DISCOVER--the superior violent action films of Chow Yun Fat
by jonabbott56 | created - 31 Jul 2013 | updated - 22 Jan 2016 | PublicIs this the coolest guy since Elvis, or what? After you've been introduced to Chinese gangster films, you have been irretrievably spoiled. You can never go back to Hollywood action films, especially since box office considerations toned down the violence. In these films, *nobody* gets out alive, and when they feature Chow Yun Fat, you get a charismatic performance thrown in as well, from a real actor. Don't take my word for it, get stuck in to these films, and you'll never be satisfied with CGI again.
Note: I feel familiar enough with this guy's work to justify this list (nearly two dozen titles), but there are still a fair number of Chow Yun-Fat films I've yet to track down and/or see. It seems only right that I should restrict my list those I already have. Consider this a good starting point.
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1. Hong Kong 1941 (1984)
R | 100 min | Drama, War
Years later, a woman narrates her personal story of the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong in 1941. She's Nam, young, attractive, daughter of a wealthy rice merchant, and prey to painful, ... See full summary »
Director: Po-Chih Leong | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Cecilia Yip, Alex Man, Stuart Ong
Votes: 691
This is more drama than action, but well worth a look. Known as Hong Kong 1941.
2. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu
Votes: 25,454
The film that made Chow's reputation as king of the Chinese gangster film.
3. City on Fire (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee, Carrie Ng
Votes: 7,260
Supposedly the film that inspired Reservoir Dogs, this has its moments, but in my opinion is one of his least interesting from this period.
4. Rich and Famous (1987)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
To pay off his debt as a gambler, a man drags his sister and step-brother into a life of crime and a violent war between rival gang lords.
Director: Taylor Wong | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Andy Lau, Alex Man, Siu-Fung Wong
Votes: 772
This is Rich and Famous.
5. Tragic Hero (1987)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After being released from prison, Tang Kat Yung exacts revenge on Li Ah Chai, in this sequel to Rich and Famous.
Director: Taylor Wong | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Andy Lau, Alex Man, Siu-Fung Wong
Votes: 696
This is Tragic Hero, the follow-up to Rich and Famous.
6. Flaming Brothers (1987)
Not Rated | 99 min | Action, Crime, Romance
A tale between two brothers: One has left the triads and gone legit, the other has decided to stay and keep the triad from going to the ways of drugs and gun running.
Director: Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Alan Tang, Patricia Ha, Lap Ban Chan
Votes: 674
This is Flaming Brothers, an interesting mix of humour, melodrama and extreme violence.
7. Prison on Fire (1987)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Inside a Chinese prison two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Ka-Kui Ho, Roy Cheung
Votes: 3,263
8. A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Lung Ti, Dean Shek
Votes: 11,315
This is the disappointing sequel to A Better Tomorrow. Some good sequences, but the fast forward needed on subsequent viewings.
9. Tiger on Beat (1988)
TV-MA | 93 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A seasoned cop and his rookie partner are a pair of mismatched partners in this Hong Kong action-comedy in the style of 'Lethal Weapon'. The wacky twosome are up in arms as they try to solve the murder of a heroin trafficker.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Nina Li Chi, Conan Lee, Norman Chu
Votes: 2,056
This is the light-hearted Tiger on the Beat, with non-stop and very creative violence.
10. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,066
John Woo's classic, with Chow at his best.
11. Wild Search (1989)
98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The police are staking out a Hong Kong flat, waiting to catch some major gun dealers. While the suppliers are conducting their deal, they move in. Both buyers are killed in the gunfire, but... See full summary »
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung, Roy Cheung, Paul Chun
Votes: 789
This is Wild Search, a more laid-back entry in Chow's police dramas.
12. God of Gamblers (1989)
R | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A master gambler loses his memory and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.
Director: Jing Wong | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Andy Lau, Joey Wang, Charles Heung
Votes: 6,367
13. Once a Thief (1991)
R | 108 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A romantic and action packed story of three best friends, a group of high end art thieves, who come into trouble when a love-triangle forms between them.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung, Kong Chu
Votes: 7,281
Chow and Woo's caper movie. Different, and fun. Don't go in expecting the usual gangster mayhem, and you'll enjoy it.
14. Hard Boiled (1992)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
Votes: 54,007
Non-stop insanity as only the Chinese can do it. Ruthless gangsters run amok in a hospital. Remember not to stop breathing while watching...
15. Full Contact (1992)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two disreputable friends get tied in with a group of criminals who turn out to be excessively violent and deceptive.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong
Votes: 4,832
Story revolves around bad guys, but plenty of comeuppance as the bodies pile up...
16. The Return of the God of Gamblers (1994)
126 min | Action, Drama
Ko Chun vows to keep his identity hidden while looking for the gangsters who murdered his pregnant wife, in Wong Jing's sequel to his action/comedy classic.
Director: Jing Wong | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Chien-Lien Wu, Charles Heung
Votes: 2,880
17. Treasure Hunt (1994)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A C.I.A. agent is assigned to go to Beijing to look for a hidden "treasure," which turns out to be a woman who has supernatural powers, and is the National Treasure of China.
Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Chien-Lien Wu, Chia-Hui Liu, Han Chin
Votes: 619
Intriguing mix of violence, romance, and the supernatural.
18. Peace Hotel (1995)
89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A retired old west killer sets up a hotel for vagrants and wayward souls called Peace Hotel. When a woman with a gang on her tail attempts to hide there the owner of the hotel must revert to his old ways to protect his hotel.
Director: Ka-Fai Wai | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Cecilia Yip, Ho Chin, Shun Lau
Votes: 1,286
This is a rather strange but watchable attempt to do The Killer as an Italian western!
19. The Replacement Killers (1998)
R | 87 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A troubled hitman seeks aid from a forger to help him get papers to China. However, the drug lord has hired replacements to finish the job, and kill the hitman.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Kenneth Tsang
Votes: 30,517 | Gross: $18.97M
Inevitably, Chow went to America, and they did this to him. It's an Americanised version of his trademark persona, but watered down of course. He's only allowed one gun though, because one in each hand would be too violent. Really.
20. The Corruptor (1999)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
With the aid from a New York City policeman, a top immigrant cop tries to stop drug-trafficking and corruption by immigrant Chinese Triads, but things get complicated when the Triads try to bribe the policeman.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg, Ric Young, Paul Ben-Victor
Votes: 19,139 | Gross: $15.16M
Another American thriller, slightly more original than the previous one, but still paint by numbers. At least they didn't try and put him in a remake of The King And I... Oh, wait...
21. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 281,572 | Gross: $128.08M
Teamed with Michelle Yeoh at last, although a contemporary setting would have been nice.
22. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
R | 114 min | Action, Drama, Romance
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Ye Liu
Votes: 45,954 | Gross: $6.57M
As Chow matures physically, his range of roles will naturally expand into character parts such as this one. Although 2010's Confucius was a crashing bore and disappointment, it was indicative of where this great actor might now go.
Postscript: You'll notice that 2003's Bulletproof Monk isn't on this list. This is because it's absolutely awful, the only really bad film I've ever seen him in, and so it is, of course, the one shown on television all the time. Thanks, Channel Five.
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Obsessed with the popular culture of the 1960s and surrounding decades, Jon Abbott has been writing about film and TV for over thirty years in around two dozen different publications, trade, populist, and specialist. He is the author of several books, including
Irwin Allen Television Productions 1964-1970,
Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots,
The Elvis Films,
Cool TV of the 1960s: Three Shows That Changed the World,
and Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s.
See his Amazon author's page, and his other lists on the IMDB, all under the pre-fix DISCOVER.
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