Sammo Hung Movies
Unlike his frequent collaborator, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung is relatively unknown in the U.S. However, in his native Hong Kong, he is member of a renowned comedy team that includes Chan and Yuen Biao. The three have a similar theatrical background -- all three are childhood friends and received training at the Peking Opera Academy. Hung was typically a bumbling sidekick to Jackie Chan, although martial arts fans often argue that Hung is actually the better martial artist. Many would find this surprising, most likely due to Hung's appearance: overweight, with a jovial, easy-going manner. Lacking the traditionally heroic physical traits that his friend has in spades, Hung is often overshadowed by Chan, to the point that Chan has received top billing for films in which Hung was truly the star (My Lucky Stars). Beyond his slapstick onscreen performances, Hung is unrivaled in the field of film stunts and has functioned as stunt coordinator on many projects. Hung has also applied his excellent choreographic skills into a successful directing career. In a more serious performance, obviously informed by his vast experience, he portrayed a stunt coordinator opposite Michelle Yeoh in the 1997 film The Stunt Woman.~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Hong Kong action gets even hotter with the reunion of kung fu legend Sammo Hung and martial arts master Jacky Wu, plus the addition of the cuter-than-cute music group Twins (aka Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung) in starring roles. In Twins Mission, Hung and Wu play Lucky and Hey, men who unite to bring a stolen bead back to its rightful owners. With the help of two pretty twins (Choi and Chung), Lucky and Hey may be able to complete their objective, but there will be plenty of fight scenes along the way. ~ Kimber Myers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Charlene Choi, (more)
- 2008
- Add Ip Man to Queue
Behind ever great man there lies a teacher, and this was certainly true of Bruce Lee, who claimed as his mentor a martial arts expert named Ip Man (1893-1972). A genius of Wushu (or the Chinese martial arts school), Ip Man grew up in a China nearly ripped to pieces by racial hatred, nationalistic strife and warfare. He rose like a phoenix above these ashes, however, courtesy of his participation in matches against various Wushu masters and kung-fun warriors - ultimately training martial arts icons such as Lee. This biopic from director Wilson Yip dramatizes Ip's life story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, (more)
Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Shawn Yue star in this action-packed thriller concerning a disappeared crime lord and the elite team of Interpol agents who set out to recapture him at all costs. A notorious Triad crime boss has disappeared just as his case was about to go before the judge, and now he could be anywhere. Now, on the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a highly skilled team of Interpol agents wage all out war against the underworld in an apocalyptic bid to capture the heavily armed foe and ensure that justice is properly served. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An ailing veteran cop whose relentless determination to do away with an untouchable gangster has led him to employ a series of unethical tactics finds his investigation complicated by the arrival of principled new inspector and the death of a fellow cop in this explosive underworld tale from Skyline Cruisers director Wilson Yip. Facing an inevitable retirement, the beleaguered and cancer-stricken Detective Chan (Simon Yam) has grown desperate to put away Teflon-coated crime boss Po (Sammo Hung) -- so desperate that he even begins planting false evidence and tampering with video in hopes of making a charge against Po stick. As Detective Chan begins to grow accustomed to thoughts of retiring and make way for honest incoming Inspector Ma (Donnie Yen), the ongoing investigation hits a snag when an undercover cop who has infiltrated Po's gang is mysteriously killed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Eric Tsang, Jordan Chan, (more)
- 2002
Hong Kong filmmaker Allen Lan directs the martial arts-action film Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger, which, despite its similar title and sharing some of the same actors, has nothing to do with Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Set during the Ming dynasty, the story involves horse thief Luk Ching-Yang (Sammo Hung) and his wife Liu Lu-Yian (Cheng Pei-Pei). After Luk was betrayed by his brother Kiu Hung (Tsui Goh), Lu-Yian left him. They reunite 20 years later, along with Liu Lu-Yian's adopted daughter Liu Wan-Long (Jade Leung) and the young warrior Pak Suk-Fu (Louis Fan), in order to seek revenge. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Cheng Pei-Pei, (more)
- 1998
Hong Kong action-movie superstar Sammo Hung keeps the kicks flying in this TV action farce about a Chinese lawman (Hung) brought to Los Angeles to join forces with detective Louis McGray (Louis Mandylor) and detective Dana Doyle (Tammy Lauren). It's not long before this trio has the bad guys on the run. Filmed in Van Nuys, this series premiered September 16, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Tammy Lauren, (more)
- 1997
After wowing audiences both in Hong Kong and abroad with her jaw-dropping stunts during Supercop, Michelle Yeoh stars in this melodrama -- directed by Ann Hui -- about a stuntwoman struggling to survive in Hong Kong's notoriously cutthroat film industry. Kam (Yeoh) is a fearless stunt double trying to gain the respect of a ornery, battle-worn action director known only as "the Chief" (Sammo Hung). Though a father-daughter relationship of sorts eventually forms between the two, their relationship to the craft of stunts is complicated. Kam gets pulled away from her profession first through a bad relationship and then through looking after the Chief's kid Long (Jimmy Wong). The Chief, in turn, gets killed during a scuffle with the Hong Kong triads. This film, however, is perhaps best remembered because of a serious injury Michelle Yeoh incurred when she misjudged an 18-foot jump from a bridge to a truck. In venerable Hong Kong cinema fashion, the outtakes of Yeoh's brush with death are included as the film's end. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Martial arts master/doctor Wong Fei-hung (a familiar character in Hong Kong cinema) and his gang find adventure amidst the cowboys and Indians of the American West. The sixth in the enormously popular "Once Upon a Time in China" series of Hong Kong action films that was created by director Tsui Hark in 1991, this episode takes an entirely new direction for the series; it features plenty of broad comedy in the first half (though whether or not it was intentional is debatable), eye-popping stunts and excitement. In another unusual turn, it was also shot with scenes in English as well as the standard Cantonese. Wong's adventure's begins when he and his gang sail to San Francisco to oversee the latest branch of their Bo Chi Lam. They find a country where the Chinese are exploited and despised. Soon after arriving, the courageous Wong (Jet Li) loses his memory after the daring rescue of Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan), Wong's long-time love, who was just about to fall from a cliff. Separated from his group, the amnesiac Master Wong ends up with a tribe of Native Americans (all of whom are obviously white), who adopt him. Though they too know martial arts (as do the cowboys Wong encounters), but are no match for Wong, who proves his skill by single-handedly braving the spears, kicks and chops of an enemy tribe. Eventually, Wong reconnects with Aunt Yee and his gang; together they go on to have more adventures and battle a number of evil villains. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, (more)
- 1996
This Hong Kong melodrama shares only the title Robert Wise's 1956 film biography of American middleweight champion Rocky Graziano. The story begins as a luminescent beauty watches two men fighting in the ring. Suddenly the story jumps back 10 months when Gloria, the girl first fell in love with Ken, one of the fighters. For the two it was nearly love at first sight, but for the intervention of Gloria's older brother who beats the stuffing out of Ken. Rocky, the pugnacious brother, is a local champion and he is currently training to take the pan-Asian title away from the current champ the Japanese fighter Yamada. Deciding that he too wants to fight, Ken begs a noted kickboxing instructor to teach him. The story then jumps to the opening fight, a bout that goes terribly awry when Ken accidentally kills Rocky. Devastated and guilt-filled, Ken leaves legitimate boxing and becomes an illegal bare-knuckle fighter. Eventually he resurfaces to take on the fearsome Yamada in the film's exciting conclusion. Serious aficionados of Hong Kong movies should keep an eagle eye out for numerous celebrity cameos that include filmmakers Clifton Ko and Ann Hui. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
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 Jackie 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. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, (more)
- 1994
With the rising international popularity of Asian filmmaker Sammo Hung, it may be surprising that this fast-paced action-comedy -- which he not only produced, directed, and choreographed, but also contains one of his most amusing starring roles -- has not seen wider distribution outside Hong Kong. Surprising, that is, until one gets to the final third of the film, which proves that the sociocultural gap between nations can often be huge. The story begins as veteran police officer Pierre Lau (Hung) is partnered with an uptight young cop named Tang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who, in standard buddy-movie fashion, disagrees with him on almost everything. Pierre also has difficulties with overly eager customs official Wong Yuk-man (Yuen Biao), but the trio must forget their problems and work together when a group of Japanese drug dealers bomb the local police station. The action scenes are impressively staged, particularly a drug raid on the station by the criminals disguised as agents of the SDU (Hong Kong's equivalent of a SWAT team), but Western viewers may still be highly offended by the film's humor. The problematic sequence involves Tang and Wong wearing blackface in order to convince some black criminals that they are also black. The scene plays on every conceivable racist stereotype so blatantly that it makes enjoyment of the entire film problematic, but viewers able to overlook it should find the rest of the film entertaining, particularly the plethora of cameos by familiar faces like Blackie Ko, Wu Ma, Billy Lau, Melvin Wong, and Lau Kar-wing, among others. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, (more)
- 1993
Jeff Lau Chun-wai spins this wild and woolly parody of Wong Kar-wai's martial arts epic Ashes of Time, which was actually produced by Wong himself and features many of the same cast members as Ashes. This loosely plotted film centers around the misdeeds of a pair of royals (Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Veronica Yip) looking to usurp the throne. Also appearing in this film is the bubble-headed Third Princess (Brigitte Ling Ching-hsia) who martial arts ability is dubious at best, a mysterious flying head (Tony Leung Kar-fai), and the dreaded kung fu form "Toad Has a Pee Pee." Because of Ashes' notoriously difficult production, Dong Cheng actually beat the film to the theaters. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Cheung
This Hong Kong kung fu adventure, directed by Sammo Hung, tells the story of Fei, a fisherman (Andy Lau), and Yen Ling, a prince (Kenny Bee). When Yen Ling is betrayed by his own brother, the two form a friendship. Fei is sent to retrieve the prince's fiancee, Yueh (Anita Mui), but falls in love with her instead. Fei's friend, a killer whale, rounds off the cast of characters in this action-filled fantasy. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
This film stars two important stars of the Hong Kong kung fu cinema, Jet Li, and Sammo Hung (who also directed the film's action sequences). In addition to a blatant disregard for gravity and other physical laws, this film revolves around a popular genre theme, a battle between warriors from different schools and styles of kung fu. At the heart of the conflict is a magical sword; when the family of a young boy is murdered by villains who want the sword, the boy is taken in by his great uncle (Hung). The child grows into a strong fighter (Li), who seeks revenge on his family's killers. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li
- 1991
Sammo Hung Kam-po stars in this offbeat gangster ghost yarn as Qun, the head of a crime family gone more or less straight. While trying to collect a debt from a suicidal lass named Helen (Fennie Yuen Kit-ying), Qun winds up saving her from jumping off a tall building. This act of benevolence infuriates female ghost Siu-hung (Yu Li) who was looking to harvest Helen's "reincarnation pearl" which she hoped will help her dead son get reborn. Out of frustration, she tries to kill Qun. Qun, in return, hires a largely useless Taoist priest named Fatt (Tommy Wong Kwong-leung). Later, Qun realizes that he is, in fact, the reincarnated lover of Siu-hung, and vows to help her anyway he can. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Fennie Yuen, (more)
David Lai Tai-wai directs this period kung-fu yarn, set in the 1920s, about Fei Yu-shu (Chin Kar-lok), an undisciplined, wayward student who is about to be kicked out of school. One day, he saves a beautiful young maid named Hsiao-ju (May Lo Mei-mei) from being sold to a whorehouse by her venal master Wang (Victor Hon Kwan). Later, Fei is sent to live with his Uncle Yi (Lau Kar-leung), who runs a noodle shop. When Wang's thugs try to trash Yi's shop in retaliation, Fei's uncle reveals himself to be a master of kung fu as well. Aided by muscle bound health nut Jean Pol (Frankie Chin Chi-leung), Yi instructed Fei on the finer points of the Scorpion style of kung fu, as Fei prepares himself for his final showdown with Wang. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
After making a name for himself with the gritty action spectacular City on Fire, Ringo Lam returns to directing comedies with his film featuring Sammo Hung. When humble noodle stand owner Fat Goose (Hung) is the unfortunate witness to a mob hit, he is convinced by ambitious cop Pitt (Vincent Wan Yueng) to testify against the killer, Lam Man-fu (Tommy Wong Kwong-leung). When Lam is freed on bail, Goose soon regrets his act of civic responsibility when his apartment goes up in flames and Lam's thugs are threatening his life. It turns out that the gangsters have a series of incriminating photos of prominent Hong Kong residents, including Pitt's boss, as part of an extortion ring run by a shady attorney. Soon Pitt comes to the aid of Goose and squares off against the baddies. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
- 1991
Sammo Hung Kam-po directs, produces and stars this comedy action thriller about Success Hung, an ace cell phone salesman who his feeling the heat from young, up and comer Miss Cheng (Carol Cheng Yu-ling). One day, Hung witnesses a mob hit. Though the panic-stricken salesman tries to tell his friends about the incident, Hung's gift for exaggeration in the past makes everyone suspicion of his claims except for a relative the deceased who comes to believe that Hung pulled the trigger. Soon two different groups of mob hitmen are out for Hung's head. As the misunderstandings multiple, Hung's wife, Miss Cheng and a female psychologist (Joyce Godenzi) wind up entangled in this mess. Soon Miss Cheng winds up in the hospital while Hung and the other two woman in a police safe house, which inevitably proves to be none to safe. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Chu Yen-ping directs this all-star cast prison flick about cop Huang Wei (Tony Leung Kar-fai) who goes into the clink undercover to figure out how the fingerprints of a long deceased death-row inmate ended up at the scene of a recent murder. There he quickly runs afoul of gangland powers, making his life a living hell. His fellow inmates include Lung (Jackie Chan) who killed a card sharp to pay for an operation for his girlfriend; Triad (Andy Lau Tak-wah) who looking for the guy who killed his brother in jail; and Lui (Sammo Hung Kam-po) a sadsack con who regularly breaks out to visit his son. Later, Huang kills a prison guard and is sentenced to death. He soon learns that the jail's crazed warden is using supposedly executed criminals to kill crime bosses who are beyond the law. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, (more)
- 1990
Piecing together exciting film footage of martial arts performances, Deadliest Art demonstrates the reasons for the popularity of martial arts combat in visual entertainment. The history of the art, including basics of the Eastern philosophies that govern it, provides insight along with the demonstration of various types of martial arts fighting. Touching on the skills and frame of mind necessary to perform feats of this kind, this film showcases the beauty of defense without weapons, as well as special techniques required to incorporate the use of weapons, and the ways in which the martial arts have been showcased in the film industry. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
Teddy Robin Kwan directs this lavish period action flick set in the first half of the 20th century and featuring a dazzling line-up of stars. Little Tiger (Yuen Biao) ventures from the sticks to the big city in search of his cop brother Big Tiger (Chi-cheung Lam), an honest cop working in a corrupt system. Surmising that life in the police force was not his cup of tea, Little Tiger joins the Swallow Acrobatic Troop, which he excels in because of his kung-fu prowess. When a band of thugs from Chin Hung-yun's (Sammo Hung) group attacks the troop, Little Tiger not only handily fights them back but also infiltrates their organization to destroy them from the inside. Meanwhile, Big Tiger's old flame Mary (Anita Mui) returns from America to join the revolutionaries. Big Tiger soon finds himself torn between his love of this girl and his orders to arrest all revolutionaries. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
