Shu Qi Movies

When ultra-patriotic Chinese anti-terrorist operative Yan Dong (Zhao Wenzhuo, the martial artist/actor hailed by many as the next Jet Li) disobeys a direct order and continues with plans to stop a dangerous hijacking operation, he is promptly demoted. Despite his good intentions, Yan gets reassigned to the Chinese embassy in Lavernia (a fictional country said to have been part of the former Soviet Union) with his former partner Hong Weiguo (Ken Wong) to stop an outbreak of corruption and criminal activity by arresting and returning to China the troublemaking Keizo Mishima (Andrew Lin), the Japanese leader of the cult of the Red Sun. Mishima's group has dedicated themselves to promoting worldwide anarchy and, unbeknownst to Yan and Hung, have close ties with corrupt officials in Lavernia. Soon after Mishima's arrest, the villains retaliate by blowing up parts of the city. In the midst of the chaos, Yan reunites with his former lover Chen Pan (Shu Qi), who fled China following the Tienanmen Square massacre. When the terrorists kidnap Chen Pan, Yan becomes a veritable fighting machine in his efforts to save her. Filmed on location in Budapest, this Hong Kong actioner brims with well-choreographed and exciting fight scenes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A gay romantic mystery, Bishonen is roughly based on an incident that was the biggest scandal to hit the Hong Kong Police force. A cache of photographs was discovered in the home of a wealthy playboy, which all featured handsome young men in police uniforms, some of them half nude, others holding law enforcement paraphernalia such as clubs in suggestive poses. An investigation by the Police Department revealed that some of the men were indeed policemen, whereas others were hustlers and gigolos. The focus of Bishonen is not this scandal, but rather the highly unusual meeting of two different worlds, illustrated in the romantic entanglement involving a policeman, two male prostitutes and a gay pop singer. The film starts with a simple love story and a series of emotional knots, some of which are impossible to untangle. Tragedy is inevitable. Jet is the star of a group of male hustlers in the steaming city of Hong Kong. He is arrogant and sexy; everyone is in love with him but he loves no one, until one day he meets Sam, the best looking policeman around. After meeting Sam, Jet tries to change into someone he is not: innocent, sweet, clean and pure. This is his way of setting a trap to catch Sam, but he falls into a trap himself. In the process, he discovers that the righteous young cop has a darker side. Things go out of control when Sam's past and Jet's present become intermingled -- not unlike Hong Kong itself, a cauldron of traditional Chinese ethics and modern Western values. Happiness will be achieved only in the harmony of the discordant elements. All four leading actors are newcomers to the big screen; Steven Fung who plays Jet, has become one of the biggest teen idols in Asia. The film begins on a good premise; however, it slowly slides into comfortable melodrama with a predictable ending. Bishonen was screened in the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

A romantic drama, Bolei chi sing/City Of Glass begins with a car crash, in which Raphael (Leon Lai) and Vivian (Shu Qui) are killed in London on New Year's Eve. The two were lovers, but both were married to other people. Raphael's son and Vivian's daughter, both adults, meet in Hong Kong to collect their parents' remains, and as the two get to know each other better, we learn more about Raphael and Vivian's relationship in flashbacks that trace the past 25 years. Director Mabel Cheung uses the relationships of these two couples as a metaphor for the changes Hong Kong went through over the past three decades. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A man trying to run away from a personal tragedy finds out the hard way how much one of his best friends has changed in this action drama. In 2003, Lau Ching-hei (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Bong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are a pair of police detectives who are both partners and close pals. While Bong respects Lau's abilities as a detective, he's wary of his friend's uncertain temper, and he has enough problems of his own to deal with after the suicide of his long-time girlfriend. Three years later, Bong has left the force to become a private investigator and has developed a serious drinking problem, while Lau is one of the top detectives with the Hong Kong police and has married Susan (Xu Jinglei), a respected reporter. Susan and Lau approach Bong and ask him for help with a case -- Susan's father Chow (Yueh Hua) was murdered, and while the team investigating the crime has found two of the men responsible, a third culprit is still at large. Bong agrees to help, but what he and Susan don't know is that Lau is the missing man who helped kill Chow, and he's playing an elaborate game of cat and mouse with his fellow police officers as well as his best friend. Also featuring Shu Qi, Emme Wong and Chapman To, Seung Sing (aka Confession Of Pain) was directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak and written by Mak and Felix Chong, the same team responsible for the international hit Infernal Affairs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A homicide detective, a botanist with some unconventional theories, and his tabloid TV reporter girlfriend attempt to solve a gruesome murder in this high-concept thriller from The Eye and Bangkok Dangerous director Danny Pang. Botany student Steven is convinced that plants are sentient. He's recently written a doctorate paper on the theory, and spends much of his spare time attempting to prove that plants have a language all their own. Steven's girlfriend Mary works for a major television station, and thanks to a series of sensationalistic reports her career is on the upswing. When the Prime Minister's daughter is abducted, raped, and murdered, the police quickly arrest the prime suspect, a man named Eric. But is Eric really guilty of this heinous crime? In order to find out the truth, Steven conducts a series of tests in hopes that the forest itself may provide an eyewitness account of the brutal crime. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This gentle slice-of-life drama from China concerns Chin (Ge You), a middle-aged bachelor who leaves something to be desired in the appearance department. In desperation, he opts to invest some time and money into a personal ad - and spends the following weeks suffering through a nearly endless series of disappointing dates with ill-matched, unpleasant, and sometimes downright eccentric women. His fate turns somewhat when he meets Xiaoxiao (Shu Qi). She's gorgeous, she's engaging, and her personality meshes beautifully with his own - but Chin can't quite shake the feeling that she's way out of his league. Recalcitrant about the idea of approaching her romantically again, Chin settles for a friendship with Xiaoxiao and the two find a bright spot in each others' lives. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

This Cantonese-language romantic serio-comedy features multihyphenate Andy Lau as playboy Sam Ching. Many regard Sam as one of the most eligible and desirable bachelors in Hong Kong, given his carefree attitude toward life's obstacles, remarkable intelligence, and vast fortune. Unfortunately, despite Sam's professional success, he suffers from a long and rocky history in his personal life that includes a lengthy series of dysfunctional relationships and three prior divorces. Life improves dramatically when a sassy young woman named Milan (Shu Qi) waltzes into his world and takes over emotionally; Sam falls in love at first glance when he spots her at a Macau casino. Unfortunately, her twin careers -- she works as a cabaret dancer and poker dealer -- mesh poorly with Sam's social status, especially given his high-profile image. The couple soon make headlines in all of the major newspapers, and their perceived incongruity leads Milan to undergo preparations as a society woman, Hong Kong's number one "It Girl." A complication arises when Sam grows concerned that Milan might actually be after his money; he asks the girl to sign a prenuptial agreement; she grows indignant and instantly leaves him. When he recognizes her sincerity and the depth of his love for her once and for all, he'll do anything to win her back. But it just may be too late. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien directs this look at life in modern Taipei, the first part of a planned series. The film opens with a vivacious lass named Vicky (Shu Qi) sauntering down a neon-lit tunnel as the voice-over describes how she is going to break up with her on and off boyfriend Hao Hao once she has spent the NT$500,000 in her bank account. A young free spirit and party girl, she makes a living for both her and Hao Hao (Tuan Chun-hao) by working at a hostess bar. Lazy, neurotic, and pathologically jealous, Hao Hao spends his time DJ-ing and smoking speed when he is not rifling through Vicky's belongings looking for some hint of infidelity. At work, she meets Jack (played by Hou regular Jack Kao), a businessman with strong links to the mafia who nonetheless is kind and nurturing to Vicky. They soon begin an ambiguous affair. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Some of the world's most-respected directors align forces to pay tribute to the city of the New York in this unconventional omnibus sister film to 2006's Paris, Je T'Aime. Broken into short segments, New York, I Love You is comprised of ten films, most choosing to take a down-to-earth approach to the stories of the countless lives lived in the city on a given day. The segments are as follows, chronologically:

Segment 1 -- Directed by Jiang Wen; written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, and Rachel Bilson.

Segment 2 -- Directed by Mira Nair; written by Suketu Mehta; starring Natalie Portman and Irfan Khan.

Segment 3 -- Written and directed by Shunji Iwai; adaptation by Israel Horovitz. Starring Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci.

Segment 4 -- Directed by Yvan Attal; written by Olivier Lécot and Yvan Attal; starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q, and Chris Cooper.

Segment 5 -- Directed by Brett Ratner; written by Jeff Nathanson; starring Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby, and Blake Lively

Segment 6 -- Directed by Allen Hughes; written by Xan Cassavetes and Stephen Winter; starring Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper.

Segment 7 -- Directed by Shekhar Kapur; written by Anthony Minghella; starring Julie Christie, John Hurt, and Shia LaBeouf.

Segment 8 -- Written and directed by Natalie Portman; starring Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, and Jacinda Barrett.

Segment 9 -- Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel, and Shu Qi.

Segment 10 -- Written and directed by Joshua Marston; starring Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.

Transitions in between segments -- Directed by Randall Balsmeyer; written by Israel Horovitz, James Strouse, and Hall Powell; starring Emilie Ohana, Eva Amurri, and Justin Bartha. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A team of adventurers are out to save the world in this tongue-in-cheek action comedy from Hong Kong. Mac (Leon Lai), Michelle (Michelle Saram), Bird (Jordan Chan), and Sam (Sam Lee) are the Skyline Cruisers, a team of elite, super-intelligent, crime-fighting secret agents who are called in for only the most important assignments. When it's learned that arch-villain Kam (Patrick Lung) has stolen the latest innovation from one of the world's leading medical research labs -- a possible cure for cancer -- the Skyline Cruisers are sent into action, and they travel to Kuala Lumpur to track down Kam's compound and bring back the formula. However, the Cruisers are met by an unexpected ally -- June (Shu Qi), who says she's Kam's secretary and wants to help them recover the drug. San Tau Chi Saidoi was originally announced as a sequel to the 1997 Hong Kong hit Downtown Torpedoes, though the producers later denied any connection between the two films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Visionary Asian horror directors the Pang Brothers offer another disconcerting look at the spirits of the dead in this sequel to their international hit The Eye. Joey Cheng (Shu Qi) is a woman who has been given to deep mood swings, which isn't helped by the fact her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam (Jesdaporn Pholdee), is crumbling. In a moment of despair, Joey takes an overdose of sleeping pills in an apparent suicide attempt. Joey survives the incident, but discovers that she's pregnant with Sam's child, putting her in another difficult situation. Joey decides to keep the baby, but she soon discovers another strange side effect of her brush with death -- she can now see ghosts, especially when she's in the presence of children and pregnant women, and is frequently haunted by the spirit of a women attempting to kill herself near a railroad track. As the ghost begins visiting more and more often, Joey becomes convinced the spirit wants to enter the body of her unborn child. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cinematographer Andrew Lau directed this Hong Kong martial arts fantasy from a Manfred Wong screenplay. Wong based his script on a Chau Ting screenplay adapted from the long-running manga by Ma Wing-shing. Martial arts ruler Lord Conqueror (Sonny Chiba) adopts two youngsters as disciples, and a decade later, the two -- Wind (Ekin Cheng) and Cloud (Aaron Kwok) -- are rivals for the affections of the Lord Conqueror's daughter Charity (Kristy Yang). When they duel, Charity is accidentally killed, and Cloud loses an arm. Muse (Shu Qi) takes care of Cloud, and her father gives Cloud his own arm for future fights. Wind seeks some magical stones, needed to help him in his duel with the Sword Saint (Anthony Wong). Filming began May 1997 in China's Sichuan province with CGI effects added by Hong Kong's post-production house Centro, co-producers of the film. This manga has been serialized since 1989, but only the first third has been adapted here. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide