm for this lavish, award winning musical concerning the love triangle between a handsome actor, his beautiful co-star, and a talented film director. Lin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and his ex-lover Sun (Zhou Xun) are shooting a movie for celebrated director Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung) when the flames of their former passion are gradually rekindled. A charismatic director who has poured his entire heart and soul into making a movie about a passionate love triangle, Nie finds his entire production about to collapse as Lin does everything in his power to win back the ravishing Sun. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacky Cheung, Zhou Xun, (more)
Love and war conspire to create a romantic triangle in this lavish historical epic from director Chen Kaige. A young girl who has lost her parents to the violence of war bravely refuses to obey the orders of a warrior's son, and is approached by a spirit who offers her a life of wealth and power as a reward, but with a catch -- she will never know the love of a man unless she learns how to bring the dead back to life by turning back time. Two decades later, the orphaned girl has become Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung), the adopted daughter of The King (Cheng Qian), and her nation is yet again in the grip of war. During a long and bloody battle, Kunlun (Jang Dong-gun), a slave who has been ordered to fight, proves his skill and bravery in combat, and his commander, General Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada), rewards him by making him his personal assistant. When Guangming learns that the King is in danger, he and Kunlun set out to rescue him. Kunlun is disguised as Guangming as they prepare to fight the enemy leader Wuhuan (Nicholas Tse), who is out to assassinate the King, but when they arrive, they find that the strong-willed Qingcheng is in greater danger than the potentate as her father and his soldiers struggle to verbally and physically cut her down to size. Kunlun and Guangming impulsively rescue Qingcheng instead of the King, and as they look for a safe haven for the princess, both men fall in love with her, while both the King's forces and Wuhuan are determined to find them. Budgeted at 30 million dollars, Mo Gik (aka The Promise, Master of the Crimson Armor, and Wu Ji) was a major box-office success in China before receiving an international release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hiroyuki Sanada, Jang Dong-gun, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
Peter Pau, the oscar winning cinematographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed Tian Mai Chuanqi (The Touch). Pak Yin-fay (Michelle Yeoh) and Pak Yeuk-tong (Brandon Chang) are siblings in a family of acrobats. Bad guy Karl (Richard Roxburgh) employs gifted thief/acrobat Eric (Ben Chaplain) to steal an item created in the 1200s. Eric is successful, but the fact that he is Yin-fay's adopted brother makes his motivations less than clear. While everyone attempts to possess the item, it is Yeuk-tong who ends up with it. He and his girlfriend take off with the object, with all of the other characters in pursuit. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michelle Yeoh, Ben Chaplin, (more)
- 2000
- PG13
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Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee took a break from making Western period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly martial arts spectacular featuring special effects and action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of The Matrix (1999), Yuen Woo Ping. In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled 400-year-old weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend, fellow martial arts wizard and secret love Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), so that she may deliver it to Sir Te (Sihung Lung). Upon arrival in Peking, Yu happens upon Jen (Zhang Ziyi), a vivacious, willful politician's daughter. That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with Yu in hot pursuit -- resulting in the first of several martial arts action set pieces during the film. Li arrives in Beijing and eventually discovers that Jen is not only the masked thief but is also in cahoots with the evil Jade. In spite of this, Li sees great talent in Jen as a fighter and offers to school her in the finer points of martial arts and selflessness, an offer that Jen promptly rebukes. This film was first screened to much acclaim at the 2000 Cannes, Toronto, and New York film festivals and became a favorite when Academy Awards nominations were announced in 2001: Tiger snagged ten nods and later secured four wins for Best Cinematography, Score, Art Direction, and Foreign Language Film. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, (more)
- 1999
Riley Ip directs his melodrama about a man haunted by his memories. Ailing from Alzheimer's disease, Roy (Eric Tsang) returns to Hong Kong after 30 years in Brazil to track down his former enemy, Nine Dragons. Claiming that he was previously a notorious gangster called Mountain Leopard, he enlists the help of young street tough Smokey (Nicholas Tse). Roy tells Smokey that back in the 1970s, he and his arch-nemesis were rivals for the attention of an enigmatic beauty (Shu Qi). When she seemed to favor Roy, Nine Dragons shot him and ditched him on a barge for Brazil. Yet as the hunt continues, Smokey learns that the truth is a bit different. Meanwhile, Smokey's young heart yearns for the very female cop (Kelly Chen) who once arrested him. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Chen, Stephen Fung, (more)
This horror film, directed by Ronnie Yu, marked a return (after an eight-year lapse) of Chucky and the Child's Play series that began in 1988. At the moment of his death, the spirit of former serial killer Charles Lee Ray was mystically relocated in the doll Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif). After being salvaged from the evidence morgue by his ex-girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and a corrupt cop, Chucky is put back in action when Tiffany sews his pieces back together and works a voodoo spell to revive his sinister self. Tiffany sees her dreams of marriage aren't working out, so she keeps Chucky locked away. After an escape, Chucky electrocutes Tiffany by pushing a radio into the bathtub, delivering a chant that puts the spirit of Tiffany into a bridal figurine. Chucky's amulet can switch them back into their original human forms, so they head for New Jersey where the amulet is buried -- putting cops in motion, along with car-crash carnage. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl, (more)
- 1998
This Hong Kong comedy of relationships is based on composer J.S. Bach's "The Songbook of Anna Magdalena Bach" and is divided into four "movements," each of which presents a sticky romantic situation for the story's three protagonists: Chan (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a piano tuner; his roommate Yau (Aaron Kwok), a rather spaced-out writer; and the lovely Mok (Kelly Chen), the girl who lives upstairs from them. A complex romantic dance begins when Yau falls in love with Yok without realizing that Chan has secretly loved her for ages. This film was screened at South Korea's 1998 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Aaron Kwok, (more)
A children's fantasy adventure, Warriors of Virtue features five superheroes, dressed in kangaroo-like outfits, who are known as the Roos. The Roos inhabit a magical underground world which is threatened by the foppish villain Komodo (Angus Macfayden), who is mining a life-enhancing mineral from the River of Life. Ryan Jeffers (Mario Yedidia) arrives in this fantasy world unexpectedly, after taking a dare from a bully to walk across a whirlpool in an underground sewer. Ryan has with him an ancient Chinese manuscript, the Tao, given to him by a mystical cook in a Chinese restaurant, Ming (Dennis Dun), before Ryan was suddenly sucked into the nether world. The Tao contains secrets coveted both by Komodo and by Master Chung (Chao-Li Chi), an ancient guru who rules the Roos' kingdom. But only Ryan can read the manuscript. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angus MacFadyen, Mario Yedidia, (more)
Like John Woo and Ringo Lam before him, noted Hong Kong action director Tsui Hark made his American filmmaking debut with a thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. For this film, Hark also had the privilege of guiding basketball star Dennis Rodman through his first dramatic role. American anti-terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Van Damme) has retired from duty, content to stay with his pregnant wife at his seaside hideaway. However, the CIA lure him back into duty for one last mission: wiping out crazed international terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke). Quinn flies to Antwerp to ambush Stavros, but his plan fails; Quinn is captured and imprisoned in "The Colony," a prison camp for spies "too valuable to kill and too dangerous to set free." To further torture Quinn, Stavros kidnaps Quinn's wife; after she gives birth to their son, Stavros keeps him captive, surrounded by land mines and wild animals. Quinn escapes and makes plans to rescue his wife and child, but he can't do it alone, so he seeks the help of Yaz (Rodman), a top-level underground arms merchant with a tendency towards flamboyant body modification. Rodman also appears with R&B vocalist Crystal Waters on the song "Just a Freak" which appears on the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, (more)
With a marvelously convoluted plot and featuring plenty of slapstick action, Chinese Feast is essentially a kung-fu film with a tasty twist: the combatants battle with knives, not to carve each other up but to make exquisite culinary delicacies. The story's impetus comes from a long-standing feud between cooking schools and centers on an upcoming cook-off in which two master chefs compete to present the most delicious version of the Qing & Han Imperial Feast staples -- monkey brains, bear paw, and elephant trunk. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The third filmization of the Chinese version of Phantom of the Opera, this Hong Kong operatic melodrama is set in the fatastical burned-out husk of a once glorious opera house located near 1937 Beijing. The tale begins as a homeless theater troupe arrives there and listens to the caretaker describe the theater's demise. It happened a decade ago when the enemies of former famous actor Song Danping, who built the place, torched it for revenge after his affair with the already betrothed Yunyan was discovered. Unfortunately, Song was in the theater at the time and his body was never found. The troupe makes the theater their new home and as they rehearse, actress Wei Quing makes the acquaintance of a ghostly figure who turns out to be Song. He shares with her his plan for vengeance. Those plans involve a brilliant restaging of Romeo and Juliet designed to help him bring back his beloved Yunyan and restore the sanity she lost after he was murdered. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee's highly lauded and sentimental tearjerker swept the 1993 Hong Kong Film Awards and was warmly embraced by audiences due to its well-developed characters and exceptional performances. Anita Yuen stands out as Min, an ebullient young woman who came from a street-singing family and now lives in a broken-down apartment house. Her upstairs neighbor is Kit (Lau Ching-wan), an aspiring songwriter who has just broken up with his fiancée, a successful singer (Carina Lau). Kit knows that his perky downstairs neighbor has the charisma and talent necessary to become a star herself; he is re-energized by the prospect of shepherding her career and begins falling in love with her. Unfortunately, Min's childhood bone cancer -- which had been in complete remission for a decade -- returns and she soon finds her declining health sapping most of her excitement for both life and her career. Kit devotes himself entirely to getting Min back on her feet, setting the stage for the obligatory weepy denouement. Despite its "Disease of the Week" story line, Yee (who also wrote the screenplay) never allows his film to become trite or maudlin, and his strong cast (notably Yuen and Lau, Hong Kong's Best Actress and Actor winners of 1993 for their performances) never overplay the material. Paul Chun and Petrina Fung took home awards in the supporting categories, ably backed up by Carrie Ng, Sylvia Chang, and Jamie Luk. Herman Yau appears in a cameo. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Carina Liu, (more)
Lesbian assassins at war provide the focus for this outrageous Hong Kong martial arts film that is already becoming a cult classic. Tinam is the cop on the case searching for the person who keeps killing Hong Kong men and cutting off their genitals. Tinam is on the edge of a breakdown after he accidently shot his brother three months before. When nervous, the cop throws up. Tinam meets Kitty, an obsessive woman, in a unisex hair salon. Unfortunately for Tinam, Kitty takes a shine to him. Kitty, after shooting up a gangster's office to avenge her father's death, is taken to the home of hit-woman Sister Cindy, a charmer who uses rapists for martial arts practice dummies. Sister Cindy becomes Kitty's mentor. It is soon discovered the killer is the lesbian Princess, Cindy's former student. Princess is contracted to kill her teacher and she succeeds. The distraught Kitty, forgoes her pursuit of Tinam, and begins her revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carrie Ng
Jeff Lau directs this action flick cum romantic comedy. The film centers on CIA agent Jeff Chang (Chow Yun-fat) who is assigned to steal a Chinese national treasure, even though he is not told what this treasure might be. He meets his contact Tong Ling (Chin Han) who instructs him to hold up in a Shaolin temple. There he meets Miss Mei (Wu Chien-lien), who proves be an unusual woman by any yardstick -- she has the freakish ability to make flowers grow on people and also can pass things through other solid objects. At first Miss Mei thinks little of the suave spy, but as Jeff teaches the monks at the temple to play baseball, she begins to warm to him. Meanwhile, Jeff begins to realize that the treasure at the heart of his mission is none other than Miss Mei. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Jeff Lau Chun-wai spins this wild and woolly parody of Wong Kar-wai's martial arts epic Ashes of Time, which was actually produced by Wong himself and features many of the same cast members as Ashes. This loosely plotted film centers around the misdeeds of a pair of royals (Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Veronica Yip) looking to usurp the throne. Also appearing in this film is the bubble-headed Third Princess (Brigitte Ling Ching-hsia) who martial arts ability is dubious at best, a mysterious flying head (Tony Leung Kar-fai), and the dreaded kung fu form "Toad Has a Pee Pee." Because of Ashes' notoriously difficult production, Dong Cheng actually beat the film to the theaters. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Cheung
Following on the success of 1987's Chinese Ghost Story, Hong Kong was inundated with romantically themed tales of the supernatural. Most were awful, but Ronny Yu's The Bride With White Hair has become a classic of the genre. Based on a two-volumed 1954 novel written by Leung Yu-Sang, the film tells the story of star-crossed lovers and bloody conflict. The two meet when Lian (Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia), a beautiful sorceress who was raised by wolves, saves young warrior Zhuo Yi-Hang (Leslie Cheung) from a pack of hungry animals. Though she disappears before he can thank her, Zhuo is entranced. Later Zhuo becomes a master swordsman with the Wu Tang Clan, a tight-knit martial arts society dedicated to the villainous Ji Wu-Shuang (played by both Francis Ng and Elaine Lui), a mutant half-man, half-woman creature who rules the land with an iron fist. Though Zhuo is more interested in quiet life of contemplation, the clan elders see Zhou as their best weapon against their evil King/Queen. Meanwhile, Lian has grown into a formidable adversary herself -- especially with the use of her trusty whip, which can slice a man in two. She has been recruited by Ji to thwart the rebels. In the midst of battle, Zhou and Lian meet. Ji -- who secretly lusts for Lian -- orders her to kill Zhuo. She refuses, much to his displeasure, and orders her tortured to within an inch of her life. Zhuo discovers Lian's semi-conscious body and nurses her back to health. The two soon fall passionately in love and vow to always trust one another. Unfortunately, Ji's black magic revenge spoils the lovers' new-found bliss. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, (more)
- 1992
David Lai and Corey Yuen spins this unusual -- for Hong Kong cinema -- sci-fi flick inspired in part by Japanese manga. Set in the near future, notorious assassin Silver Fox (Aaron Kwok) is out to avenge his master who was blinded by cop May-chun (Anita Mui). Fox's first attempt manages to kill May's underling Koo, but she herself manages to escape while partially blinding Fox along the way. May-chun goes into hiding leaving her duties to Ching-lan (Andy Lau), who is utterly in love with her. When Ching-lan decides to seek her out, he inadvertently angers the fearsome Pet Lady (Carina Lau). When he does find her, he learns that she has been poisoned by Silver Fox. He takes May-chuan to Pet Lady hoping for a cure. Yet she spurns him, refusing to help even though he crawled through broken glass at her request. All seems lost when Silver Fox attacks once more. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Based on a true story, this Hong Kong crime and action drama follows the rise to power of a mainland gangster who has come to Hong Kong to do business. His ruthless willingness to engage in violence quickly gains him a prominent place in that city's rackets, but he wants to be number one. In a number of very violent battles with gang members of the current number one, he finally attains the goal he seeks, displacing his rival before being condemned to a term in prison. Reviewers found that this action film paints a sufficiently realistic picture of the true crime situation in Hong Kong and is extremely instructive, in sharp contrast with the violent crime fantasies of director John Woo. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lui Leung Wai, Kent Cheng, (more)
In 1969, while Hong Kong is undergoing its own localized chaos -- fallout from the Cultural Revolution on the Chinese mainland -- taxi driver Ah-chung is hard-pressed to juggle the two women in his life and his ambition to own his own cab. One of the women is a wealthy socialite who pays for his intimate attentions. The other is his real girlfriend who, despite herself, is drawn to him. What's the problem? The girlfriend is ambitious too: she wants to land someone with real money, not just a hard-working cab driver. One highlight of this light-hearted romantic comedy is its use of music from the period. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Bee, Maggie Cheung, (more)
Though John Woo's lifelong admiration of Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese, and Stanley Kubrick are also evident in this stylish actioner, the film is essentially a tribute to Jean-Pierre Melville and his cult thriller Le Samouraï. During a restaurant shoot-out, hitman Jeff (Chow Yun-Fat) accidentally hurts the eyes of a singer (Sally Yeh). Later, he meets the girl and discovers that if she does not have a very expensive operation very soon, she will go blind. To get the money for the surgery, Jeff decides to perform one last hit. The cop (Danny Lee), who has been chasing Jeff for a long time, is determined to catch him this time. The film's number of victims makes The Terminator or Rambo pale in comparison, but its brilliant visual style and bravura direction earned accolades even from non-action fans. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, (more)
- 1989
Director Zhang Yimou and his frequent onscreen muse Gong Li star in this affable romantic fantasy. Mong Tienfong (Zhang) is a Qin dynasty server who has the misfortune to fall in love with beautiful imperial concubine Snow (Li). For their illicit affair, Snow is forced to commit suicide and Mong turned into a terracotta warrior and sealed in the royal tomb. Fast-forward 3,000 years to 1930 when Mong comes to and miraculously happens upon Lily, an actress -- the spitting image of his former love -- who is starring in a Chinese adaptation of Gone With the Wind. Mong tries to not only adapt to the speed and noise of the 20th century, but also win the dubious lass' hand. Meanwhile, Mong's rival, Burt (Yu Rongguang), plots to sell off the terracotta warriors to the highest bidder. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gong Li, Zhang Yimou, (more)
