Dragon Dynasty

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

This slapstick Hong Kong action film follows the passengers of the Shanghai Express, a train running to the small village of Hanshui. Plenty of action takes place as the gallery of wealthy socialites, con men, cops, and train robbers speeds towards its destination. Directed by Sammo Hung, a master of comedic action and martial arts fight choreography, this film stars Hung, as well as a an all-star cast of Hong Kong favorites, including Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Richard Ng, and Cynthia Rothrock. Although many films in Hong Kong cinema are associated with low production values, Shanghai period pieces are often executed with a surprising level of consistency, and director Hung has succeeded in this genre on many occasions. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide

Internationally famed action star Jackie Chan tones down his usual martial arts pyrotechnics for a more traditionally dramatic role in this police drama. Crime Story finds Chan portraying a Hong Kong police detective, an honest cop guilt-ridden over his participation in a recent shoot-out. He is absolved of wrong-doing by the force, however, and assigned to protect a major real estate developer. Despite Chan's best efforts, though, the man under his care is soon kidnapped. The criminals demand millions in payment from the developer's wife, and Chan takes it upon himself to try and foil their plot and rescue the developer. His job is made more difficult by the fact that his new partner on the case, an esteemed detective, is secretly in cahoots with the criminals. Though there are a number of martial arts sequences near the film's climax, much of the action is more typical of Hollywood than Hong Kong, consisting of shoot-outs, explosions, and extended car chases. The ample amount of blood and the overall gritty tone combines with Chan's restrained performance to create a darker experience than most other Chan films familiar to American audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Kung fu star and choreographer Corey Yuen spins this vigilante flick featuring Yuen Biao as Hsia Ling-ching, a court prosecutor who is sick of watching the criminal and the corrupt waltz away from justice. After knocking off well-connected drug pushers and underworld denizens, Hsia finds himself not only tailed by determined cop Cindy (played by American kung fu diva Cynthia Rothrock but also pursued by a number of hired guns contracted by crooked gumshoe Sergeant Wong (Melvin Wong. Soon Hsia is scaling building, battling baddies and clinging to helicopters. Roy Chiao Hung and Wu Ma also appear. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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

Tsui Hark (The Blade) adapted his massive martial arts epic Seven Swords (AKA Qi Jian) from Liang yu-Sheng's ravenously popular novel Seven Swordsmen from Mount Tian. The story opens in the 1660s, following the implementation of China's (Manchu) Qing dynasty. To quell possible nationalist uprisings, the emperor issues a decree forbidding the use of martial arts, and guarantees decapitation for anyone who violates that order. A class of bounty hunters quickly formed to enforce the law and collect 600 pieces of silver for each violator; the most massive and domineering of the warriors is the bald, muscular Fire-Wind (Sun Honglei), a bellicose and volatile creature who lives in an elephantine tentlike dwelling on a hill. This walking terror selects Martial Village, a hamlet in northwestern China, as his next assignment. Meanwhile, in Martial, two young adults, Wu Yuanyin (Charlie Young) and her ex-beau, Han Zhibang) rescue an old executioner, Fu Qingzhu (Lau Kar-leung) who foresees the coming wrath and acknowledges the necessity of pulling in the mythical 'Warriors of Mt. Tian' to fight Fire-Wind and his cronies. The four warriors summoned by Fu include Chu Zhaonan (Donnie Yen), and Yang Yunchong (Leon Lai), who dramatically increase the tension and bloodshed when the former develops a crush on one of Fire-wind's hostages, Green Pearl (Kim So-yeon) and decides to kidnap her - sending Fire-wind through the roof. The critically-worshipped Hark reportedly cut two versions of this film (including a 2 1/2 hour cut and a 3-hour cut) and demonstrated incredible confidence in Qi Jian by planning it as the initial installment in a massive series of multimedia sequels, including a 74-part television series, an online video game, comics, and five additional films. The picture itself testifies to this, with the setup for a sophomore installment in its conclusion. Qi Jian, however, did lackluster box office when it opened in the Far East in July 2005, making the follow-ups less than certain. ~ Nathan Southern, 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