Tony Leung Kar-Fai

Sent away to rural Taiwan after entering into a forbidden affair with the daughter of his father's most dangerous rival, the musically gifted son of a powerful Triad boss experiences a newfound sense of balance in life upon entering into an apprenticeship with a Zen drumming troupe. Sid Kwan is a reckless musician who threatens to rock the entire underworld when he makes love to the beautiful Carmen. Carmen is the daughter of Stephen Ma, perhaps the most notorious Triad leader in the Hong Kong underworld. Should Carmen's father find out about the clandestine affair, the streets would likely be ablaze with gunfire, and Sid would certainly be the first to fall. Hoping that his son's life will be spared if he is out of sight, Sid's father sends the restless boy to lie low in rural Taiwan. Shortly after his arrival, Sid stumbles across a Zen drumming troupe who live and play together deep in the forest. Their passion and athleticism instantly mesmerizing to the entranced newcomer, Sid immediately asks if he might become a part of the unique community. While Sid's apprenticeship is at first straining, the clarity that he experiences after ingratiating himself to the community helps him make sense of the chaos that nearly consumed him back in Hong Kong and discover the peace that comes from owning up to his father's dark legacy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Master Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai directed this lyrical, dream-like martial arts epic. A famously troubled shoot, the film took two years and 40 million dollars to produce (a shocking sum for a national cinema populated with low-budget quickies) and features a virtual who's who of the Hong Kong film world. Conceived as a prequel to the popular martial arts novel The Eagle-Shooting Hero by Jin Yong, the movie is less a straightforward action thriller than a visually striking meditation on memory and love. It nominally centers on Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung), who ekes out a lonely existence as an itinerant hired sword. Getting on in years and tormented by memories of a lost love, he also works an agent for other mercenary assassins from his remote desert abode. Ouyang's old friend and fellow swordsman, Huang Yaoshi (Tony Leung Kar-Fai, who starred in the The Lover) drowns his lovelorn misery in a magical wine that makes him forget. Later, a mysterious young man named Murong Yang (Brigitte Lin) hires Ouyang to kill his sister's unfaithful suitor, Huang Yaoshi. The following day, that spurned sister, Murong Yin (Lin again), hires Ouyang to protect her dearly beloved. Meanwhile, Hong Qi (pop star Jacky Cheung) finds some redemption for a life of killing by accepting a poor girl's offer to avenge her brother's death -- a task that Ouyang brusquely shunned. In another subplot, a master swordsman (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) is slowly going blind. He agrees to defend a village from horse thieves so that he can afford to go home and see his wife before his eyesight fails completely. This film is one of the most celebrated examples of 1990s Hong Kong cinema: it won multiple awards in its native Hong Kong, along with a Golden Osella for Best Cinematography at the 1994 Venice Film Festival.

In the years following Ashes of Time's initial theatrical release, the original negatives were lost and multiple versions of the film began to crop up all across the globe. As a result, director Wong Kar-wai longed to compile these various versions into a restored, remastered, and definitive final cut. With Ashes of Time Redux, the director restructures the film according to seasons, effectively clarifying the central narratives, and digitally colorizes the film to render cinematographer Christopher Doyle's masterful imagery all the more lavish and intoxicatingly gorgeous. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Mainland writer/director Li Yu teams with producer and screenwriter Fang Li for this tale of money and love in the Chinese capitol. Lin Dong (Tony Leung Kar-fai) is a resourceful entrepreneur from the southern province of Guangdong who has risen through the ranks to become the manager of the highly profitable Golden Basin Foot Massage Parlor. The popular parlor is staffed by a group of attractive young girls that includes Liu Pingguo (Fan Bingbing) and Xiaomei (Zeng Meihuizi), two Guangdong natives who are also looking for a better life in the big city. One night, after some heavy drinking, Dong takes Pingguo up to his lavish apartment and awkwardly forces himself on the girl as her window-cleaner husband, Kun (Tong Dawei), watches in shock from his harness outside. Later, when Pingguo discovers that she is pregnant, Dong, his infertile wife, Wang Mei (Elaine Jin), Kun, and the mother-to-be all sit down together to sign contracts that will allow Dong to adopt the child in exchange for a healthy chunk of change. The airtight agreement slowly begins to unravel, however, when the child is born and biological mother Pingguo realizes that giving up her child simply isn't an option. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Historical fact blends with high-flying fiction as Jackie Chan steps into dual roles as a determined archeologist and a loyal general of China's first emperor in director Stanley Tong's lavish historical action film. Jack (Chan) is an intrepid archeologist in search of a mythical gemstone that is said to have the power to defy gravity. Though Jack's days are spent traversing the globe with scientist sidekick William (Tony Leung Ka-fai) in hopes of finding the elusive gem, at night in his dreams he assumes the role of General Meng-yi, devoted servant of Emperor Qin Shi-huang. As Jack and William venture to the mystical Heavenly Palace -- a wondrous fortress rumored to have been built by Qin Shi-huang himself -- Jack's vivid nocturnal journeys find him falling head-over-heels for the emperor's comely Korean consort Ok-soo (Kim Hee-seon). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A crime family flirts with democracy, leading to a fierce gangland battle in this stylish crime drama from Hong Kong director Johnnie To. With over 50,000 members, the Wo Shing Society is one of the largest and most powerful Triads in Hong Kong, and when the leadership committee needs a new head man, they decide to put the matter to a vote of their underlings. The two candidates are Lok (Simon Yam), a cool leader who doesn't rattle easily, and Big D (Tony Leung Kar-Fai), who has a short temper and is prone to violence. After Uncle Weng (Wong Tin-lam), an elderly and well-regarded member of the Triad, gives Lok his endorsement, he wins by a landslide, which does not sit well with Big D's uncertain temper. A ceremonial walking stick which is given to the Wo Shing Society's elected leader has disappeared, and Big D will stop at nothing to make sure it stays out of Lok's hands; meanwhile, the Hong Kong police are determined to bring down the Triad, and Big D ends up behind bars. The Wo Shing Society falls into chaos as in-fighting threatens to tear the Triad apart before the walking stick can be returned and Lok can be inaugurated as their new chief. Election (aka Hak Sewui) was a major box office success in Asia, and the story continued the following year in Election 2 (aka Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Three Asian directors, from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, join forces to create an omnibus horror film, Three...Extremes. In Fruit Chan's "Dumplings," shot by Christopher Doyle, Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung), a thirtysomething former actress with a philandering husband (Tony Leung) goes to visit Aunt Mei (Bai Ling), who sells the most expensive dumplings in Hong Kong. Mrs. Li knows about their rejuvenating powers, and she also knows about their unpleasant main ingredient, but after some initial nausea, she digs right in. In Oldboy writer/director Park Chan-wook's "Cut," a successful filmmaker (Lee Byung-hun of Joint Security Area) arrives home to find that a disgruntled extra (Lim Won-hee) has taken over his home, and fastened his pianist wife (Kang Hye-jun of Oldboy) to the grand piano. The madman threatens to cut off the wife's fingers, one by one, unless the director strangles the helpless child he's tied to the couch. Takashi Miike directs the last segment, "Box," about a young author and former circus performer, Kyoko (Kyoko Hasegawa) seemingly haunted by the ghost of her twin sister, who died a mysterious and horrible death while practicing their act. Adding to Kyoko's trauma, her editor (Atsuro Watabe) is a dead ringer for her old stepfather/ringmaster, who may have perished in the same "accident" that took her sister's life. Three...Extremes was shown at Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival in 2005. For the American release of Three... Extremes, the order in which the films are presented was altered from the original "Box," "Dumplings," and "Cut" to "Dumplings," "Cut," and "Box." This film was actually preceded by another omnibus film, Three, that was nevertheless retitled Three... Extremes II for the English-language market and issued after this one. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

A police officer has been disgraced in front of both the department and the entire city, and when the sadistic gang that wronged him attempts to cement their grip on the terrified community, the only man who can come to their aid is the one nobody believes in anymore as the long-running Police Story saga receives an exciting breath of fresh-air from director Benny Chan. Police Inspector Wing (Chan) used to be Hong Kong's top cop, but when his entire team is wiped out by a youthful group of cold-blooded bank robbers, Wing quickly falls into a deep depression. A year after everyone including Wing's fiancée has lost their faith in the fallen police inspector, Wing gets a second shot at glory when he is assigned an ambitious new partner and given the opportunity to bring the gang that nearly destroyed his life to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Ho Cheung Ping, who wrote the novel that was the basis for Fulltime Killer and made his directorial debut with the crime comedy You Shoot, I Shoot, returns to the parody genre with his second film, Men Suddenly in Black. Eric Tsang does a takeoff of his role in Infernal Affairs, playing Tin, the leader of a group of four men who enact an intricate plot to cheat on their significant others while the women are away for the day in Thailand. The others are Cheung (Jordan Chan), a relatively straight-laced doctor; Chao (Chapman To), the fun-loving goofball of the group; and Paul (Spirit Blue), Tin's virginal nephew. All their machinations threaten to unravel when they discover that their wives, played by Teresa Mo, Marsha Yuan, Tiffany Lee, and Candy Lo (The Eye), never left for Thailand and are following them. The men begin to suspect that there is a traitor in their midst. They face many obstacles, but they soldier on to honor "Ninth Uncle" (Tony Leung of Dragon Inn), who once took the fall for them when their wives showed up at their favorite strip club and who is now imprisoned in his home by his vengeful wife (Sandra Ng). The film presents all this material in the style of a typical Hong Kong action film, with many references to other films and cameos by Sammo Hung, Alan Tam, Maria Cordero, and others. Ping won Best New Director and Leung Best Supporting Actor at the 2004 Hong Kong Film Awards. The film was shown at the 2004 New York Asian American International Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

When gossip journalist Carrie (Sammi Cheng) investigates the strange case of policeman-turned-model Paul Ko (Louis Koo), who has been put out of commission in more ways than one after being shot in the groin, she finds herself falling for him despite herself. Meanwhile, Carrie's sex-obsessed ex-boyfriend (Lau Ching-Wan) is approached by an equally carnal female (Charlene Choi) and is pleased as can be with the exception of one, rather important thing: Tabby (Choi) is way too young for him. Good Times, Bed Times was directed by Patrick Leung and also features Tony Leung Kar-Fai. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Master Hong Kong director Ringo Lam spins this wild genre-bending flick that is equal parts psychodrama, action thriller, caper movie, and ghost story. The film opens with computer designer Ma (Lau Ching-wan) getting kidnapped in a parking structure. His girlfriend Amy Fu (Amy Kwok) informs the police that though he had been jobless for a while and had a lot of debt, he was basically a good egg. Police detective Pit (Tony Leung Kar-wai) soon discovers Ma beaten, bloodied, and dangling upside down from the ceiling of an old abandoned hotel -- one that has been notoriously haunted since the murder-suicide of the owner and his feckless wife. Ma subsequently starts terrifying Amy by behaving like the famous ghost of the hotel. The police, however, suspect that Ma's possession might be a ruse to shield some larger and more nefarious crime. Due to a creative dispute that Lam had with producer Joe Ma, there are two different endings to this film. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong director Johnny Mak (Long Arm of the Law) helmed this drama detailing triad links to Taiwanese politics, with a several real-life political parallels. In 1995, a corrupt official (Li Li-chun) positions wealthy mob kingpin Chou (Tony Leung Kar-fai) as a candidate in upcoming elections. Aggressive cop Fang (Andy Lay) raids one of Chou's clubs, but Chou gets off without a conviction. However, Chou is no longer a nominee after Fang exposes his illegal tie to government construction contracts. Chou then becomes an independent candidate, proclaiming revenge on all his betrayers. Action scenes include wild gunplay in the Shihlin night marketplace and cabdrivers' riot that brings Taipei traffic to a standstill. The film's original title, Hei Jin, translates literally as "black gold," colors indicating the underworld. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide