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
"Paradise" is actually Australia, where this made-for-TV adventure was filmed. Raquel Welch stars as a rich, spoiled socialite who is shipwrecked on a desert island. Her only companion is boozy, unkempt Aussie Jack Thompson. Before the film has a chance to turn into Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away (or even Gilligan's Island), Welch and Thompson are up to their necks in intrigue. Trouble in Paradise originally floated to shore on May 16, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The "new" Misison:Impossible moved from Sunday to Saturday evenings with the January 28, 1989 episode "The Haunting." The IMF's target is an elusive serial killer whose latest murder may cancel a crucial oil-trade agreement. To stop the villain in his tracks, the IMF agents play a dangerous series of mind games, with Phelps posing as a mentalist and Max Hart impersonating a lunatic. Janis Paige and Parker Stevenson guest-star as Victoria and Champ Foster. "The Haunting" was written by Michael Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, (more)
- 1990
The moneymen who put up the cash to support artistic enterprises are the same the world over. For the most part, they are much more interested in the prestige which comes from their support than in the art itself, and this takes a toll on the artists, as for most of these investors, older is better. They tend to favor predictable, tried-and-true formulas. In this story, a dancer with one of the more conservative Chinese troupes is increasingly frustrated with their stodgy repertoire, and she and her photographer boyfriend want to start a new, more innovative company. They go to the moneymen and eventually arrange this, but the photographer is so overwhelmed by the difficulties he has endured in the process that he has a nervous breakdown and separates from the dancer, who goes on to ever greater success. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cora Miao, Lindzay Chan, (more)
Arnold Schwarzenegger sheds his action image in Ivan Reitman's police comedy Kindergarten Cop, where he plays an undercover cop teaching a class of hyperactive six-year-olds. As the film begins, John Kimble (Schwarzenegger) and his partner Phoebe O'Hara (Pamela Reed) are in pursuit of notorious drug dealer Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson) and his scabrous mother Eleanor (Carroll Baker). John learns Cullen is searching for his ex-wife and his little boy, and Kimble plans to nail them when they find the former wife, who is believed to have $3 million of Cullen's drug profits. John and Phoebe follow the trail to Astoria, Oregon, where they believe Cullen's son is attending kindergarten. Although the child and his mother have changed names, John hopes they can pick up some clues. By coincidence, Phoebe used to be a schoolteacher and the school board permits her teach the kindergarten class, but Phoebe gets food poisoning and John is forced to teach the six-year-old whippersnappers himself. Along with lighthearted gags with the kids and the pursuit of the drug dealers, John has time for a little romance when he falls in love with one of the teachers (Penelope Ann Miller), who ends up surprising him with more than love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, (more)
Cherie Chung, Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong star in this martial-arts sword-fest in the style of A Chinese Ghost Story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG
John Seale directed this lively, though overly familiar, adventure tale. Frank Flynn (Mark Harmon) is a jazz musician who travels to the South Seas to look for his missing brother Charlie. Once there, he takes up with an attractive hitchhiker named Anna (Deborah Unger). When he finds out that his brother has been bludgeoned to death by a group of natives, Frank decides to investigate the case on his own. Frank meets Charlie's former business associate, Robert "Viv" Vivaldi (Jeroen Krabbe) and his insouciant manner causes Frank to suspect he may have had something to do with his brother's death. Anna then reveals herself to be Viv's ex-wife and Frank's badgering of Viv causes both Frank and Anna to flee into the jungle, where they come upon some curious gold bars. Frank then recalls their father had mentioned something to Charlie about an American bomber that had crashed in the jungle, loaded with gold. Viv then catches up with the duo and, although Anna is captured, Frank befriends a group of natives who teach him the ways of the South Pacific Islanders. They also lead him to the location where the plane full of gold went down; they then help Frank lay siege to Viv's home. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Deborah Kara Unger, (more)
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)
Another entry into the "cheer for the most likeable bad guy" series of Hong Kong action flicks, Full Contact tells the oft-told tale of betrayal and revenge, but serves it up as a potent cocktail of Western convention mixed with the trademarked Hong Kong style. When Jeff's (Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat in true hard-case form) friend Sam (Anthony Wong) steps on the feet of a local loan shark, Jeff comes to his rescue, creating a powerful enemy in the vengeful gangster. Seeking to skip town and make good, the two hatch a plan to hijack an arms shipment with the help of Sam's flamboyant and malicious cousin Judge (a delightfully sleazy Simon Yam) and his gang of dysfunctional thugs. What Jeff doesn't know is that he's being double-crossed by the wild group of brutal killers, who plan to bury him as they make their getaway. Judge forces Sam to off his loyal friend Jeff, but Sam botches the job, leaving Jeff to return for bitter revenge after dealing with an emotionally painful betrayal and a physically challenging rehabilitation. Director Ringo Lam foregoes the melodrama of Hong Kong counterpart John Woo and goes straight for the jugular with unremittingly stark and graphic violence. At the same time, the characters retain a certain amount of sympathy, keeping their relationships and reactions realistic and identifiable.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat
In this cartoonish live-action martial arts feature, three female super-heroes battle the forces of evil in the form of a woman who has hatched a plot to create China's next ruler. Over the years, she has stolen over a dozen children from their families. She hopes to raise them in a way that will make them into ruthless supermen. Among other things, the children are "hardened" by feeding them with human flesh. Thief-Catcher, Invisible Woman, and Wonder Women use their incomparable kung-fu skills to battle their nemesis and even some of the more seriously ruined children in order to protect the world from being taken over by them. Along the way, two of the women discover that they are sisters who were separated as infants. The film contains some scenes showing cruelty and violence being handed out to infants and children, and these may be distasteful for many. Viewers should also note that the Wonder Woman in this film is not based on the American comic-book character portrayed by Lynda Carter, but is a home-grown Chinese invention. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, (more)
Herman Yau Lai-to spins this notoriously grisly crime yarn based on a real-life case of Wong Chi-hang and his ill-fated venture into the restaurant business. The film opens with Wong (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) fleeing Hong Kong after setting alight a fellow mah-jong player during a major case of sour grapes. Fast-forward ten years, when a bag of severed limbs washes up on the beaches of Macau. When Inspector Lee (Danny Lee) takes over the case, he is inevitably led to the Eight Immortals Restaurant, which Wong manages. After successive beatings from both the cops and fellow prisoners, Wong spills the beans. He gained control of the Eight Immortals after massacring the owner and his entire family. When the cook started getting uppity, he whacked him and turned him into pork buns. Soon numerous others found themselves as the daily special. Anthony Wong won best actor for his effort as the sociopathic cannibal restaurateur. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Danny Lee, (more)
- 1992
In this independently produced political thriller, a writer whose book about corporate corruption is about to be released believes that the kidnapping of his son has something to do with that book. What he doesn't know is that the businessmen, unable to tell which of his several girlfriends and female acquaintances are of importance to him, have kidnapped one of them instead, and his son was kidnapped for an entirely different reason. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Anne-Louise Lambert, (more)
Johnny Kong spins this madcap action-adventure comedy about crack police detective Yang Ching (Cynthia Yang Li-ching) who finds herself the target of gangland ire when she leads a raid against a band of thugs called "The Five Fingers," leading to the death of one of the criminals. After she gets framed for supposedly killing a couple paint-huffing street kids, she, her bumbling lover/boss and a mysterious private dick named Charlie Chan (Anthony Wong) team up to clear her name. Meanwhile, Yang's lonely father has shacked up with a young beauty named Siu-hung (Kara Hui Ying-hung), who has a history of marrying rich older men only to have them keel over dead. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Bosco Lam Hing-lung spins this Category III yarn featuring generous portions of grisly carnage, toilet humor, and hot sex. Tong (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) is a humble truck driver being harried from all sides. Not only is his independent trucking gig being harassed by the triads, but he is also the unwilling witness to a high-rise jumper's sloppy suicide. When he gets word that his application to move into public housing has been approved, he mistakenly thinks that his life might be taking a turn for the better. Not only is his next-door neighbor convicted serial killer Lam Kuo-jen (Lawrence Ng Kai-kui), but he also learns that his wife has been turning tricks to cover her massive gambling debt she ran up with the triads. Tong sells his truck to cover the debt, but the cash is stolen and the triads soon torch his new pad, killing his wife and terribly scarring his son. By this point, Tong is at the end of his tether and begins to seek brutal, sick, twisted revenge. Fortunately, his next-door neighbor is willing to give him a few pointers in such an endeavor. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong
- 1993
This mean-spirited category III thriller from Hong Kong filmmaker Ivan Lai was a smash-hit at the box office and spawned two sequels, despite (or perhaps because of) its offbeat mixture of bathroom comedy and brutal sexual violence. Lily Chung stars as Mak Wei-fong, the sole survivor of the Mak family's vicious murder. Gruff police Captain Lui (Anthony Wong) believes that Wei-fong's boyfriend Kin (Hugo Ng) is responsible for the crimes, but Wei-fong insistently claims culpability herself. It doesn't take Lui long to rule out Kin and accept Wei-fong's version of events, which is borne out in an extended and gruesome flashback detailing the violent sexual abuse she underwent at the hands of her insane stepfather (William Ho), and the silent complicity of her other relatives. The distasteful events are exacerbated rather than leavened by Lui's crass attempts at humor, and the entire thing has the air of one of the more extreme Japanese Nikkatsu "roughies" transplanted to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, it was quite successful with audiences, leading most of the surviving cast to return for Brother of Darkness, which in turn led to Daughter of Darkness II. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
This kung fu classic weaving fact and myth earned a theatrical release in the U.S. from Miramax eight years after it was produced, following a successful retrospective screening at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. Wong Kei Ying (Donnie Yen) is a master of the Hung Gar style of boxing in mid-19th century China. His son, Wong Fei Hung (Sze-Man Tsang), though still just a boy, will grow up to become a martial arts legend, a nearly mythical figure in Chinese history. When Wong Fei Hung is kidnapped, his father is forced to use his daunting skills in the service of the abductor, a dishonest politician plagued by the Robin Hood-style thief known as Iron Monkey, a mysterious masked avenger stealing from the rich, delivering the spoils to the poor. Wong Fei Hung's only allies are the kindly Dr. Yang (Yu Rong Guang) and Yang's assistant, Orchid (Jean Wang), who are protecting an important secret. Iron Monkey (1993) director Yuen Wo Ping is also the masterful martial arts choreographer behind The Matrix (1999) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); his father served as action choreographer on a series of popular, long-running films centered around the Wong Fei Hung character in the 1950s. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yu Rongguang, Donnie Yen, (more)
This fast paced Hong Kong action film is the second in a three part trilogy loosely based on actual facts told to filmmaker Kirk Wong by a former policeman. The story takes place on a small island near Hong Kong, Cheung Chai where Tung and his lover are hiding. The two shady characters, Tung and Cindy, are hoping to make it to the mainland, but they cannot as the island has been closed off by the eccentric policeman Lee. Lee catches Tung, but loses him when Cindy springs him. They have a major confrontation in the streets. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Lee, Cecilia Yip, (more)
- 1994
This is the third in a Hong Kong action trilogy loosely based on actual facts told to filmmaker Kirk Wong by a former policeman. The second is Organized Crime & Triad Bureau. Hung is a renegade plainclothes policeman who chases a crazed killer and his gang into neighboring Shenzhen. He and a tough mainland cop Wang follow the killer's moll to their lair. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Wu Hsing-Kuo, (more)
Although Andy Lau was indeed one of the stars of the 1989 hit Casino Raiders, his participation in this unrelated sequel was more of an attempt by Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To to capitalize on Lau's successful pairing with Jacqueline Wu in the previous year's A Moment of Romance. Lau stars as Chicken Feet, a skilled card player who works cons for crippled gambling legend Fan (Lau Siu-ming). Fan was confined to a wheelchair while attempting to escape the villainous James (Kelvin Wong), a turncoat employee whom he had once trusted. James and Fan are each looking for a pair of jade stones, which channel the power of the god of gamblers when united. With a big gambling tournament coming up, James finally kills Fan and kidnaps the daughter of Fan's former pupil Kit (Wang Chieh) to keep him out of the tournament. Kit had given up gambling anyway, but cuts off his hand in order to prove his seriousness and get back his daughter. Chicken Feet still thirsts for revenge on James, and his girlfriend Lin (Jacqueline Wu) discovers one of the jade stones. James has been watching, however, and sends his men after her. Lin is killed, Chicken Feet loses his sight, and all of this sets up one of those bizarre events so typical of Asian crime films in which the blind Chicken Feet and the one-handed Fan take on James in the gambling tournament for a 15,000,000-dollar prize, revenge, and the reclamation of their honor. Needless to say, such a contest of honor cannot rely on deus ex machina, and Chicken Feet discards one of the jade stones in order to whip James by himself. Monica Chan, Tien Feng, and a young Anthony Wong co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
A young man learns that Triad life isn't all it's cracked up to be in this stark crime drama from director Wilson Yip. Working in a small cafe, Sai Yau makes the acquaintance of local crime boss Brother Ching. Yau longs to move into the fold, and it isn't ling before Brother Ching accepts him into his gang. Yau soon falls for Brother Ching's girlfriend, and when Brother Ching is killed by rival gangster Dragon Yau takes revenge to disastrous results. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Following up the surprise hit Young and Dangerous only a couple months after the original's release, this sequel -- again directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung -- centers around Jordan Chan Siu-chan's Chicken Chiu. At the end of the last film, Chicken left for Taiwan after he was lead to believe that his buddy, Chan Ho-nam (Dior Cheng Yee-kin), betrayed him. While Ho-nam and the Hung Hing gang open a bar on Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Chicken joins the San Luen gang while trying to seduce his boss' girlfriend, Ting Siu-yiu (Chingmy Yau Suk-ching). In gratitude for killing a rival crime boss, Chicken is made boss of the Poisonous Snake Hall. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Ho-nam is vying for leadership of Hung Hing with a bumptious oaf named Tai Fai (Anthony Wong Chau-sang). Later, the San Luen gang tries to enlist Hung Hing's support in a Macau casino. When the latter declines, violence ensues. Soon Chicken must decide which side he's on. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Martial arts star Jet Li donned a black hat and mask to portray a comic book superhero in this pulp action tale that gets the full-blown Hong Kong treatment from choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, who later designed the fight scenes for The Matrix (1999). Li stars as Tsui Chik, leader of Squad 701, an elite commando team of genetically-engineered super-soldiers. When the unit was deemed a failure because of mental instability in some of the test subjects, the project was disbanded. Tsui now lives quietly in Hong Kong, masquerading as a shy librarian whose only friend is a cop (Lau Ching Wan). When some drug lords begin turning up dead, Tsui dons a black mask and hat to investigate the slayings and learns that his former Squad 701 comrades, led by psychotic Commander Hung (Patrick Lung), are plotting to take over the drug kingpin's illegal trade. Among their number is Tsui's ex-girlfriend Kaelin (Francoise Yip). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li
In this action-packed Hong Kong crime thriller, Ai (played by Cheung Chi-Lam) is a young police officer with the Political Department of Hong Kong's Security Branch. Ai is assigned a major case breaking open a gang of illegal arms dealers, but the assignment puts a wedge between him and his girlfriend; Ai only has more problems to deal with when a woman on the force starts making a play for him. The supporting cast includes Carmen Lee and Anthony Wong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Not to be mistaken for the movie in which a smirking Bruce Willis saves the world, this film, directed by Gordon Chan, is a rare example of a Hong Kong sci-fi thriller. The film opens with a noted scientist bursting into flames in a church belfry at the exact moment that a number of satellites fail. Dr. Ken Tak (Andy Lau), a renowned computer scientist, soon learns that two of his colleagues, who met with similarly grizzly ends, were approached by a shadowy organization called the Brotherhood of Technology. Before their untimely deaths, Tak and the two dead scientists were working on a revolutionary computer system called VOD, which would effectively put the internet providers, video game companies, and film studios out of business. While the police suspect agents in the entertainment industry behind the killings, Tak's suspicions run more towards the supernatural. His theories are confirmed when Adele (Michelle Reis), Tak's long-dead girlfriend, suddenly shows up at his doorstep. When Tak's investigation leads him to Prague, he learns that the Earth's end is indeed nigh. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, (more)
- 1997
Roy Chueng Yiu Yeung was so memorable as a sociopathic supervillian in the previous installment of Young and Dangerous that he returns in this outing as a different character. With the don of the Hung Hing group, Chiang Tin-sung, dead, his underlings journey to Thailand to persuade his brother, Tin-yeung (Alex Man Chi-leung), to helm the crime syndicate. Meanwhile, an ambition young gangster, Lui Yiu-yeung (Chueng), from the rival Tung Sing group tries to make a play for the big time by killing his boss and dumping the body in Ho-nam's (Dior Cheng Yee-kin) turf. At the same time, a rift in Ho-nam's long-time friendship with Chicken (Jordan Chan Siu-chun) when the former fails to support the latter's bid for a higher level position. This feud eventually spills over into a showdown with Lui, after that gangster's henchmen kills one of Ho-nam and Chicken's friends. The critically panned Young and Dangerous 5 and Young and Dangerous: the Prequel follow up on this installment. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheng Yee-kin, Jordan Chan, (more)
