Casey Chong looks at ten great Hong Kong movies from the 1980s…
Violence is frequently one of the recurring motifs that defines a Hong Kong movie. Practical effects along with the use of blood squibs for gunfights and stunts were heavily emphasized back in the day, explaining why the action set pieces have a heightened sense of visceral flair. Here we take a trip down memory lane as we explore ten great – and violent – Hong Kong films of the 1980s…
Long Arm of the Law (1984)
Long before Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In impressed both critics and audiences to a groundbreaking box-office glory with his entertaining blend of martial arts action, triads, and a nostalgic callback to the lawless Kowloon Walled City, director Johnny Mak first grabbed attention with the Long Arm of the Law.
This 1984 crime drama may be a product of its time, particularly the antiquated way Hong Kong filmmakers portray the lives of mainland criminals, but even viewing it by today’s standards, this kind of no-holds-barred movie still resonates with its uncompromisingly graphic violence and the morally grey area between the mainland criminals led by Lam Wai and the Hong Kong police force. This is especially true during the climactic third act in the densely populated maze-like Kowloon Walled City as the cops block every possible exit, leaving the criminals trapped like mice with no way out. What’s left is a dread-inducing sense of doom and desperation as both sides of the law are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. The success of Long Arm of the Law has paved the way for two more thematically similar but unrelated sequels.
School on Fire (1988)
School on Fire didn’t quite match the popularity of Ringo Lam’s previous On Fire movies: Prison on Fire and City on Fire and even opened to little fanfare at the time of its release, resulting in a box-office fiasco after barely survived a one-week theatrical run in Hong Kong. But it’s hard to deny Lam’s typically gritty direction pushes to the breaking point in offering a pessimistic view of triad activities ruling over the Hong Kong school system. Parents and even teachers and cops are helpless as the triads run rampant like iron-fisted capitalists.
Lam brings out the best in his cast including Roy Cheung as the vile triad boss and Damian Lau as the concerned teacher, a rare departure for the actor at the time, given his prior martial arts-heavy filmography (e.g. 1979’s Last Hurrah for Chivalry, 1983’s Zu: The Warriors from the Magic Mountain). Likewise, Lam doesn’t shy away from graphic violence and matter-of-fact brutality, notably the all-hell-breaks-loose finale.
Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980)
In the early era of Tsui Hark’s filmography, particularly before he went mainstream from 1981’s All the Wrong Clues onwards, his first three movies – The Butterfly Murders, We’re Going to Eat You and Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind – were largely experimental genre-bending works. His third movie sees Tsui, who also co-wrote the screenplay with We’re Going to Eat You’s Szeto Cheuk-Hon, explore the bleak perspective of teenage angst (including Taiwanese actress Lin Chen-Chi, giving an unforgettable performance in her otherwise brief acting career before retiring from showbiz) and social detachment with a xenophobia-heavy undertone.
The latter is evident with the introduction of foreign antagonists, which is served metaphorically as Tsui’s indirect criticism of foreigners’ exploitations towards the Hong Kong locals at the time. He doesn’t skimp away from his politically-heavy narrative approach, which can be seen in one of the scenes echoing the 1967 Hong Kong riots revolving around a homemade bomb.
The Lunatics (1986)
It may have looked uncharacteristic for Derek Yee, who spent almost a decade acting in mostly martial arts movies, to choose to go the unlikely route of directing a social drama. A harrowing subject about mental illness, to be exact, but despite The Lunatics being his directorial debut, he has a firm grasp on exploring the theme without resorting to histrionics. His pragmatic approach works well in his favor with a sparring use of humor, evidently in the opening scene where Stanley Fung’s social worker Tsui attempts to de-escalate Tony Leung Chiu-Wai’s mentally ill character using a hand puppet that looks like Jackie Chan.
The movie is largely episodic until the turning point of the story shifts its focus on Paul Chun’s award-winning supporting turn as Tsuen, a recovered mental patient gradually having a breakdown. This leads to the movie’s most pessimistic moment after Tsuen starts assaulting people with a meat cleaver and even holds the teacher and kindergarten students hostage.
Her Vengeance (1988)
Lam Nai-Choi is no stranger to directing different genre fares from the 1983 crime drama Men from the Gutter to the outrageously manga-style Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky and the bizarre sci-fi The Cat (both released in 1992). Then, there’s Her Vengeance – a nihilistic rape-revenge thriller which starred Pauline Wong as an unfortunate victim who ended up sexually assaulted by a group of drunken strangers (one of them played by Billy Chow, best known for his martial arts antagonist roles in Mr. Canton and Lady Rose and Fist of Legend).
Lam doesn’t waste time getting down and dirty with his subject matter, especially during the earlier night time rape sequence filmed in a stark manner. Her Vengeance, which is also partially inspired by I Spit on Your Grave, culminates in a visceral Straw Dogs-style ending as Pauline Wong’s Ying, along with the help of a wheelchair-bound former triad (Lam Ching-Ying), lures the rapists into a nightclub filled with booby traps.
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Between John Woo’s groundbreaking A Better Tomorrow and Tsui Hark’s Saigon-set prequel in A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon, the middle chapter of the trilogy is where Woo firmly establishes his visual excess for slo-mo Peckinpah-style gun violence and romanticization of the triad genre. His recurring themes of brotherhood and loyalty are on the full display here and even though his sequel tends to borderline into the melodramatic route, it’s hard to deny the sheer visceral and pulpy entertainment dominated all over the place.
The action is top-notch as Woo along with the help of Tong Ching Siu-Tung’s Hong Kong Film Awards-nominated choreography, goes all out with guns blazing. This includes a violent shootout in a dingy New York hotel, which at one point, Chow Yun-Fat’s effortlessly cool Ken sliding down the staircase backwards while emptying one of the assailants with both guns in his hands. The climactic massacre in the main antagonist’s (Kwan Shan) mansion is a testament to Woo’s incredible action prowess as we see Ken along with Dean Shek’s Lung Sei and Ti Lung’s Sung Tse-Ho killing everyone from using pistols to hand grenades and even a sword.
The Big Heat (1988)
Not to be confused with Fritz Lang’s 1953 movie, The Big Heat was notoriously troubled for its behind-the-scene woes, which included multiple script revisions and multiple directors (Andrew Kam, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark and Ching Siu-Tung, just to name a few) involved in completing the project. For all the troubles here though, this brutal action thriller is quintessential ‘80s Hong Kong genre cinema. In other words, it’s graphically violent and doesn’t even shy away from gore which almost feels like a slasher movie.
At the heart of the movie is Waise Lee in his post-Better Tomorrow fame playing an engaging lead role as John Wong Wai-Pong, a cop with a nerve damage issue in one of his hands. His no-nonsense cop role elevates this otherwise conventionally-plotted movie and he is backed by solid supporting turns including Phillip Kwok – who also served as one of the action choreographers — as John’s partner, Kam while Paul Chu Kong shows up as a remorseless antagonist of the movie.
Coolie Killer (1982)
This largely forgotten Coolie Killer served as a precursor for many professional assassin(s)-themed Hong Kong movies, including John Woo’s The Killer. While Terry Tong lacks the latter’s distinctive style, Coolie Killer remains a landmark Hong Kong action cinema revolving around the said subject matter in its own right. It’s hard to believe that Charlie Chin, who would go on to establish himself as a comedian in the My Lucky Stars film series, is cast as a relentless and charismatic assassin Ko Da-Fu, who’s in charge of his own team of killers.
The movie is notable for Tong’s impressive staging in the first 25 minutes in his suspenseful, dread-inducing buildup and some well-choreographed action sequences, particularly the one that takes place in a parking garage. Coolie Killer was even nominated for three Hong Kong Film Awards including Best Film, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
The Killer (1989)
John Woo concluded his ‘80s era of action movies with a bang – both literally and figuratively – in The Killer, which was highly regarded as one of his best Hong Kong action films ever made. With his regular muse at the time, Chow Yun-Fat, playing the titular hired assassin, Woo has successfully extracted the best out of his acting powerhouse. He’s a charismatic killer with a conscience including a scene where he’s willing to risk his life saving an injured girl and takes responsibility for causing a nightclub singer (Sally Yeh) wounded in her eyes due to the impact of a point-blank gunshot.
Woo also paired Chow Yun-Fat with Danny Lee as an honest cop who values the importance of brotherhood and friendship – two of the director’s favorite themes often seen in his movies. The action scenes are where the movie excels the most from the opening nightclub shootout to the climactic bloody massacre in the church.
On the Run (1988)
Yuen Biao’s works in the ‘80s were heavily dominated by action comedies from The Prodigal Son (1981) to Wheels on Meals (1984) and Dragons Forever (1988). But On the Run marks a rare detour for the martial arts star, who trades his usual acrobatic fighting skills in favor of a no-nonsense, dramatic role of a cop determined to find out the truth about his ex-wife’s (Ida Chan) death at the hands of a professional killer (Pat Ha). Complicating matters is a team of corrupted cops led by Charlie Chin, best known for his comedic portrayal in My Lucky Stars film series, in a cast-against-type turn as the main antagonist.
Those who have grown accustomed to Yuen Biao’s martial arts-heavy action movies might feel alienated upon watching On the Run. And yet, it’s a refreshing change of pace for Yuen Biao to diversify his role at the time, proving he has what it takes to pull off a dramatic role with none of his martial arts display. The movie also benefits from Alfred Cheung’s genre know-how direction in all things nihilistic while Peter Ngor’s atmospheric cinematography does a good job capturing the gritty side of Hong Kong’s night time scene. Even without the sight of a martial arts scene, the action is thrillingly staged with enough propulsive flair.
What are your favourite Hong Kong movies of the 1980s? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
