Kwan Hoi-Shan Movies
Hard-Boiled is the last film directed by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo before his arrival in the U.S. This 1992 thriller, along with The Killer, is widely seen as one of his best from his Hong Kong days. Every ingredient of the quintessential Woo thriller is present, including his ever-present anti-hero (Chow Yun-Fat). Yun-Fat portrays a maverick, clarinet-playing cop nicknamed "Tequila" whose partner is killed in the dizzying chaos of a restaurant gunfight with a small army of gangsters. It is soon revealed that one of the mob's high-ranking assassins is Tony (Tony Leung), an undercover cop who, despite his badge, is dangerously close to the edge. Tequila and Tony must team up in a tense partnership, and their common pursuit of a vicious crime lord results in a brilliantly elaborate climax in a hospital, where the heroes must rescue newborn babies from the maternity ward while fighting off dozens of mob soldiers. The characters Tequila and Tony are two sides of the same coin, another trademark theme of Woo's films that would later be most fully realized with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the American hit Face/Off. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Bowie Lam, (more)
- 1983
In this modest social drama from Hong Kong, a Chinese woman from the mainland arrives in the city with the objective of getting the material things she longs for, and her lover wants to win a boxing championship -- both for the fame and the money. In order to get the Hong Kong identity card she needs, the woman agrees to have a child by an older man, accepting room and board and later, some money for her services. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cherie Chung, Man Chi Leung, (more)
- 1979
The old-fashioned aristocrat in this story has just married a beautiful, sensual young bride when he falls prey to paralysis. They had little in common to begin with, because the aristocrat's life was chiefly occupied with refinements like ancient art and even older traditional forms of music. The bride begins an affair with the couple's houseboy, and together they murder the old man. However, the old man manages to haunt them afterwards, and they do not get to enjoy his fortune peacefully. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kwan Hoi-Shan
