Hu Jun Movies

Two crooks with secrets up their sleeves battle for control of a Chinese town in this action comedy. It's the era of the Chinese warlords in the 1920s, and the new governor of Goosetown (Feng Xiaogang) is taking the train into town with his wife (Carina Lau) and right-hand man Tang (Ge You). However, a handful of bandits led by Pocky Zhang (Jiang Wen) want to capture the train, and the explosion they set proves bigger than they expected and the new governor is killed. Pocky realizes no one in Goosetown has seen the new governor, so he decides to take his place, and the dead governor's wife and Tang are forced to play along. Meanwhile in Goosetown, Huang (Chow Yun-Fat) is a powerful criminal who deals in slaves and opium; he's convinced one of his many enemies will kill him, so he employs a simple-minded local man who looks exactly like him (also played by Chow Yun-Fat) to serve as his decoy. When Pocky arrives in town, he goes out of his way to make friends with his new "constituents," and Huang sees he has a powerful rival for the loyalties of the community. The rivalry between Pocky and Huang escalates into a shooting war, though Huang doesn't know Pocky isn't the real governor and Pocky doesn't realize there's more than one Huang. Let the Bullets Fly was a massive box-office success in China, becoming the top-grossing domestic release of all time upon its release in 2010. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Legendary Hong Kong action specialist John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for their first feature film together since 1992's Hard-Boiled with this historical drama set during the decisive 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Adapted in part from the beloved Chinese tome Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Red Cliff opens in the year 208 A.D., just as prime minister-turned-general Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from Han Dynasty emperor Xian (Wang Ning) to organize a southward-bound mission designed to silence troublesome warlords Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets under way, Cao Cao's troops rain destruction on Liu Bei's army, forcing the latter to retreat and convincing Liu Bei's military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) that their only hope for victory is to form an alliance with Sun Quan. Increasingly aware of the monumental struggle ahead, both sides begin preparing for the battle that will ultimately shape the future of an entire nation. Originally envisioned as a single epic, Red Cliff was eventually split into two parts due to an excessive running time that approached five hours. Red Cliff, Part I and Red Cliff, Part II were edited together for theatrical release in the United States as a stand-alone film running nearly two and a half hours. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A veteran of China's Civil War rails against modern bureaucracy in hopes of finally receiving recognition for his bravery and to honor the memory of his fallen comrades in director Feng Xiaogang's big-budget war drama. The year was 1948, and the fighting between the Nationalist KMT and the Communist PLA is raging. In a small, northeast China town, Captain Gu Zidi (Zhang Hanyu) leads the Ninth Company in a fierce skirmish against the a rapidly weakening KMT unit. His blood boiling over the death of a political officer in battle, Captain Gu vengefully kills a KMT soldier despite the fact that the leader and his unit have just surrendered. Imprisoned for a few short days as a sort-of token gesture, Captain Gu makes the acquaintance of imprisoned political officer Wang Juncun (Yuan Wenkang, who has just been accused of cowardice and will likely receive the death penalty. Later, when Captain Gu is ordered to take the Ninth out on a dangerous mission, he requests that Wang join the brigade in battle. Unfortunately for the majority of the squad, the KMT forces are much more substantial this time around, and though a few men claim to have heard the signal for retreat, Captain Gu commands them to stand their ground: In the aftermath of the slaughter, Captain Gu is the last man standing. Still, the valiant soldier stages a remarkable recovery, and goes on to save the life of North Korean Er Dou (Deng Chao) during a battle against the Americans and South Koreans. A few years later, Captain Gu enlists the aid of Er Dou and Wang's widow in regaining his honor, and ensuring that his fellow soldiers didn't die in vain. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Kam (veteran Hong Kong comic actress Sandra Ng) is making a withdrawal from an ATM on New Year's Eve when she's held up at knifepoint by the desperate Bong (Eric Tsang), who is distressed to learn that Kam doesn't even have enough money in her account to make a withdrawal. The two agree to leave and go their separate ways, when a power outage traps them in the kiosk. Kam tries to cheer Bong up with an amusing story about her life as a prostitute. This leads to a conversation that lasts through the night, and flashbacks depict Kam's evolution, from underage "fishball girl" to popular showgirl (who wins over clients doing a deft impression of Jackie Chan circa Drunken Master) to masseuse to long-in-the-tooth hooker. Outside historical events converge with Kum's story as she weaves her tale, detailing everything from her encounter with a celebrity (Andy Lau as himself) to her unrequited love for a mysterious gangster, Yeh (Wu Kwan of Stanley Kwan's Lan Yu), to her longtime friendship with a former client, Professor Chan (Tony Leung). There's also an unplanned pregnancy, which leads to an opportunistic romance with Richard (Felix Wong), a wealthy businessman. This 2002 comedy Golden Chicken, directed by Samson Chiu, spawned a 2003 sequel, Golden Chicken 2. The first film was shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's survey Recent Films from Hong Kong in 2004. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

The film's title is Chinese slang for the bathrooms located on the edge of Tiannamen Square, favorite haunts of Beijing gays. Billed as the first mainland Chinese drama to deal openly with the subject of homosexuality, the film angered censors and this resulted in mainland authorities confiscating director Zhang Yuan's passport shortly after his return from Hong Kong on April 10, 1997 therefore preventing him from attending that year's Cannes Film Festival along with the film. Primarily a psychological drama, it centers on a verbal cat-and-mouse game played between a gay writer and the straight policeman who arrests and interrogates him. The two meet in the square park, a place where many gays gather to pick up lovers and make out. Though homosexuality is not illegal, those who openly practice it are subject to often brutal police harassment. It is during one of the cops' frequent raids on the park that writer A-Lan kisses officer Shi. Later he sends the cop a gift; shortly thereafter, the cop happens to arrest Shi. During the interrogation, shameless A-Lan tells his life story, episodes of which appear via flashback. Many of his tales seem designed to provoke Shi into challenging his own sexuality. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi