Anthony Wong Movies
He's been called everything from "The King of Category III" (Category III is the Hong Kong film rating equivalent to America's dreaded NC-17) to one of the most versatile actors of his generation, but however you refer to Hong Kong mainstay Anthony Wong, only one thing is certain -- the man is absolutely fearless. Accepting roles that would make Dennis Hopper run for cover and Udo Kier cower in fear, Wong has a willingness to completely lose himself in the most vile of screen characters, earning him near legendary status among Hong Kong film fanatics. Few actors could take the role of a cannibalistic serial killer and turn out an award-winning performance, but with his role as the murderous madman of the brutal true-crime horror film The Untold Story (1992), Wong did just that, earning a Best Actor Hong Kong Film Award for his shocking performance.Wong, who is the son of a British sailor and a Chinese mother, had a distaste for school that was no doubt fueled by the cruelty of his classmates, who frequently teased the mixed-race youngster. In the years following Wong's high-school graduation, his interest in acting was peaked, and at the age of 21, the aspiring actor was persuaded by his best friend to enroll in an ATV television course. As a result of his strong abilities, Wong was signed to a two-year contract with ATV, during which time he made 25 appearances for the popular network. Subsequently enrolling in The Academy of Performing Arts, Wong continued his education while honing his skills in such plays as Oedipus Rex and Cyrano de Bergerac. Increasingly active onscreen from the early '90s, Wong made a lasting impression on audiences with a pair of roles opposite Hong Kong megastar Chow Yun-Fat in Hard-Boiled and Full Contact (both 1992). With a role as Yun-Fat's maniacal nemesis in the former, and his weak-willed friend in the latter, Wong showed a remarkable ability to play both ends of the spectrum early on in his career.
If his parts in Hard-Boiled and Full Contact served to introduce Wong to the masses, his role in The Untold Story later that same year ensured that they wouldn't soon forget him. Perhaps one of the most unforgettable and sadistic villains in screen history, Wong's performance as a man who slaughters an entire family of restaurateurs (including the young children) and serves them to unsuspecting diners as tasty pork rolls earned him top honors at that year's Hong Kong Film Awards. The fact that Wong was able to craft a despicable character who actually elicits the sympathy of the audience after performing some of the most atrocious acts ever to reach the silver screen was almost as disturbing as the film itself, and was an unquestionable testament to his remarkable acting abilities. Roles in The Heroic Trio, Taxi Hunter, and Rock 'n' Roll Cop found Wong's seemingly unstoppable ascent to stardom continuing unchallenged, and in 1995, he stepped behind the camera to make his directorial debut with the bizarre horror film New Tenant. In 1996, international audiences who may not have been savvy to Hong Kong cinema got a tantalizing taste of Wong in the widely released action film Black Mask.
Though one certainly couldn't tell by looking at Wong's extensive filmography, a thyroid disorder threatened to cut his prolific career short in the mid-'90s. Thankfully for film lovers, he was able to make a full recovery, coming back as strong as ever with memorable roles in Armageddon and Beast Cops -- the latter of which found him the recipient of his second Best Actor award at the 1999 Hong Kong Film Awards. To say that Wong's career choices are eclectic may be one of the greatest understatements one could make; he frequently alternates between such high-profile mainstream fare as A Man Called Hero and Time and Tide and such lurid, cinematic sleaze as Raped by an Angel 4 and Erotic Nightmare. No matter how small his part in a film, Wong consistently stands out, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. In the new millennium, Wong took on prominent roles in the acclaimed Infernal Affairs crime drama trilogy and the bubblegum vampire flick The Twins Effect. The fact that international stardom continued to elude him was nearly as shocking as some of his outlandish characters. Outside of his film career, Wong has released a pair of controversial punk rock albums and remains steadfastly elusive regarding his private life -- rarely discussing either his marriage or his son, who was born in 1996. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Walt Disney Pictures presents a new spin on a time-honored fairy tale with Snow and the Seven, a Francis Lawrence (Constantine) film that follows a 19th century British girl who's trained by seven monks to be the savior in a cataclysmic fight between good and evil. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Familial loyalties are tested by in this crime thriller from Hong Kong filmmaker Yu Lik-wai. Yuda (Anthony Wong) is a Chinese expatriate living in Sao Paulo, Brazil with his adopted son Kirin (Joe Odagiri). Yuda is the head of a profitable but illegal business enterprise, selling cheap counterfeit versions of popular consumer products, and Kirin is one of his right-hand men. Yuda has used his contacts with the police and the local mafia to stay one step ahead of the law, but most of his alliances are fickle and Yuda's underground empire begins to falter when he's betrayed by a rival and ends up in jail. Kirin steps up to take control of Yuda's business and ruthlessly sets out to eliminate those who turned against them, but Yuda is unhappy with the violence and corruption that has come to dominate his life and won't support Kirin when he's back on the street. Dangkou (aka Plastic City) was an official selection at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Jô Odagiri, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
- Add The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to QueueAdd The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to top of Queue
The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen continues the tale set into motion by director Stephen Sommers with this globe-trotting adventure that finds explorer Rick O'Connell and son attempting to thwart a resurrected emperor's (Jet Li) plan to enslave the entire human race. It's been 2,000 years since China's merciless Emperor Han and his formidable army were entombed in terra cotta clay by a double-dealing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh), but now, after centuries in suspended animation, an ancient curse is about to be broken. Thanks to his childhood adventures alongside father Rick (Brendan Fraser) and mother Evelyn (Maria Bello), dashing young archeologist Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford) is more than familiar with the power of the supernatural. After he is tricked into awakening the dreaded emperor from his eternal slumber, however, the frightened young adventurer is forced to seek out the wisdom of his parents -- both of whom have had their fair share of experience battling the legions of the undead. Should the fierce monarch prove capable of awakening his powerful terra cotta army, his diabolical plan for world domination will finally be set into motion. Of course, the one factor that this emperor mummy failed to consider while solidifying his power-mad plans was the O'Connells, and before this battle is over, the monstrous monarch will be forced to contend with the one family that isn't frightened by a few rickety reanimated corpses. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, (more)
- 2007
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou makes his feature directorial debut with this romantic tale following the romance between a handsome piano prodigy and a mysterious beauty. Yeh Hsiang-lun (Chou) is an exceptionally gifted pianist who has recently transferred to the Tan Jiang College of Arts at the behest of his father (Anthony Wong). One day, while walking through the school's soon-to-be-demolished conservatory, Yeh hears an intoxicating melody being performed by talented Lu Hsaio-yu (Guey Lun-mei). When Yeh asks Lu the name of the song, the pretty pianist shyly responds that it's a secret. Later pursued by female student Ching-yi (Alice Tzeng), Yeh rebuffs her advances to arrange a secret rendezvous with Lu that goes unexpectedly awry. In the aftermath, Lu disappears from the school, leaving the lovelorn Yeh reeling. Five months later, Yeh is performing at the school's graduation ceremony when he locks eyes with the long-lost Lu. While Yeh is determined to win Lu back, a secret from the past threatens to sink the prospect of a lasting romance between the pair. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chou, Guey Lun-mei, (more)
- 2007
Loosely inspired by author Ye Mi's novel Velvet, Chinese New Wave director Jiang Wen's follow-up to Devils on the Doorstep drifts between Yunnan's Shangri-la and the Gobi Desert to follow four narratives exploring the roles that culture and revolution have played in Chinese history. In the first tale, a deranged young widow (Zhou Yun) slips on a pair of colorful shoes that have been embroidered to resemble fish, and abandons her only son (Jaycee Chan) to disappear into a nearby river. Set on a university campus during the Cultural Revolution, the second episode details the tragic relationship between professors Liang (Anthony Wong), Tang (Jiang Wen), and attractive doctor Lin (Joan Chen) that eventually leads the village where the mad widow resides. After exploring the magical texture of velvet in the third tale, Wen connects each of the stories by traveling back in time to the Gobi Desert. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Prolific Hong King actor-turned-director Francis Ng pulls double duty for this comedy centering on the age-old Chinese ritual of lion dancing. Gai is an office manager whose slacker ways have earned the ire of the higher ups, and now in order to keep his job he is forced to team with colleague Gau to participate in a high-profile talent contest sponsored by the company. Later, after mastering the art of lion dancing with a little help from Gau's uncle (Anthony Wong), the pair unintentionally sends the city into a lion dance frenzy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Ng, Anthony Wong, (more)
- 2007
A young warrior intent on avenging the death of his father finds his mission unexpectedly complicated by his love for the daughter of the very man he aims to kill in this television series inspired by author Louis Cha's enduring tome. Hu Fei is a fearsome warrior whose father was rumored to have met his demise at the hands of Miao Ren Feng. Now, Hu Fei is determined to make Feng pay for his crime. On his way to meet his fate at the top of a snowy mountain, however, Hu Fei falls deeply in love with Feng's beautiful daughter Ruolan. Could true love hold the key to diffusing a blood-soaked family feud that once threatened to carry on for generations? Anthony Wong, Athena Chu, and Gillian Chung star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
A poor film projectionist witnesses forty years of Hong Kong history in this socially themed family melodrama starring acclaimed Hong Kong character Anthony Wong. Idealistic leftist Zuo Kong (Wong) has been threading the projector since the 1960s, and from the riots of those early years through the prosperity of the 1970s, the growth of the 1980s, and the tensions of the 1990s, there's little he hasn't seen from his cramped perch behind the bulb. A modest family man whose political beliefs at times seem in direct conflict with his home life, Kong struggles to remain a loving husband and a good father as he gradually shrinks away from doctrinaire idealism. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Ronald Cheng, (more)
On the eve before the political handover of Macao to the Peoples' Republic of China, police officer Shing suffers a terrible career crisis: he has been involved in years of money laundering with Portuguese officials and is now facing extradition. Shing seeks comfort in the arms of a young woman, Yan, with whom he wants a one-night stand. Yan, on the other hand, has a different agenda; she confronts Shing with the unexpected news that she's his daughter. Shing didn't even know he had a daughter. And while Shing wants to carry on as a care-free bachelor, Yan has other ideas and, refusing to be shrugged off as an incidental accident, causes havoc in his everyday life -- she insists on moving into her father's apartment. Shing soon has to face up to the challenge of taking on personal and professional responsibility -- paternal responsibility for his daughter and professional responsibility for the money laundering he committed as an officer of the law. In the end, he decides to admit his crime, do his time, and plans to turn over a new leaf after prison for a life of responsibility with his daughter in Macao. ~ Heidi Philipsen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chapman To, Isabella Leong, (more)
A couple with a broken relationship learns some valuable lessons about love, life, and sacrifice in this romantic drama based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It's 1925, and Dr. Walter Fane (Edward Norton) is a physician and bacteriologist who has become smitten with Kitty (Naomi Watts), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy and socially prominent family. Walter proposes marriage to Kitty and she accepts; however, while he clearly loves her, Kitty is more interested in her reputation than Walter's feelings, as she's recently turned 25, an age by which most of her peers have already wed. Kitty and Walter move to Shanghai, where he sets up a practice and she takes a lover, the British Vice Consul Charles Townsend (Liev Schreiber). When Walter learns of his wife's infidelity, he becomes furious, and impulsively volunteers to travel to China to work in a village stricken with a major cholera epidemic. While Walter's actions are meant to punish Kitty rather than reflect his own benevolence, the daily trials of living in a community in crisis have a striking impact on the couple, giving them a new and deeper perspective on their relationship. The Painted Veil is the third screen adaptation of Maugham's best-selling novel of the same name; a 1934 version starred Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall, while Eleanor Parker and Bill Travers played the leads in a 1957 remake titled The Seventh Sin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, (more)
Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To returns to the characters of his international success The Mission (aka Chueng Fo) with this action-packed thriller. It's 1998, and the Portuguese colony of Macau, a city along the Southern coast of China, is about to be handed over to Chinese authorities under a long-standing agreement. As the people of Macau ponder how their new leaders will deal with the criminal underground that's long been part of the city's support system, a pair of hit men from Hong Kong arrive in town to execute a gangster who has turned his back on the syndicate to make a new life for his wife and children. While the Chinese syndicate want to be sure he doesn't share anything he learned while in their employ, two strong-arm men also arrive in Macau, determined to see to the former gangster's safety. Starring Nick Cheung, Simon Yam and Francis Ng, Exiled received its world premiere at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, (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
A pair of teenage kung fu experts find that their widowed father's far-fetched tales of adventure may hold more water than they thought in this martial arts adventure featuring fight choreography from The Matrix action director Yuen Woo Ping. In his day, Teddy (Anthony Wong) was a force to be reckoned with, but these days most of the aging chiropractor's energies are spent looking after his rebellious son Nicky (Stephen Fung) and his thrill-seeking daughter Natalie (Gillian Chung). Despite the fact that the young pair cringe when their father begins waxing nostalgic about the good old days, what they don't realize is that their father is still fighting the good fight by doing his best to protect other retired agents. When their father is kidnapped by a vengeful nemesis looking to settle a score from the past, Nicky and Natalie jump into action with Natalie's butt-kicking boyfriend Jason (Daniel Wu) to take on the bad guys and ensure that their father has a safe and happy homecoming. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The murder mystery Slim Till Dead features Anthony Wong as a police detective investigating the disappearance of a movie star who was set to be involved in a "slimming" contest - an event where women attempt to lose as much weight as possible. The detective's wife helps him discover what happens to the girl, as well as to two actors who were murdered. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Jackie Chan's son,Jaycee Chan, makes his second big screen appearance, this one opposite neophyte Asian starlet Fiona Sit, in the cross-class romance 2 Young (Cho Suk), authored by Derek Yee. The film -- Yee's sophomore effort -- is a light melodrama charting the emotional textures and ramifications of a love affair between 18-year-old underachiever Fu (Chan) and 16-year-old Nam (Sit). Fu belongs to a lower economic bracket than his paramour, but nothing could matter less to the two lovers, and when her parents head out of town on a Christmas holiday, she becomes expectant. When mom and dad go through the roof, Fu and Nam pull a Paul and Michelle by eloping and setting up house together. Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, and Teresa Mo co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaycee Fong, Fiona Sit, (more)
- 2005
A former doctor believes he may have found a connection to the woman he loved and lost in this romantic melodrama. Ko (Andy Lau) is a young doctor married to Zi-qing (Charlene Choi), but while he has a beautiful and caring wife, Ko’s career is time consuming and he doesn’t get to spend as much time with his spouse as he’d like. After Ko breaks a dinner date with Zi-qing, she’s driving home when her car is struck by another driver; she dies shortly afterward. Shattered by the news, Ko leaves behind his career as a doctor and takes a job driving an ambulance. When Ko answers an emergency call at a car crash, he finds himself looking after Tse Yuen-sam (Charlie Young), a school teacher who recently received a heart transplant. Zi-qing donated her internal organs for transplant, and Ko senses that Yuen-sam now carries the heart of his late wife. Eager to know more about Yuen-sam, Ko finds her home and reads her diary, learning that her love life has not been happy – she was married to a dress designer who was having an affair with a model, and Yuen-sam confronted him with the news, he opted to divorce her and take up with Amber Xu. Having saved Yuen-sam’s life, he now takes it upon himself to help her find the kind of happiness he lost when Zi-qing died. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Charlie Young, (more)
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)
Fu Bo deals with the unsavory jobs of three people linked together by their administering roles in the act of death. A triad assassin, a chef working on death row, and a mortuary assistant are all interlinked in this ominous tale that deals with the threat of mortality that comes to haunt them all. As each deal with the rationales that come with their occupations, they are forced to discover both the gruesomeness of death and the beauty that lies near its surface. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Director Gordon Chan (Fist of Legend) presents this light romantic action-comedy about a young woman with a secret alter-ego. Andy Lau stars as Zhan, a policeman who's constantly in pursuit of a well-intention and skillful criminal who robs from the rich to give back to the underprivileged. All the while, a romance is blossoming between Zhan and Bai (Cecilia Cheung). Little does Zhan know that the crook and his sweetheart are one and the same. Anthony Wong also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Though it's an English-language film, the fantasy action comedy The Medallion is one of the highest-budgeted movies to come out of Hong Kong. Cop Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) and his partner, Interpol agent Arthur Watson (Lee Evans), are in pursuit of international human-smuggling crimelord Snakehead (Julian Sands). The partners get seriously wounded and a mysterious ancient medallion transforms them into superpowered warriors called Highbinders. The two halves of the medallion are supposed to grant eternal life when joined together by a powerful young boy who was born during a specific time in the Year of the Snake. The villainous Snakehead wants to gets his hands on both the child and the medallion, and the heros try to stop him. Aided by special effects and action choreography by Sammo Hung, Chan fights his way toward a violent conclusion with Snakehead that takes place in mid-air.. Claire Forlani plays Jackie Chan's love interest, the Interpol agent Nicole. Also starring John Rhys-Davies as Commander Hammerstock-Smythe. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Lee Evans, (more)
