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
In 1998, Andrew Lau's groundbreaking smash hit The Storm Riders came out of nowhere and resurrected the ailing Hong Kong film industry. Lau's follow-up, using much of the same cast and crew, is another martial arts epic set largely in New York's Chinatown. The film opens in the early 20th century with a young Hero Wah (Ekin Cheng) going to study under Master Pride (Anthony Wong). When he returns to his parents, he learns that they have been murdered by a band of evil Westerners. After impregnating his wife Jade (Kristy Yang), Hero Wah ventures to New York in search of his parents' killers. Sixteen years later, Hero's son Sword Wah (Nicholas Tse) along with family friend Sang (Jerry Lamb), arrive at Ellis Island in search of Hero's dad. Once the tearful reunion finally takes place, much of the rest of the story is related through flashbacks involving a fearsome fight with Japanese ninjas and the death of Jade at the hands of the ninja ring leader. The film climaxes a la Alfred Hitchcock or Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) with a battle to the death against the ninja grand master at the Statue of Liberty. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ekin Cheng, Shu Qi, (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)
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)
- 1998
Gordon Chan directed this Hong Kong action drama about Kowloon cop Tung (Anthony Wong). Addicted to gambling, Tung takes an occasional bribe. He shows his new partner, American-born Michael Cheung (Michael Fitzgerald Wong), aka "The King of Killers," the usual neighborhood routines. The duo deals with triad trickery after gang leader Big Brother (Roy Cheung) leaves town. Mike meets Yoyo (Kathy Chau), one of the women Big Brother kept on a string. Left dangling after Big Brother's departure, Yoyo begins a relationship with Mike. Shown at the 1998 Hong Kong Film Festival and in the Market section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Wong, Anthony Wong, (more)
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
- 1999
Riley Ip directs his melodrama about a man haunted by his memories. Ailing from Alzheimer's disease, Roy (Eric Tsang) returns to Hong Kong after 30 years in Brazil to track down his former enemy, Nine Dragons. Claiming that he was previously a notorious gangster called Mountain Leopard, he enlists the help of young street tough Smokey (Nicholas Tse). Roy tells Smokey that back in the 1970s, he and his arch-nemesis were rivals for the attention of an enigmatic beauty (Shu Qi). When she seemed to favor Roy, Nine Dragons shot him and ditched him on a barge for Brazil. Yet as the hunt continues, Smokey learns that the truth is a bit different. Meanwhile, Smokey's young heart yearns for the very female cop (Kelly Chen) who once arrested him. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Chen, Stephen Fung, (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
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
An honest cop who may have inadvertently killed his partner during a particularly intense raid finds his life in danger when the grown-up sons of both the fallen the cop and the deceased kingpin who was killed in the chaos come gunning for him in a tense police thriller co-directed by Marco Mak and Wong Jing, and starring Hong Kong film legend Anthony Wong. Huang (Wong) is a righteous police officer haunted by a harrowing accident. It's been ten years since the fateful raid that resulted in the death of both his partner and the most feared criminal on the streets, and though the men's sons have grown older, their vengeance still burns as hot as ever. Now, as Huang is assigned the task of protecting a vile gangster and his teenage daughter (Gillian Chung), he is about to face a whole new danger as the sons of the fallen men attempt to decide if they should go after the man responsible for their father's deaths either alone or together. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Raymond Wong, (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)
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)
- 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
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)
- 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
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
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 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
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
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)
Hong Kong cinema legend Anthony Wong headlines this tale of sibling rivalry concerning a boy named B who rises through the underworld ranks when his older brother Fifteen is sent to prison for murder, and who is ultimately forced to choose between family loyalty and criminal honor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
