Lam Suet Movies
Featuring an appearance by Cantopop megastars Twins and set in 1970s Hong Kong, this nostalgic comedy drama from director Riley Ip concerns itself with a young man as he contemplates revenge on the gangster he believes responsible for his father's death. Though his policeman father had committed suicide in a movie theater toilet ten years earlier, Fan (Shawn Yu) still believes that the local kingpin called "Crazy" (Anthony Wong) is somehow responsible for his death. Making a living by selling his family wares in front of a local theater, Fan and his best friend Ming (Wong You-Nam) decide to enlist in a kung fu class to impress the master's daughter Nam (Charlene Choi). Things later get complicated when Fan falls for a mysterious country girl (Gillian Chung). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, (more)
Following up on his two-fisted 2000 flick The Mission, Johnnie To, along with Wai Ka Fai, directs this high-octane shoot 'em up about a pair of hired killers vying for their reputation and for a beautiful girl. O (Takashi Sorimachi) is a reclusive, highly disciplined assassin who is considered the top killer of Hong Kong. Since the murder of his comely housekeeper, with whom he secretly has fallen in love, he has grown even more inward. For him, any connection to the outside is fraught with danger, usually leading to death. Tok (played by pop star and heartthrob Andy Lau) is the polar opposite of O -- brash and eager to be number one. Chin (Kelly Lin) is O's part-time housekeeper -- a replacement to her murdered predecessor -- and current obsession. When Tok seduces her -- in between knocking off gangsters in a Bill Clinton mask -- he forces O out of his seclusion and into a confrontation with his rival. Meanwhile, Interpol, lead by Inspector Lee (Simon Yam of Bullet in the Head fame), is hot on their trail. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, (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)
A young woman's broken heart leads her to pack on the pounds in this romantic comedy from Hong Kong. Mini is the obese woman in question, and when she meets a man named Fatso, he helps her get herself back on track and shed the pounds. After dropping the unwanted heft, Mini rekindles her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, but has she fallen for Fatso? ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng, (more)
- 2000
Hong Kong heartthrob Andy Lau and singing star Sammi Cheng team up for this romantic comedy. Kinki (Cheng) is a high-strung young woman employed by a Hong Kong computer firm who finds herself working alongside straight-laced salesman Andy (Lau). Kinki has just broken up with her boyfriend, while Andy has recently parted ways with his girlfriend (Fiona Leung). Kinki and Andy initially mix as well as oil and water, and Andy goes so far as to warn her that if she can't straighten up within a month, she'll be given her pink slip. But an attraction begins to develop between them during a business trip to China, and while Kinki finds herself attracting the attentions of a wealthy Internet mogul (Raymond Wong) and Andy finds his old girlfriend is showing new interest in him, the two begin to wonder if they might be better off putting their differences aside after working hours. But Andy learns he has more important matters to contend with when he discovers another salesman at the firm wants him out of the way -- and is willing to go to any lengths to be rid of him. Gu Nam Gwa Nui was a major box-office success in Hong Kong, where it was the top-grossing domestic release of 2000 and outperformed every American film released that year except Mission Impossible 2. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Fiona Leung, (more)
Three dedicated health-care workers try to save a hospital from itself in this satiric comedy. Sir Ho Kau Kei Hospital is an absurdly mismanaged medical facility in Hong Kong where most of the doctors have given up caring about their patients, and the few that still do are frustrated with the endless red tape of the hospital's management team. Three exceptions are doctors Joe (Ekin Cheng) and Jim (Jordan Chang) and nurse Yan (Cecilia Cheung) -- or at least two of them are exceptions, since Joe has quit to become a mechanic with a team of race car drivers. Jim, however, tries to convince Joe to return to the hospital, where he knows he's doing something worthwhile. Yan, meanwhile, was inspired to enter the medical profession when her life was saved by an emergency appendectomy performed at Sir Ho Kau Kei Hospital; Yan has decided she'll marry whoever it was who performed the surgery, but no one is sure if the doctor on call was Jim or Joe. Lat Sau Wui Cheun was created by the same production team responsible for the box-office triumph Gu Nam Gwa Nui, and was screened in competition at the 2001 {~Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheng Yee-kin, Jordan Chan, (more)
Noted Hong Kong director Johnny To creates this Chinese Western set in Macao. Lau Ching-wan plays Michael Cheung, a triad member and newly released ex-con, who is trying to track down his wife and the $2,000,000 she stole. On the way, he runs into lonely workaholic Judy (Ruby Wong), who lives with her young son. Gun-shy, the two adults slowly edge toward something like a relationship, until outside events complicate matters. Where a Good Man Goes was screened at the 1999 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lau Ching-Wan, Ruby Wong, (more)
Veteran Hong Kong director Johnnie To spins this wild, kinetic crime thriller. Following a failed assassination attempt on his life, crime boss Lung (Ko Hung), instructs his henchman Frank (Simon Yam) to find the villain behind the plot. Frank soon hires a quintet of hired guns to guard the boss, including the laconic Curtis (Anthony Wong), the flinty Roy (Francis Ng) and his protégé Shin (Jackie Lui), the haggard Mike (Roy Cheung), and firearms expert and peanut enthusiast James (Lam Suet). The group manages to thwart three attempts on the old man's life -- one from a sniper, a second in a shopping mall, and the third in an old warehouse -- until they figure out that rival crime boss Fat Chung (Wong Tin-lan) had order the hit. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, (more)
Noted Hong Kong action director Johnny To spins this ultra-cool cat and mouse game between a very tenacious cop and a super thief with 72 hours to live. After brilliantly swiping diamonds from an insurance company, a master criminal (Andy Lau) inveigles Inspector Ho (Lau Ching-wan) into being his unwitting accomplice. Later, when the two confront each other, the thief has another trick up his sleeve. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Lau Ching-Wan, (more)
