Wuxia in the Golden Age of HK Cinema (1979-1999)
Movies past the golden age of the genre (late 60s-70s, Shaw Brother).
This era started when younger directors such as John Woo, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-Ping, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To and Ching Siu-Tung started making their own wuxia movies with turbo-speed wireworks and choregraphies and modern sensibilities, with Tsui Hark's The Butterfly Murders and John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry being the first ones.
In 1990, the success of the first Swordsman movie started its own wave of 90s wuxia films that lasted until the middle of the decade. That was the peak of popularity of modern wuxia.
And then the 1997 Hong Kong handover and economic crisis happened. This put the whole HK cinema industry into shaky grounds.
In 2000, the global success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon showed the world that wuxia was still alive as a genre and that wuxia films could also be "artsy".
This era started when younger directors such as John Woo, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-Ping, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To and Ching Siu-Tung started making their own wuxia movies with turbo-speed wireworks and choregraphies and modern sensibilities, with Tsui Hark's The Butterfly Murders and John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry being the first ones.
In 1990, the success of the first Swordsman movie started its own wave of 90s wuxia films that lasted until the middle of the decade. That was the peak of popularity of modern wuxia.
And then the 1997 Hong Kong handover and economic crisis happened. This put the whole HK cinema industry into shaky grounds.
In 2000, the global success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon showed the world that wuxia was still alive as a genre and that wuxia films could also be "artsy".
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- DirectorRaymond LeeSiu-Tung ChingHark TsuiStarsTony Ka Fai LeungBrigitte LinMaggie CheungDuring the Ming Dynasty, Tsao Siu-yan, a power-crazed eunuch who rules his desert region of China as if he were the Emperor, ruthlessly thwarts plots against him and sets a trap for one of this enemies at the Dragon Gate Inn.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsWenzhuo ZhaoXin Xin XiongSonny SuA swordsmith trains his friend's orphaned son. The boy seeks revenge for his father's murder but loses an arm rescuing the swordsmith's daughter. A hermit girl nurses him, and he learns swordsmanship with his father's broken sword.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingKing HuRaymond LeeStarsSamuel HuiCecilia YipJacky CheungA kung-fu manual known as the sacred scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingStarsJet LiBrigitte LinMichelle ReisLing Wu Chung decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingRaymond LeeStarsBrigitte LinJoey WangRongguang YuA royal official accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs to see the site of the defeat of the evil Invincible Asia, who attained supernatural abilities by following the sacred scroll and castrating himself. The official discovers that the Portuguese are actually after the sacred scroll, and then finds Invincible Asia him/herself, who is not actually dead. Invincible Asia seeks to destroy all the imposters or 'false Invincible Asias' who have assumed his/her place leading cults, whilst the Portuguese, a mysterious Japanese warlord and others search for Invincible Asia and the Sacred Scroll.
- DirectorPatrick TamStarsChi-Chi ChenAdam ChengNorman ChuA swordsman and a samurai work together to find a blade.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingStarsNorman ChuDamian LauFlora Chong-LeenThe best sword master from China vs the best sword master from Japan. Who will win?
- DirectorKing HuStarsLi-hua ChangAdam ChengTing ChouA roving ghost spirit controlled by Ying Yang the Evil paints her face in the guise of a concubine. Her spirit can only be released by a ghostbusting monk who comes to her rescue.
- DirectorHsiao-min WangStarsHowie HuangPei-Chun KaoChun Ku
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsBiao YuenHoi MangAdam ChengA Chinese soldier in an ancient civil war flees the battlefield and gets caught up in a fantastical quest to save the world from evil.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsBrigitte LinMaggie CheungLeslie CheungA broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingStarsLeslie CheungJoey WangWu MaAfter a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple, where he encounters a ravishing female ghost and later battles to save her soul from the control of a wicked tree demon.
- DirectorJeffrey LauStarsStephen ChowMan-Tat NgKar-Ying LawA Monkey King is reincarnated in the un human form as Joker, a highwayman oblivious to his original identity and the fact that 500 years earlier, he and his master, the Longevity Monk, were punished and made to stay human.
- DirectorJeffrey LauStarsStephen ChowMan-Tat NgAthena ChuThe convoluted continuation of the adventures of the time-traveling, now-human Monkey King, who attempts to fulfill his divine destiny.
- DirectorRonny YuStarsBrigitte LinLeslie CheungFrancis NgCho Yat-Hang, the unwilling successor to the Wu-Tang clan throne and the unsure commander of the clan's forces in a war against an evil cult, falls in forbidden love with Lien Ni-Chang, a killer for the evil cult.
- DirectorDavid WuStarsBrigitte LinLeslie CheungChristy ChungOn Kit and Lyre's wedding night, Lien Ni-Chang, the bride with white hair kidnaps Lyre and takes her to her harem of fighting women to indoctrinate her against Kit. Kit tries to lead a rescue party and go up against the formidable enemies.
- DirectorJeffrey LauStarsLeslie CheungBrigitte LinMaggie CheungA parody of Louis Cha's renowned novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The story begins with the Queen of Golden Wheel Kingdom and having an affair with her cousin West Poison, both of whom are planning to take over the Kingdom. The 3rd Princess discovered their treason but she was defeated by West Poison. She flees and sought for her master's help. He spoke of a powerful secret martial arts manual hidden in the mountains, which if she could retrieve and learn, she would be able to defeat West Poison. But things get complicated along the way when West Poison beat her to it and stole the secret manual away. She soon gathers an alliance to challenge West Poison's exponentially increased new power.
- DirectorYen-Ping ChuStarsTony Ka Fai LeungSharla CheungJimmy LinTwo feuding bounty-hunter families have to team up to track down a criminal couple.
- DirectorWoo-Ping YuenStarsYat-Chor YuenKa-Yan LeungCheung-Yan YuenFormer Royal Guardsman Kao was forced to be on the run when his superior couldn't tolerate him being a Manchu marrying a Han woman. A young prince was inadvertently killed when he kidnapped the boy to aid in his escape. 14 years later, Kao now a drunkard ridden with guilt, has been living with a young orphan by the name of Shu Geng. Also introduced are two wacky old bickering sorcerer couple, Old Man and Old Spinster, who are always competing with each other over the most trivial matters. Before long, the old nemesis of Kao, the powerful Socerer Bat, found his whereabouts and killed him. Harboring evil ambitions, Sorcerer Bat forces Shu Geng to impersonate the belated prince, with the intention that one day he can ruled alongside the would-be king. Shu Geng manages to escape, amid strange encounters with the clown in-the-jar, and meets the two even stranger bickering magician couple, who teach him their craft. The rest is a typical revenge motivated plot, in which the young prodigy learn the martial arts to defeat the villain. The setting however, is not so typical as the finale takes place in a sorcerer competition where Shu Geng faces not only the evil Bat, but also countless other sorcerers, each possessing his own unique magic and abilities. The choreography and inventiveness of the fights make this early collaboration of the Yuen brothers stand out among the work of Yuen Woo-Ping, who move on to become on of the most sought after action director in the business today.
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsFan YangCynthia KhanRosamund KwanA young martial arts teacher is drawn into a plan to reform Imperial China.
- DirectorAndy Wing-Keung ChinStarsBrigitte LinSharla CheungGong LiLegend has it that in a faraway place beyond the edge of the earth, there exists a broken-hearted man with infinite power. Abandoned by his loved ones, the inheritance of the old man's chi power becomes a battleground for evil outsiders.
- DirectorBenny ChanStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiAnita MuiRosamund KwanOn his way to a congress of kung fu masters, an initiate falls from a high cliff, only to be rescued by lovely Tien Lam (Anita Mui), who rides a huge (and sorry-looking) crane. The rest of the movie features a battle between warring martial arts factions, an equally fierce rivalry between the two daughters of the Crane Master, the accidental empowerment of an unprincipled master after having eaten half of a secret scroll, a battle with an immense tortoise whose spleeny vapors save a group of poisoned swordsmen, lots of great aerial fights against nearly invincible villains, and the usual blood spurting from assorted mouths.
- DirectorMichael MakStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiMichelle YeohJoey WangDynamo Michelle Yeoh stars as a loyalist who attempts to keep the King's empire from being overthrown by a revolutionary group.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingStarsLeslie CheungJoey WangMichelle ReisA Chinese Ghost Story II Chinese 倩女幽魂 II人間道 is a 1990 Hong Kong romantic comedy-horror film directed by Ching Siu-tung and produced by Tsui Hark. It is the sequel to A Chinese Ghost Story and is followed by A Chinese Ghost Story III.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingHark TsuiStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiJoey WangJacky CheungBasically a retread of the first movie, in which the evil Tree Spirit is back with yet another ghost played by Joey Wong. The Swordsman Yen and Leslie Cheung characters are replaced by a Buddhist Abbot and disciple (Tony Leung). Jacky Cheung also pops up again, this time as a money-grabbing swordsman with a neat bag of tricks.
- DirectorGordon ChanStarsStephen ChowSharla CheungMan-Tat NgA rich family's son falls in love with a woman who will only marry him once he becomes a Kung-Fu Master. In this 'Dramedy' He becomes a legendary hero, by attempting to save the emperor, during his true quest of love.
- DirectorRingo LamStarsWillie ChiJohn ChingYamson DomingoAn exotic, legendary battle between the forces of good and evil comes to life as the celebrated disciples of the Shaolin Temple -- monks who practice a lethal and spiritual form of martial arts -- fight the evil followers of China's Manchu rulers.
- DirectorJing WongSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsJet LiSharla CheungChingmy YauA wild, rollicking martial-arts fantasy extravaganza that features prized swords and swordsmen, a crazy monk attached to a rolling boulder (yup!), serious clan and cult rivalries, and lots of magic and flying.
- DirectorStephen ChowVincent KokStarsStephen ChowCarina LauCarman LeeAn imperial agent gets ridiculed for his various inventions, until his supportive wife encourages him to attend a conference, which's actually a trap to kill all the doctors serving the emperor, where his crazy inventions come in handy.
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsAndy LauKenny BeeAnita MuiA simple fisherman helps a fugitive King in a fight, and offers him refuge in a hideout near his fishing village. When the King's group is attacked by his usurper brother, the fisherman is sent to find the King's betrothed, the daughter of the Emperor, and bring her back. On the journey love blossoms between the fisherman and the Emperor's daughter. Meanwhile the King's beautiful advisor seems to be in love with him, despite the fact that she is a traitor sent to kill him by the evil brother.
- DirectorMin Kan NgStarsBrigitte LinBiao YuenCarina LauA young security man must prove himself worthy by defending the one object wanted by all the masters of the Martials Arts world - the Magic Lyre!
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsSiu-Ming LauMichelle YimShu-Tong WongA journalist attempting to solve a mystery in "Martial World" enlists the aid of a master fighter and a woman named Green Breeze. They go to a mysterious castle where they come across poisonous butterflies and a black-leather-clad killer.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsPai WeiDamian LauKong LauA son tries to avenge his father, and gets two sword fighters to help him.
- DirectorYeung-Wah KamJohnnie ToStarsCherie ChungLiang DingMing JiangAn imprisoned swordsman is accused of killing three men. He probably would have already been executed for his crimes but is kept alive because he knows the whereabouts of hidden gold.
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingJohnnie ToStarsStephen ChowMaggie CheungMan-Tat NgInternationally proclaimed comic genius Stephen Chow must change the lives of radiant prostitute Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, filthy beggar Anthony Wong, and a killer in this heavenly comedy directed by masterful new wave filmmaker Johnnie To.
- DirectorMan Kit PoonStarsLeon LaiSharla CheungMichelle ReisA swordsman learns about love and life when he falls for one woman and another girl falls for him. Meanwhile, he and the one he is in love with must fight an evil warlord bent on corruption.
- DirectorDavid LaiJeffrey LauCorey YuenStarsAndy LauAnita MuiAaron KwokA graying black-clad swordsman slays palace guards, as he flies through the air to an uncertain purpose. Centuries (or is it days?) later, gun-toting, Armani-clad super policemen -- Hong Kong's Saviours -- are devastated by a cloaked assassin. Kinetic medieval fantasy; overstructured, outgunned urban nightmare. And that's only the first ten minutes! A highly entertaining, eye-popping genre bender in every way.
- DirectorDavid LaiCorey YuenStarsAndy LauRosamund KwanCorey YuenA master martial artist must use his skills and magic sword to take on the supernatural forces of the Demon King.
- DirectorSiu-Hung ChungStarsFengyi ZhangRosamund KwanSiu Chung MokA poor farmer who loves a woman he is forbidden to associate with becomes a hardened mercenary, and is hired by a local warlord as a professional assassin. Years later, he runs into his old love and begins to question his violent past.
- DirectorPing HeStarsWei GaoMana ZhaoJiang ChangA teenage lad arrives at Double Flag Town to claim his betrothed bride, when he encounters a group of outlaws and kills one of them. A vendetta is expected.
- DirectorMin Kan NgStarsKent ChengKenny HoKwok-Keung CheungA doctor falls in love with the ghost of a virgin, who died 200 years ago in the fight between a monk and the demon king. Their connection gives the demon king a chance to rise again.
- DirectorDaniel LeeStarsDavid ChiangNorman ChuJack KaoA duel between two master swordsmen for the hand of a beautiful young maiden leads to a 20-year-old grudge that proves deadly.
- DirectorPing HeStarsFengyi ZhangXueqi WangKuei-Mei YangThe Avenger, a brooding swordsman armed with a blade marked "Slayer of 1000 Armies" claims he's waiting for a long-missing friend, at an outpost in Northwest China's Sun Valley. The Avenger suffers an intense fear of blood, from being the only survivor of his clan's massacre. The sight of blood propels him into a killing fury. Winter is setting in, so the local horse trader Black Bull, and most of the valley's men, prepare to drive a herd to market, leaving behind Black Bull's girlfriend, a feisty innkeeper.
- DirectorMan-Sang YuStarsMichelle ReisCynthia KhanSek-Ming LauDuring a fierce war in ancient China, a princess and her two generals must escape from the Ha Hou rebels determined to bring the kingdom down. But when the princess meets an enemy prince, the two fall in love.
- DirectorWoo-Ping YuenStarsBrigitte LinSiu Chung MokSandra Kwan Yue NgWhen Red Dragon is send out to retrieve a letter incriminating her master, as he plots to overthrow the emperor, she meets swordsman Yuen, who got to the letter before her. Red Dragon eventually falls in love with Yuen and turns on her master.
- DirectorHoi-Ching CheungStarsBiao YuenSharla CheungDanny LeeAfter the death of Marshal Yuen, a princess is arrested by a constable whilst training with her kung-fu teacher. They are soon drawn into a conflict which centres around the mysterious man with the golden snake sword - an incredibly powerful magical weapon. Golden Snake Man is seeking revenge on the castle of the Wan family, but Wan has married his former lover. The Five Poison Sect of fighting (and flying) women have entered into an uneasy alliance with the forces of the Manchu Master Wu to steal the golden snake sword. Wan's daughter is torn between her father and her love of the constable. The constable must decide between his brotherly love for the Golden Snake Man and his sense of justice. Meanwhile a blind old man seeks to return the powerful Sword Stained With Royal Blood to the son of Marshal Yuen.
- DirectorFrankie ChanStarsLung TiAnita YuenFrankie ChanAdventures of a silent halting swordsman and a bright open-minded swordsman in a frontier town.
- DirectorFrankie Chan
- DirectorFat TsuiStarsCynthia KhanWaise LeeBenjamin ChanThe Eagles are a group of orphans raised as killers.
- DirectorBilly ChanStarsWai LamChing Wan LauShun LauBased on part of the old Chinese novel Shuihuzhuan (usually translated Water Margin) this movie follows the fortunes of Imperial Guard Instructor Lin Chong, framed by the evil Marshal Gao Qiu and betrayed by his colleague Lu Qian. Befriending renegade officer-turned-monk Lu Da, Lin Chong finds himself facing the loss of all he holds dear, but puts in some heavy duty martial arts and leaping about before the closing credits.
- DirectorJing WongStarsStephen ChowSharla CheungChingmy YauA jester is accidentally recruited by a cult leader to spy on a young and inexperienced Chinese emperor. Things don't go according to plan, and he ends up working for multiple opposing sides while trying to survive the madness.
- DirectorJing WongStarsStephen ChowBrigitte LinChingmy YauWei the jester, turned undercover spy, turned high ranking official in the Chinese imperial court, tries his best to deal with warring factions and deadly martial artists all vying for power.
- DirectorChien-Hsun HuangStarsQiuyan HuangDeric WanCynthia Khan
- DirectorJing WongDennis ChanStarsMichelle YeohCarol 'Do Do' ChengMaggie CheungThe story of Seven Maidens who are recruited to challenge the threat posed by a Japanese swordsman of supernatural power.
- DirectorEric TsangStarsAndy LauBrigitte LinSharla CheungDurring the Tang Dynasty, a kung-fu tournament was held once every 18 years with the winner declared the leader of the land until the next competition. But a tournament with such high stakes brings out the best, and worst, in the various competitors and leaders.
- DirectorNorman Law ManStarsDicky CheungAaron KwokVivian ChowA young student witnesses a mysterious stranger being chased by an assassin. He and his classmates suspect their new teacher and soon play detectives.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsJoey WangMaggie CheungWenzhuo ZhaoTwo snake spirits become human and learn about love and suffering. A monk discovers his own weaknesses and finds that morality is not as simple as he had thought.
- DirectorTaylor WongStarsBrigitte LinAndy LauElvis TsuiDazzling swordplay and eye-poping battles highlight this story of the top three swordsmen in central China; Samurai, Smiling Sam and Big Knife who become involved in a plot to recover the Holy Sword and also avenge the murder of the Empress.
- DirectorClarence FokStarsMaggie CheungBiao YuenWah YuenA frozen Ming Dynasty royal guard and the equally frigid rapist-killer he's tracking are thawed out in modern-day Hong Kong.