Ken Wong Movies
- 2008
Aaron Kwok stars as a seedy Thailand detective named Tan who becomes drawn into a deadly mystery after his best friend claims that he's being pursued by a murderous femme fatale. Trouble is, each new clue that Tan unearths leads him ever deeper into a deadly world of intrigue. As the body count begins to add up and Tan vows to discover the mystery woman's identity even if it costs him his life, it begins to appear that he, too, has been marked for death. Oxide Pang directs a script penned in collaboration with fellow scribe Thomas Pang. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Kwok, Liu Kai-chi, (more)
- 2008
A policeman begins seeing the spirits of the dead after a near-fatal attack in this thriller from director Kelvin Tong. Lee (Shawn Yue) and Wong (Ekin Cheng) are a pair of cops working the beat in Hong Kong who pull over a man during a routine traffic stop one night. The situation takes an ugly turn and Lee is violently attacked while the lawman sees what he's certain is the ghost of a woman, stained with blood. Seven weeks later, Lee is released from the hospital and goes back to work, but since he continues to insist he saw a ghost, Lee is transferred from a patrol car to a mysterious branch known as the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, led by Mr. Wong, a man with no belief in the paranormal. While sorting through cases with Miscellaneous Affairs, Lee once again sees a spirit as he visits a swimming pool where a young boy drowned, and is visited by the ghost of the child. Daiyat Gye (aka Rule #1) also stars Fiona Xie and Stephanie Che. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Yue, Ekin Cheng, (more)
- 2008
The line between reality and fantasy begins to blur as disease and disloyalty makes its way into one unfortunate household in this offbeat horror story from Hong Kong. Wai (Stephy Tang) is only in her mid-Twenties, but she's been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and her doctors say she has a slim chance of surviving. Ailing Wai shares a tiny flat with her younger sister Ping (Zeng Qi Qi) and her boyfriend Ming (Shawn Yue), who is endlessly loyal and does all he can to care for her in her time of need. Ming spends so much time looking after Wai that his boss fires him, but he soon gets a new job working for Fong (Yoka Yue), who he's known since they were in school together. Fong has long been infatuated with Ming, and as Wai's illness has put a damper on their sex life, he finds himself tempted into infidelity with his alluring new boss. Meanwhile, as Wai struggles with the toll cancer takes on her body and develops a curiosity about natural medicine, Ping spends more and more time escaping into the world of horror comics, and notices that a character drawn by her favorite artist is developing a certain resemblance to Ming. Chung Oi (aka In Love With The Dead) was the first solo directorial credit from Danny Pang, who had previously directed a handful of films in collaboration with his brother Oxide Pang. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Yue, Stephy Tang, (more)
- 2007
Notorious Untold Story director Herman Yau returns to terrify viewers with this supernaturally-charged tale concerning a Hong Kong policeman whose extramarital affair literally comes back to haunt him. Cheung Lok-man (Mark Cheng) is a hard-boiled CID detective who is better known as "Rockman" by his fellow law enforcers, and who previously entered into a heated tryst with sultry stripper Elli (Teng Tzu-hsuen) while in Thailand investigating a case involving both the Hong Kong and Thai underground syndicates. Unexpectedly summoned back to Hong Kong, Rockman promises Elli that he will return for her sometime in the not too distant future but ultimately fails to make good on his word. Three years later, Rockman is investigating a murder in Hong Kong when his son dies under mysterious circumstances and notorious fugitive Lam Chiu (Kenny Wong) murders a high-ranking policeman. Despite the fact that he was shot in the head by Rockman, Lam miraculously recovers from his would-be mortal wound and finds that he is no longer able to experience physical pain. As the local newspapers scramble to find a connection between the two cases, supernaturally perceptive detective Brother Sum (Lam Suet) begins to suspect that the lovelorn Elli may have placed a curse on detective Rockman after he failed to return to her in Thailand. At first Rockman is skeptical of this speculation, but when his grieving wife Kar-pi (Maggie Siu) begins suffering from a potent form of black magic known as Gong Tau he quickly seeks the assistance of renowned exorcist Master Clear Sea. Unfortunately the exorcism fails to take, causing the malevolent sorcerer who originally placed it to grow infinitely more powerful. Later, when Lam offers to remove the curse that hangs over Kar-pi if Rockman allows him to go free, it is revealed that the originator of the curse was Elli's guardian angel Lockman, and that the malevolent Gong Tau-practitioner is determined to make Rockman and his family suffer the worst torment imaginable. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Cheng, Maggie Shiu, (more)
- 2006
The Jackie Chan-headlined action farce Rob-B-Hood concerns Slipper (Chan), a character caught up in a hornet's nest of problems. Raised by poor parents and expelled from school at an early age, Slipper became notorious for his lightning-fast footwork and quick-fingered hijinks, but managed to tally up a massive amount of gambling debt. With no other choice, he accepted his crooked landlord's bid to participate in a series of crazy heists. They paired up with another shady character, Octopus (Louis Koo), and successfully kidnapped BB, a tycoon's grandson, but unforeseen complications led the trio to keep the baby longer than they had originally intended. Now, when the men learn that a triad intends to collect on some unpaid ransom and kill the child in the process, they decide to keep the baby indefinitely, as an unofficial "adopted son," and train him in the ways of burglary. They receive assistance, in this endeavor, from a teenage hanger-on, Pak Yin (Charlene Choi); a nurse named Melody (Gao Yuanyuan); and the landlord's missus, (Teresa Carpio). Suddenly, however, the rollers and the triads begin to close in, and the men must figure out a way to return the baby to his folks. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Koo, Michael Hui, (more)
A cheeky beer promotion girl (Miriam Yeung) falls for a hard-drinking, hard-luck French-Chinese fusion cuisine chef (Daniel Wu) in a dazzling romantic comedy from One Night in Mongkok director Derek Yee. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Wu, Miriam Yeung, (more)
A deadly car accident threatens to cause a violent gang war on the crowded streets on Hong Kong's Mongkok district in writer/director Derek Yee's thriller One Night in Mongkok. Officer Milo (Alex Fong)'s task force is assigned to the case when a gangster's son is accidentally killed during a drunken dispute with a rival gang. He soon learns that a hitman has been hired to take out the rival gang leader. While Milo and his crew desperately try to find and stop the hired gun, fearing all-out war in the streets, Lai Fu (Daniel Wu), a smart but inexperienced killer from a small town in the mainland, arrives in Hong Kong to do his job. A decent sort, he intercedes when he sees a thug threatening a prostitute at his hotel. She turns out to be Dan Dan (Cecilia Cheung from Running on Karma), from a small town not far from his own. Dan Dan is a very practical young woman, and when she sees the wad of cash Lai Fu is carrying (half of his payment for the job), she pretty much latches onto him. Since she knows her way around town, this turns out to be a help to Lai Fu when he finds out that the contractor who hired him has ratted him out to the cops. As it turns out, Lai Fu isn't really that interested in killing for money, and has an ulterior, more benign motive for his trip into town. But the cops and assorted bad guys are closing in anyway. One Night in Mongkok, winner of the 2004 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay, had its New York premiere at the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Wu, Cecilia Cheung, (more)
As the Hong Kong economy takes a hit and the killer-for-hire business falls into a slump, a camera man and a professional killer team up to offer the perfect package deal in director Pang Ho Cheung's dark urban comedy. Despite the Asian financial crisis, there are still people in the overcrowded metropolis of Hong Kong that need to die. Bart is a seasoned hit-man dejected by the lack of work, and Chuen is a talented assistant director in search of a fascinating subject. When the desperate pair discovers that both have a talent for "shooting," they decide to pool their resources and offer their clients visual proof that the murderous missions have been successfully executed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Kot, Cheung Tat-Ming, (more)
- 2000
Lawrence Wong directs this loose, playful look at nightlife in Hong Kong. Divided into four vignettes, the film follows a number of lonely souls as they cross paths, including a couple checking into a love hotel, a fledging thug on his first Triad assignment, a sloshed barfly squatting in a rich man's apartment, and a Philippine maid who demands that her lover perform self-mutilation. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, 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
- Starring:
- Leon Lai, Jordan Chan, (more)
- 1999
Slow Fade is one man's journey to his personal hell and back again. In a nameless city and an unspecified time, Fin (Ken Wong) hits an emotional low when his wife is killed in a car accident. He goes on a binge of self-destruction with heroin. He is salvaged by a young prostitute, Kim Josie Ho whom he meets at the detoxification clinic. Through Kim's eyes, we see Fin's efforts to leave the underworld for the sake of his wife before she died. His best friend Alex (Jimmy Wong), who got him into the crime circuit in the first place, won't let him go. Fin tries to find redemption by helping Kim leave his boss, Chan (Roy Cheung), which sets off a series of betrayals and double crosses that end tragically. The film explores the connections between circumstance and destiny, friendship and betrayal. The director pursues experimental methods of dramatic structure and cinematography while employing modern visual technology such as "cross-processing" -- developing positive film as negative -- to enhance the non-linear narrative which gives the film a special look and feel. Slow Fade was screened as part of the International Forum of New Cinema section of the 49th Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Wong, Jimmy Wong, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Zhao Wenzhuo, Shu Qi, (more)
- 1997
Teddy Chen spins this Mission Impossible variation featuring international heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro. Crack members of the Available Tactical Mercenaries group, Jackel (Kaneshiro), Cash (Jordan Chan), Sam (Charlie Yeung), and Titan (Ken Wong), are coerced into performing dark deeds for the Hong Kong government. Their mission is to steal some U.S. dollar printing plates which Britain's M-15 swiped from an Iranian syndicate ring and has plans to use themselves. With the help of their computer whiz cohort Phoenix (Theresa Lee), their assignment goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong government double-crosses them by planting a bomb in a briefcase housing some incriminating information about their group and making off with the plates while the group reel from the blast. Soon Jackel and company are heading to Budapest to get the plates and clear their name. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
A woman dealing with an unexpected death has to help her friends with their own crises in this comedy-drama. Rebecca Lott (Elizabeth Perkins) gets an unpleasant surprise while waiting for her husband to return from his daily jog -- he was hit by a car and instantly killed. A handful of Rebecca's friends and relatives rally around her, including her close friend and neighbor Sylvie (Whoopi Goldberg), her former stepmother Alberta (Kathleen Turner), and her younger sister Lucy (Gwyneth Paltrow), but she has a hard time accepting the fact that she's now a widow (or, as she prefers to put it, "the 'W' word"). It also seems that the women trying to offer Rebecca emotional support could use some of their own; Sylvie's marriage is hanging by a thread, and Lucy is depressed and cynical owing to her inexperience with men. But romance begins to find its way back into Rebecca's life when a handsome younger man (Jon Bon Jovi) -- hired to paint the house -- takes a shine to her. Moonlight and Valentino was based on a play written by Ellen Simon, daughter of comic playwright Neil Simon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Perkins, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
