Hey everyone. Like most of you I'm a huge fan of movies like Scarface, Reservoir Dogs, and Casino, but there's another large group of films that are often criminally overlooked- the Hong Kong shoot-em-ups. They make most western gangster movies look like The Teletubbies (yes, even the films of Scorsese when it comes to violence), largely due to the fact that China doesn't have all the censors we do.
The most famous director from this area is of course John Woo. But before he did Hollywood action movies like MI2 and Face/Off he made three gangster masterpieces in Hong Kong: A better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Bullet in the Head.

A Better Tomorrow is a movie about two brothers, one a cop, the other a counterfeiter, who continually face off on the streets of Hong Kong. Caught in the middle is Chow Yun Fat, who is excellent as a mob enforcer. The movie redefined what an action movie is, and it's considered a classic.

The Killer- Woo and Chow team up again, and this is their best movie. Chow is outstanding (better then Jean Reno in The Professional) as a morally conflicted hitman who finds himself betrayed by his boss and fighting alongside an outcast cop. Non-stop wall to wall action from start to finish, but also with fine acting and a solid story. The whole thing has an epic feel, and the final battle inside a church will blow you away.

Bullet in the Head- three friends get into trouble with the law and make their way to Saigon in 1967 to work for a mob boss. What they find instead is a world of troubles, and soon they're facing off against hit men, thugs, and even the VietCong. One half gangster movie, one half war movie, it's like The Deer Hunter, Once Upon a Time in America, and Saving Private Ryan all in one. Definitely a masterpiece.

Woo without question is the master of action and melodrama...no one else can compare.
Other great non-Woo films from Hong Kong:

Full Contact- Chow Yun Fat is a tough-as-nails biker who is betrayed and left for dead after a bloody robbery. Once he regains his strength, he sets out for some brutal revenge. It has some ingenious shoot-outs and three of the most psychotic villains ever on film (even Joe Pesci wouldn't fool with these guys).

The Mission- a mellow, easy-going Usual Suspects-type thriller about 5 men of various backgrounds who are hired to protect a Triad boss. Beautiful cinematography, great dialogue, and likable characters.

The reason why I made this post is because too many people make the assumption that all HK flicks are martial arts, and that actors like Chow Yun Fat have no talent. None of the movies described above have kung fu in them. And Chow is an outstanding actor who outdoes basically every American action star. He's the only guy I've seen who puts real emotion into an action sequence. He's extremely talented, and you'd realize that if you saw any of his classic HK flicks.
I tend to like HK films more than Western films like Goodfellas because Italian gangsters all seem the same. HK gangster epics are often wildly over the top, have incredible action set pieces, move briskly, and have great, colorful characters. In short, Asian gangster movies are often more inspired and original.
I guess it just goes to show that Hollywood only cares about spewing forth the same by-the-numbers material over and over. Asian filmmakers are the most daring in the world, and are currently leading the world in depiction of on-screen violence. And BTW, I'm not Asian, so this isn't a personal thing. I just think that more people should be aware of these movies. I'll always love Casino and Reservoir Dogs, but also, you have to realize that other countries make lots of movies that often outdo these films.

u forgot the mention that Reservoir Dogs was a carbon copy of "City On Fire". although, i wouldn't really consider "City of Fire" a gangster flick. cuz the bad guys are basically a band of jewel thiefs.

I never saw any of those films, but a friend of mine who deals in foreign and domestic dvds told me about them and said that Chow Yun Fat did play a good gangster. I'll have to check 'em out, now. That's if i can find 'em.

i liked that Chow Yun Fat flick where his father (a triad mob boss) passed away and he is forced to lead his father's gang.

but "To be Number 1" was hands-down one of the most realistic Asian gangster movies. i enjoyed it so much when i saw it on laserdisc back in 1991. I want to get this on DVD. wish it could have been given a better dvd treatment, tho.

City on Fire was a good movie and QT did steal a few elements from it, but overall I think RD was slightly better. Anyway, they're fun to watch back-to-back.

I just remembered a new DVD i bought over the past month called "Colour of the Truth". another new recently triad film that came out this past June. Unexpected from a Wong Jing movie and considering my dislike for Wong Jing (for westerners like most of you guys in here, does Jackie Chan's "City Hunter" ring a bell to you?), it was actually pretty good. Something about the son of a corrupted cop vowing revenge on this cop who killed his father and this gangster tries to tempt him in helping him kill that cop.

Nothing can compare to AMERICAN mob movies. I don't care who you are or where your from. Why do you think they are the most recognizable movies in the world? Why are movies from India churned out like crazy, yet get no recognition? Cuz they arent as good as the American ones.

The best Asian movie is 5 Deadly Venoms by far. Classic.

Bollywood movies get recognized. "Bend it like Beckham", anyone? and how about that hottie Aishwarya Rai in "Devdas"?

and i think what you said is complete bullocks. you're implying that American movies are better because they distributed everywhere. The quality of film shouldn't be based on a market and how it's done around the globe but rather be concentrate on whether it's a coherent story, performance and etc..etc..


"Infernal Affairs" which came out last December in Hong Kong, is by far the best triad/gang related film in recent years. And the best part is, the violence is very subtle. Very character driven and clever as well (love how the cell phones and communication systems were used). Can't blame Brad Pitt for wanting to remake his own version. Hollywood's been having a habit of wanting remake Asian films lately and that pretty much tells you something, doesn't it?

Exactly. Foreign movies get no recognition because most US audiences are too lazy to read subtitles, or because they don't understand the culture.
Just because a movie is popular doesn't make it the best.
For example, when it comes to gangster revenge flicks, the movie Full Contact that I mentioned above is way better than Mel Gibson's movie Payback. Though I did enjoy that one too.
I assumed that most people knew that Hollywood for the most part makes high-budget garbage (stuff like SWAT, Kangaroo Jack, etc.)...I guess I was wrong. :p

it's sad that the whole world gets to see more than what Americans can see.

you guys heard Michael Madsen's reaction to "City on Fire"?

on a unrelated topic, Ringo Lam's "Prison of Fire" starring Chow Yun-Fat is a classic. not really a mob flick but it's a prison movie and it's full of gangsters in prison so i guess it does categorize in the gangster flick. Ringo Lam doesn't get recognized that much. I like his movies alot. Alot of clarity in story and this director's so good, he made a Van Damme movie look good. a Van Damme movie that is good...that is a scary thought.

What did Madsen say?

he said he's never heard of "city on fire". and then, the guy who asked the question "thank you for being such a jackass about it" and then Madsen says something in the line of "no prob! you're being a jackass yourself" or something like that. there's an audio clip of that somewhere. i'll find it and get back to you so you can hear the actual clip.