Wu Chien-lien Movies
- 2000
A huge hit in its homeland of China, this screwball episodic comedy serves mostly as a showcase for the popular comedian Ge You. You's Inspector Clouseau-like Han Dong bumbles his way through a faked kidnapping, hoping to collect the sizable ransom money involved. Meanwhile, he finds himself attracted to the very woman he's meant to abduct. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wu Chien-lien
- 1998
Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern) is the executive producer of this film directed by his past associate/co-director Yang Fengliang (Ju Dou). This period revenge drama, set during the early days of Republican China, begins when the wedding of Lanjuan (Taiwanese actress Wu Chienlien) is interrupted by gunfire that wipes out her family. Almost a decade later, obsessed with revenge, she engages the services of hitman Li Qingyang (You Yong) to kill the assassins, headed by Dragon Town warlord Xiong Jinbao (Huang Zhongqiu). Assuming the identity of a merchant and his wife, Li and Lanjuan begin living in the town during the New Year Festival. Unknown to Lanjuan, Xiong's rival Hu Danlong (Lam Wai) has also contracted Li to kill Xiong. In an interesting story twist, Xiong deduces the couple's identity, and becomes friendly with them, with more unique plot threads unraveling as the tale develops. The original title translates literally as "New Year in Dragon Town." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wu Chien-lien, You Yong, (more)
Patrick Leung directed this bloody Hong Kong thriller about a nameless hitwoman (Jacqueline Wu) who, for reasons not entirely clear and never fully developed, has a lower than average body temperature. She is cold-blooded in other ways as well, assassinating her targets with steely detachment and having only two real acquaintances: the Cambodian woman who gives her killing assignments and money, and the street vendor Long Shek (Lau Ching-wan), at whose stand she habitually relaxes after successful hits with a bowl of noodles. Long Shek dubs her Pretty Ghost, and the two gradually become something like friends. Pretty Ghost ends up traveling to South Korea to assassinate a local gangland kingpin, a job she decides will be her last. Unfortunately, the dead man's bodyguard, Yichin (Han Sang-woo), is out for revenge and comes after Pretty Ghost, and she is quickly betrayed by her Cambodian boss. Violent as it may be, the film also spends a good deal of time exploring Pretty Ghost's character, and her slow change from icy killing machine to humanized woman is well handled by Wu and screenwriter Szeto Wai-cheuk. Shirley Wong and Cheung Sung-kei co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lau Ching-Wan, Wu Chien-lien, (more)
- 1997
In Shanghai of the '30s, Shuhui (Wang Lei) brings together Manzhen (Wu Chien-lien) and Shijun (Leon Lai), and the two fall in love. However, Shijun's parents in Nanjing have planned for him to marry wealthy Cuizhi (Annie Wu), who instead becomes romantically attracted to Shuhui. Manzhen is concerned about the reputation of Shijun's older sister, prostitute Manlu (Anita Mui). After Manlu marries businessman Hongcai (Ge You), he suggests Manzhen become a concubine and the mother of his children. Manlu goes along with this plan in order to save her marriage. This drama is adapted from Eileen Chang's novel, Half a Lifetime's Romance. Shown at the 1997 Vancouver Film Festival and South Korea's 1997 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Lai, Wu Chien-lien, (more)
Following up on his two-fisted Hong Kong action thriller Full Contact, ace director Ringo Lam spins this hard-boiled revenge drama. After the murder of his parents and only sister at the hands of the villianous gun-running billionaire Ray Lui (Paul Chun Pui) in 1975, crack jet pilot Yan (Andy Lau Ling-tung) vows revenge. Pairing up with Shang (David Chiang Da-wei) -- a Cambodian born CIA operative -- Yan ventures to Thailand, where he soon becomes romantically entangled with Liu's mistress Mona (Rosamund Kwan). Afterwards, events send him to San Francisco where he falls for Liu's beautiful, innocent daughter Crystal (Jacqueline We). Soon Yan finds himself included in Liu inner circle, accompanying the gangster to the secret hideout of a Cambodian autocrat. Yan places a beacon in the dictator's bunker so that the CIA can locate and destroy it with a surprise air strike. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Like a fine soup, this Hong Kong film offers a deft blend of several film genres to tell the story of an unlucky ex-con and the woman he loves. Having just been released from prison, Wu returns to the home of his widowed father. He is the classical angry young man; much of his anger stems from his disappointment in his father who failed to protect him when Wu was a child. The boy soon became a delinquent. When the adult Wu gets home he is not welcomed as his arrival interrupts his father's plans to remarry. As the aimless ex-con wanders about the city looking for action, he encounters Jo-Jo- who a mobster's moll who also is looking for fun. The two are drawn to each other, but are torn apart by Jo-Jo's boyfriend's henchmen who beat Wu and warn him to stay away. Back home, the daughter of Wu's father's fiance wants to stop the wedding. She forces herself upon Wu and then screams "rape." Wu continues to see Jo-Jo, but during one secret meeting encounters the scene of a murder. He is accused and sentenced for the crime. Wu escapes and heads for Jo-Jo. His father realizes that Wu was innocent and tries to help him. ~ 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
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
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)
Director Ang Lee's follow-up to his surprise box-office hit The Wedding Banquet is another look at ethnic and sexual conflicts in a Chinese family, with meals as a centerpiece of the film. Master chef Chu (Sihung Lung) is a long-time widower who lovingly cooks large Sunday dinners for his three daughters, who view the meals as too traditional. Secretly, however, successful airline executive Jia-Chien (Chien-Lien Wu) loves traditional cooking and would like to be a chef like her father, if women were permitted to do so. Her older sister Jia-Jen (Kuei-Mei Yang) is unmarried and cynical about men, but she becomes attracted to a volleyball coach and eventually pursues him vigorously. The youngest daughter, Jia-Ning (Yu-Wen Wang), is a college student who becomes pregnant from her frequent sexual escapades. As the film progresses, the personal relationships between the daughters and their significant others change unexpectedly. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sihung Lung, Yang Kuei-Mei, (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
