Felix Chong
- 2007
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
- Starring:
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, (more)
Infernal Affairs powerhouse Andy Lau and Alan Mak bring the most popular manga in Japan screaming to life in this in this live-action look at the high-speed sport of "drifting" that shot straight to the top of the Hong Kong box office. Eighteen-year-old Takumi (Jay Chou) is never late for a tofu delivery, and though he speeds the tofu to its destinations with the velocity of a landlocked stealth plane, his true aspiration in life is to follow in the footsteps of his formerly fast-driving father (Anthony Wong) -- an ex-adrenaline junkie who eventually gave up the race track for the restaurant business. In his five years delivering meals from his father's restaurant Takumi has learned the streets of his hometown like the back of his hand, and he can take every corner with the needle planted firmly on the right. The trick to Takumi's amazing driving skills is a technique known as "drifting," and in a world where high-risk racing has spilled out of the tracks and onto the streets, this daring driver is about to become a legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chou
Abandoned by his family on a trip to Tokyo and desperate to be loved, a fragile simpleton enters into a curious business agreement with a former classmate whose lingering debt to the yakuza has driven him to desperate measures in a hilarious tale of love and swindling from the producers of Infernal Affairs and Initial D. Jun (Leon Lai) may be dim-witted, but his heart has always been in the right place. Soon after Jun's uncaring family callously abandons him deep within the concrete jungle, fate reconnects the down-on-his-luck wanderer with one-time classmate Hoi (Chapman To). A two-bit con man who's currently hiding out from the yakuza loan sharks, Hoi determines to help his old friend find love by transforming Jun into Tokyo's premiere Lothario. Now, as the smooth-talking gigolo's plan begins to turn a tidy profit, Jun and Hoi are about to find out just how much lonely Japanese women are willing to pay for the prospect of true love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Infernal Affairs III picks up where the first film left off. Ming (Andy Lau) is cleared of any charges involving Yan's (Tony Leung) death, and is eventually assigned to the Internal Affairs division. He discovers that another cop, Yeung (Leon Lai of Fallen Angels), quickly rising through the ranks of the police department, has a mysterious link to Shen (Chen Daoming of Hero), who was apparently Sam's (Eric Tsang) connection to the mainland. Ming strongly suspects that Yeung is another one of Sam's moles, and is determined to expose him, while keeping his own connection to Sam a secret. It's a tricky proposition because Yeung also seems to suspect Ming, and appears to have the same goal in mind. With the help of Dr. Lee (Kelly Chen), Yan's psychiatrist, Ming looks deeper into Yan's final days, and flashbacks explore the undercover cop's dealings with both Yeung and Shen. Eventually, Ming finds an incriminating tape of Sam conversing with his mole, and has a climactic confrontation with Yeung. Anthony Wong and Chapman To also reprise their roles from the first two films in flashbacks. Infernal Affairs III was shown, along with the rest of the trilogy, at the 2004 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Andy Lau, (more)
The prequel to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's smash hit Infernal Affairs opens in 1991, with Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) explaining the frustrations of police work to gangster Sam (Eric Tsang). He also expresses his desire to see the seemingly reasonable Sam take over he reins of the local triad from the current boss. When that boss is murdered, with no apparent heir, it seems that Hong Kong is going to explode in an all-out gang war. But the boss' bespectacled, soft-spoken, and well-mannered son, Hau (Francis Ng), unexpectedly takes charge, calmly and cleverly defusing the situation. Meanwhile, Yan (Shawn Yu, reprising his role as the younger version of Tony Leung's character in the first Infernal Affairs) is thrown out of the police academy for breaking the rules, and it's discovered that he's Hau's half-brother. Wong recruits him to work undercover in Hau's organization. Ming (Edison Chen playing the younger Andy Lau) is a corrupt cop secretly working for Sam. His progress up the ranks of the police force is swift, but his relationship with Sam is threatened when he finds himself falling in love with Sam's girlfriend, Mary (Carina Lau). For his part, as the handover of Hong Kong to China approaches, Hau plots to become involved in "legitimate" politics, and to avenge himself against those he believes responsible for his father's death. Chapman To reprises his role as the goofy Keung. Infernal Affairs II was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, (more)
As Infernal Affairs opens, Ming (Andy Lau of Full-time Killer) is being initiated into the criminal underworld by triad boss Sam (Eric Tsang of The Accidental Spy), who ends his speech to his young charges by wishing them success in the police department. Ming enters the police academy, where he excels, but sees his classmate, Yan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai of In the Mood for Love), expelled for "breaking the rules." It turns out that Yan wasn't actually drummed out of the force, but recruited by Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong of Hard-Boiled) as an undercover operative. Just as Ming is achieving success in the police department while secretly working for Sam, Ming is gaining Sam's trust as a triad member, while reporting to Wong. Ten years later, both men, still undercover, have grown confused about their true identities, while their bosses, Sam and Wong, wage a battle of wits against each other. Each boss learns that the other has a mole working for him, and unwittingly entrusts the mole himself to ferret out the culprit. Ming and Yan scramble to expose one another's identity in an effort to save their own skins. Infernal Affairs was co-directed by Andrew Lau (who worked as a cinematographer on several of Wong Kar-Wai's films) and Alan Mak. Renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle served as "Visual Consultant." The film was shown at New Directors/New Films in 2003. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Andy Lau, (more)
Making its American debut as part of the cable TV anthology Jackie Chan Presents, Metal Mayhem was originally released theatrically in Asia and Europe as Tejing xinrenlei 2 -- a title which roughly translates to Gen-X Cops II, proof enough that the film was intended as a sequel to the futuristic money-spinner Gen-X Cops. Paul Rudd is seen as "loose cannon" FBI agent Ian Curtis, one of several high-tech peacekeepers assigned to protect a group of American scientists at a Hong Kong-based international exposition. The fun begins when state of the art attack robot RS-1 (Skip Wilder) is unveiled at the exposition -- only to be promptly stolen by disgruntled ex-designer, Kurt (Richard Sun). With the help of this new super-weapon and a virtual army of hypnotized Hong Kong cops, Kurt intends to either take over the world or destroy it in the attempt. Aiding and abetting Curtis in his efforts to retrieve the robot is his slinky girlfriend, Jane Quigley (Maggie Q). Originally released at 110 minutes, Metal Mayhem was televised in the U.S. in a two-hour slot (plus commercials) over the Sci-Fi Channel on February 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this fast-moving, light-hearted thriller from Hong Kong, Macy (Kelly Chen) is supposed to marry her Japanese boyfriend Takahashi (Toru Nakamura) during a trip to Las Vegas, but instead he leaves her at the altar. Told that Takhashi has returned to Tokyo, Macy and her friend Yung (Ekin Cheng) decide to fly to Japan and find him. Macy and Yung decide professional assistance may be in order, so they retain the services of Lam (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a detective from China now living in Tokyo. Lam and his right-hand woman Saori (Cecilia Cheung) swing into action, learning that Takahashi's situation is a bit more complicated than anyone imagined. What's more, a dangerous gangster, Ito (Hiroshi Abe), has gotten involved in the case. Dungging Gungleuk was a major box-office hit in Hong Kong but went directly to video in the United States under the title Tokyo Raiders. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Ekin Cheng, (more)
