Wu Hsing-Kuo Movies

Famed tenor Placido Domingo headlines this December 2006 stage production of Tan Dun's unique opera The First Emperor, mounted by Raise the Red Lantern director Zhang Yimou. Dun composed the score and conducts; he also co-authored the libretto with Ha Jin, adapting both historical records by Sima Qian and the screenplay The Legend of the Bloody Zheng by Lu Wei. This filmed outing bears an unusual footnote, as one in a series of early 21st century filmed operas released to mainstream theaters by New York's Metropolitan Opera in High Definition (HD) format. It contains not merely the said opera, but interviews with the various participants conducted by the late Beverly Sills, and extensive behind-the-scenes footage. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Jackie Chan tones down the martial arts action but turns up the international espionage in this globe-trotting adventure. Buck Yuen (Jackie Chan) is a sporting goods salesman from Hong Kong who daydreams of living the exciting and dangerous life of an international spy. One day, Buck makes the news after he accidentally stops a gang of bank robbers from getting away with the loot, and his brief moment of celebrity attracts the attention of Many Liu (Eric Tsang), a low-rent private detective who's looking for help with a missing person's case. One of Many's clients is looking for his long-lost son, and Many thinks Buck is just the guy to help track him down. Buck signs on, and is sent to Korea, where he meets a mysterious man named Mr. Park; Buck doesn't think he's the man Many wants, but he wonders if he might be his own father, who disappeared when he was a child. Buck makes the acquaintance of Carmen (Kim Min-jeong), an attractive journalist who tips off Buck that Mr. Park is actually an infamous North Korean espionage agent; Buck confronts Mr. Park, who has suddenly fallen ill, and Park on his deathbed tells Buck a riddle that, if properly decoded, could lead him to a great fortune. As Buck and Carmen try to unravel the mystery of Mr. Park's final words, their adventures lead them to Istanbul, where the fate of millions is suddenly put into Buck's hands when he discovers a deadly biological weapon coveted by Mr. Zen (Wu Hsing-kuo), a ruthless Chinese crime boss. One of Jackie Chan's most lavish Hong Kong-based vehicles, Takmo Mai Sing was a massive commercial success there, where it did impressive business opening on the Chinese New Year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Gangsters abound in this lively, romantic crime drama that is set in Shanghai during WW II. The tale of Taiwanese patriot Hsu Wen-Chiang begins as he is washed up on a beach near Shanghai. He is taken in by Ting Lik, a kindly beggar who is desperately in love with Feng Ching-Ching, the daughter of a prominent gangster. It isn't long before Ting Lik successfully rises through the underworld ranks to become one of the city's most powerful gangsters. Hsu is beside him all the way and uses his own power to get revenge against those who tried to have him killed much earlier. The film's later focus is on the exploits of Feng who long ago had a relationship with Hsu when he was on the lam in northern China. Back in the present, Hsu and Feng meet again by chance and they resume their affair until Hsu learns that Feng's father is one of his enemies and kills him. Poor Feng goes mad with grief. Ting finds out and swears revenge upon Hsu. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The true story of a major turning point in ancient Chinese history is presented in this epic drama covering the destruction of the Qin Dynasty in the late third century B.C. Most specifically the film focuses upon the battle between the Qin and Chu forces in the first half, and in the second it focuses upon the personal competition between the Chu leaders as they fight for control of the territory. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This melodramatic epic martial arts outing from Hong Kong filmmaker Clara Law is set in 7th-century China and center's on a disgraced warrior's quest for redemption. Formerly a general, he trustingly made a devil's bargain with a rival general that resulted in the assassination of his troops and the prince he was sworn to protect. Though every part of him aches for bloody vengeance, the fallen fighter follows his mother's advice and becomes a peaceful wanderer. He tries, but things don't go the way he hoped for everywhere he goes. His nemesis attacks, and, before long, kills everyone the good general cares about, including his lover, a beautiful princess. He finally finds solace in a remote Buddhist temple where he undergoes instruction from elderly monks. This time trouble comes in the form of a beautiful widow, a woman who looks exactly like his slain love. On the heels of her betrayal comes the wicked general and before the heroic warrior can find lasting peace, he must survive one last battle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Many different kinds of Chinese have taken up residence in Taiwan. They are from wildly different provinces, with different languages and cultures. Add to that differences in social class and the reactions of local Taiwanese to all these parvenus and consider, on top of that, the reactions of rural Taiwanese to anyone else, and you have a pretty potent mass of distrust and discord seething beneath a placid, pleasant surface. When a city man (Wu Hsin-kuo) brings his family to a seaside town for a vacation, the pleasant surroundings and polite demeanor of the locals cause him to overlook these tensions. He enters into the local gambling pastime and even cheerfully receives the nickname of "Weirdo." However, he is not prepared for what happens when these same tensions erupt and several people are killed. As an outsider, everyone is now pointing to him as the culprit. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide