Reviews (31)

4 Stars for Killer, 2 for Hard Boiled
In terms of sheer number of bullets fired, Hard Boiled has far more action than the Killer. Some of the gunfights are really spectacular. If all you want is gunplay then it's a movie worth renting, but not something you should buy. The problem with Hard Boiled is that after the opening gunfight it starts to resemble Walker: Texas Ranger in both realism and plot. I actually found myself laughing at the sheer stupidity of it (particularly the save-the-babies part at the end). And while John Woo's movies have never been the most realistic, this one is just plain silly at points. (I could never understand how the main character's shotgun blasts have more power than most claymore mines) But it is cool to watch the gun duels. On the other hand, the Killer has less violence but wins out on story. You actually care about the two heros and want them to survive. There are some scenes that are quite tense. And while the gunfights are less spectacular, they are more meaningful because you care about the people involved. Another plus for the Killer is the gunfight in the church. While Hard Boiled's duels took place in a sterile hospital with fake flames, this one's setting looks real and has a much grittier feel to it. I return to my title: 4 stars for The Killer, 2 for Hard Boiled.

Classic...
These two films... in my opinion... are the pinncale of Woo and Fat's achievements. The two must collaborate on a Holywood production... Replacement Killers just lacked the intensity and story of these Classics. The Killer has more of a plot... and has better character development. Killer, Cop, love interest/victim... and the bad guys. The action choreography and cinematography have become their own genre... distinctly Woo. Action galore and sound acting performances. Hard Boiled is my personal favorite of any HK flick... because the first shoot-out scene is the best ever. Bird cage... stair rail and lots of guns. The story revolves around a cop and an ex-gangster taking down a crimelord. Not much in the story but has sound performances. The story drags between the action sequences. Woo ties in all his brilliant stunt choreography and cinematography in this film as well with better settings than the killer making this a more action orientated film. A must in any action library... something you will never tire of watching.

not very good
this movie is plain bad. yes good gun fight but where's the kung fu. Theirs plenty of american made film that are way better in terms of action sequence. Man even the gun fight in Face off was much better then the killer or hard boiled. Maybe im not into old fashion gun fight like in these two movie, i would rather watch a movie like ballistic kiss, great gun fight, some kungfu and a little special effect. I don't care if the killer or hard boil was made 10 or 20 years ago. It's just didn't live up to my potential. This is the 21st century, i need some special effect. I don't understand why some of you people keep living in the past. trust me their are way better mivie then these two and were made in the 70 and 80. Take for example the God Father 1 and 2, much better movie then these two, go and recomend this movie for the customer not some lame movie like killer and hard boil. As for chow yun fat check out my review for Hidden dragon crouching tiger.

Why Put Two Movies Together?!!!
I love both movies here, but why not release them individually,DVD 2-packs are a pet peeve of mine. Somtimes you just want each film treated with individual respect, and sometimes you may just want 1 movie and not both!

JOHN WOO'S HARDBOILED/THE KILLER
HARD BOILED IS A VERY GOOD MOVIE, THE LOVE STORY IS REALLY A NICE ONE, AND THE HOSPITAL SCENE IS REALLY RIVITING! THE KILLER IS MY VERY FAVORITE. I BOUGHT THESE TOGETHER AND WATCHED THEM OVER AND OVER. ANY CHOW YUN FAT FAN WILL LOVE THEM BOTH. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Awesome Michelle Yeoh HK Movie!
Ok, anyone who says the movie stunk because Jackie Chan isn't in it more than 5 minutes is a fool! It says right on the box "Michelle Yeoh is Supercop 2" and in little tiny print it says "With a special apperance by Jackie Chan as Inspector Chan" (His character from Supercop). This movie starts off with a bang and just keeps on going, and going! Michelle Yeoh is so awesome in this flick! She plays Jessica Yang (also her character from Supercop), and the semi-villian in the movie is played by Yu Rong Guang, who is an amazing actor (just see Iron Monkey, by Yuen Wo Ping, and you'll see why!) Anyhow, this movie is totally awesome, and the scene with Jackie Chan is very short, but really funny. I'd have given the movie five stars, but it ends sort strange, and it took away from the overall greatness of the movie. (Not that it was a bad ending, it just went too quick.) Anyway, see this movie! It rules!

da best of da best
This is by far the best movie i have ever seen. And this movie has alot of action and potential.

its a classic
This movie was a classic. And i would always remember that this movie is cool.

good movie
This movie is marvelous. I would say that the director did a fantastic job on this movie and should keep up the good work.

well i liked it
This was a great asian movie. And this movie i would say is a great follow up from the original. ... Read more

Reviews (125)

Superior action sequences; inferior structure.
Though one of director John Woo's cult favourites, Hard Boiled actually ranks on my list as his worst post-1986 Hong Kong film, even after the farcical Once a Thief.

Overlength is Hard Boiled's chief weakness. After spending over an hour in that hospital with flames all around and innumberable men in suits getting shot, it starts to get tiring. Chow Yun-fat is impeccable in the lead and Tony Leung Chiu-wai is excellent, though versatile actress Teresa Mo is wasted in a skin-deep supporting role.

The biggest thing to commend on this video release, however, is the dubbing. I speak both Cantonese and English, personally, and I can tell American viewers that the dubbed script is even better than the original, which sounded stilted (Philip Chan Yan-kin's lines were especially forced in the original). The dubbed voices were acting, not just translating (as in dubbed Jackie Chan movies such as the U.S. release Operation Condor, for example). This was one marvelous dubbing job, and a rare instance in which I would almost prefer the dubbed version to the subtitled. Kudos to Orion for doing the movie justice.

Woo's "other" classic
While not quite as tightly plotted or emotionally compelling as John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's magnum opus "The Killer," "Hard Boiled" is still sure to please fans of that movie. Much of what made "The Killer" such a great film is to be found here: flawed heroes, murky allegiances, and ambiguous morals are once again the order of the day in this tale of cops and criminals living on the edge. At the same time, "Hard Boiled" manages to ratchet up the violence even further from its "sister" film, resulting in the most prolonged and intense action scenes I've ever witnessed, all filmed in Woo's signature frenetic style. A tea house, a warehouse, and ultimately a hospital all become battlegrounds in all-out war as the cops face an enemy that makes the Mafia look like a group of middle-school bullies.

Once again, Chow takes the lead in the protagonist's role, this time portraying relentless Hong Kong inspector "Tequila" Yuen. In true Woo-hero fashion, Tequila can shelter a baby with one arm while shooting up a small army of bad guys with the other. Joining him in his fight against the triads is Tony (Tony Leung) an undercover cop who's spent so much time working among gangsters that the line between the right side of the law and the wrong one is becoming blurred. However, Tony looks like a choirboy compared to the cartoonishly villanous Johnny Wong, an up-and-coming Triad boss who would probably kill his own mother if she got in his way. Johnny also has himself an extremely menacing sidekick in the form of a glowering, nameless enforcer who spends much of the film with a patch on one eye and still manages to give Tequila and Tony a few runs for their money.

It all comes to a head in the climactic showdown in the hospital-turned-arsenal, with the scene gradually evolving from tense standoff to full-scale shootout as the lives of hundreds of hostages hang in the balance. As most of Hong Kong's police force provides support, the two detectives lead the way against Johnny, his cycloptic colleague, and dozens of other gun-wielding menaces. And did I mention they have to make sure no harm comes to the adorable newborn babies in the nearby maternity ward? Yeah, Tony and Tequila sure have their work cut out for them as they fly through the air and unleash zillions of bullets, but it makes for some scintillating watching.

On the whole, "Hard Boiled" is definitely an engaging experience that's more than worth the money I shelled out for it. Much like "The Killer," this movie manages to pack much more psychological depth than the typical Hollywood shoot-'em-up with its portrayals of compromised heroes in harrowing circumstances. And of course, it goes without saying that Woo is nearly unparelelled when it comes to putting together action set pieces. Woo has made some moderately entertaining movies here in the States, but he hasn't managed to reach the level of his twin Hong Kong masterpieces. So check them out, if you dare.

FOX LORBER EDITION IS TERRIBLE!
You are looking at an edition by Fox Lorber Films. I love this movie but this particular transfer onto DVD is TERRIBLE. The picture looks horrible and the audio is the WORST I've EVER seen on a DVD. Will SOMEBODY please issue a decent edition of Hard-Boiled or The Killer on DVD (yes I know about the criterion collection but I don't have $250.00 to spend on it now that they are out of print!).

great film, horrible transfer
This is simply a great action-packed, incredibly violent film. Woo is a master of the shoot-out scene and there are plenty of them in this flick. The camera work is amazing. It's smooth, it's poetic. Its influence on The Matrix is very clear. However, this DVD is one of the worst film transfers I have ever seen. The quality image is almost unwatchable, at least for my taste. Dirt, scratches, burn marks are everywhere. The film looks like it was dragged across the floor, stepped on, dumped on, then left to sit a few days for the rats, cockroaches, racoons, and other wildlife to trample all over it before it was transfered onto the DVD. Do not buy this DVD. Rent it, or if you can afford it (and find it), buy the Criterion Collection edition instead.

One of the greatest action movies ever?
I think so. It's violent, over the top and you'll feel satisfied. John Woo won me over with this one. The gun fights are crazy and Chow-Yun Fat proves to be a badass. Not a no-budget movie, but by no means is it a big-production film. It's gritty and fast paced and well... violent. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (125)

Superior action sequences; inferior structure.
Though one of director John Woo's cult favourites, Hard Boiled actually ranks on my list as his worst post-1986 Hong Kong film, even after the farcical Once a Thief.

Overlength is Hard Boiled's chief weakness. After spending over an hour in that hospital with flames all around and innumberable men in suits getting shot, it starts to get tiring. Chow Yun-fat is impeccable in the lead and Tony Leung Chiu-wai is excellent, though versatile actress Teresa Mo is wasted in a skin-deep supporting role.

The biggest thing to commend on this video release, however, is the dubbing. I speak both Cantonese and English, personally, and I can tell American viewers that the dubbed script is even better than the original, which sounded stilted (Philip Chan Yan-kin's lines were especially forced in the original). The dubbed voices were acting, not just translating (as in dubbed Jackie Chan movies such as the U.S. release Operation Condor, for example). This was one marvelous dubbing job, and a rare instance in which I would almost prefer the dubbed version to the subtitled. Kudos to Orion for doing the movie justice.

Woo's "other" classic
While not quite as tightly plotted or emotionally compelling as John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's magnum opus "The Killer," "Hard Boiled" is still sure to please fans of that movie. Much of what made "The Killer" such a great film is to be found here: flawed heroes, murky allegiances, and ambiguous morals are once again the order of the day in this tale of cops and criminals living on the edge. At the same time, "Hard Boiled" manages to ratchet up the violence even further from its "sister" film, resulting in the most prolonged and intense action scenes I've ever witnessed, all filmed in Woo's signature frenetic style. A tea house, a warehouse, and ultimately a hospital all become battlegrounds in all-out war as the cops face an enemy that makes the Mafia look like a group of middle-school bullies.

Once again, Chow takes the lead in the protagonist's role, this time portraying relentless Hong Kong inspector "Tequila" Yuen. In true Woo-hero fashion, Tequila can shelter a baby with one arm while shooting up a small army of bad guys with the other. Joining him in his fight against the triads is Tony (Tony Leung) an undercover cop who's spent so much time working among gangsters that the line between the right side of the law and the wrong one is becoming blurred. However, Tony looks like a choirboy compared to the cartoonishly villanous Johnny Wong, an up-and-coming Triad boss who would probably kill his own mother if she got in his way. Johnny also has himself an extremely menacing sidekick in the form of a glowering, nameless enforcer who spends much of the film with a patch on one eye and still manages to give Tequila and Tony a few runs for their money.

It all comes to a head in the climactic showdown in the hospital-turned-arsenal, with the scene gradually evolving from tense standoff to full-scale shootout as the lives of hundreds of hostages hang in the balance. As most of Hong Kong's police force provides support, the two detectives lead the way against Johnny, his cycloptic colleague, and dozens of other gun-wielding menaces. And did I mention they have to make sure no harm comes to the adorable newborn babies in the nearby maternity ward? Yeah, Tony and Tequila sure have their work cut out for them as they fly through the air and unleash zillions of bullets, but it makes for some scintillating watching.

On the whole, "Hard Boiled" is definitely an engaging experience that's more than worth the money I shelled out for it. Much like "The Killer," this movie manages to pack much more psychological depth than the typical Hollywood shoot-'em-up with its portrayals of compromised heroes in harrowing circumstances. And of course, it goes without saying that Woo is nearly unparelelled when it comes to putting together action set pieces. Woo has made some moderately entertaining movies here in the States, but he hasn't managed to reach the level of his twin Hong Kong masterpieces. So check them out, if you dare.

FOX LORBER EDITION IS TERRIBLE!
You are looking at an edition by Fox Lorber Films. I love this movie but this particular transfer onto DVD is TERRIBLE. The picture looks horrible and the audio is the WORST I've EVER seen on a DVD. Will SOMEBODY please issue a decent edition of Hard-Boiled or The Killer on DVD (yes I know about the criterion collection but I don't have $250.00 to spend on it now that they are out of print!).

great film, horrible transfer
This is simply a great action-packed, incredibly violent film. Woo is a master of the shoot-out scene and there are plenty of them in this flick. The camera work is amazing. It's smooth, it's poetic. Its influence on The Matrix is very clear. However, this DVD is one of the worst film transfers I have ever seen. The quality image is almost unwatchable, at least for my taste. Dirt, scratches, burn marks are everywhere. The film looks like it was dragged across the floor, stepped on, dumped on, then left to sit a few days for the rats, cockroaches, racoons, and other wildlife to trample all over it before it was transfered onto the DVD. Do not buy this DVD. Rent it, or if you can afford it (and find it), buy the Criterion Collection edition instead.

One of the greatest action movies ever?
I think so. It's violent, over the top and you'll feel satisfied. John Woo won me over with this one. The gun fights are crazy and Chow-Yun Fat proves to be a badass. Not a no-budget movie, but by no means is it a big-production film. It's gritty and fast paced and well... violent. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

4 Stars for Killer, 2 for Hard Boiled
In terms of sheer number of bullets fired, Hard Boiled has far more action than the Killer. Some of the gunfights are really spectacular. If all you want is gunplay then it's a movie worth renting, but not something you should buy. The problem with Hard Boiled is that after the opening gunfight it starts to resemble Walker: Texas Ranger in both realism and plot. I actually found myself laughing at the sheer stupidity of it (particularly the save-the-babies part at the end). And while John Woo's movies have never been the most realistic, this one is just plain silly at points. (I could never understand how the main character's shotgun blasts have more power than most claymore mines) But it is cool to watch the gun duels. On the other hand, the Killer has less violence but wins out on story. You actually care about the two heros and want them to survive. There are some scenes that are quite tense. And while the gunfights are less spectacular, they are more meaningful because you care about the people involved. Another plus for the Killer is the gunfight in the church. While Hard Boiled's duels took place in a sterile hospital with fake flames, this one's setting looks real and has a much grittier feel to it. I return to my title: 4 stars for The Killer, 2 for Hard Boiled.

Classic...
These two films... in my opinion... are the pinncale of Woo and Fat's achievements. The two must collaborate on a Holywood production... Replacement Killers just lacked the intensity and story of these Classics. The Killer has more of a plot... and has better character development. Killer, Cop, love interest/victim... and the bad guys. The action choreography and cinematography have become their own genre... distinctly Woo. Action galore and sound acting performances. Hard Boiled is my personal favorite of any HK flick... because the first shoot-out scene is the best ever. Bird cage... stair rail and lots of guns. The story revolves around a cop and an ex-gangster taking down a crimelord. Not much in the story but has sound performances. The story drags between the action sequences. Woo ties in all his brilliant stunt choreography and cinematography in this film as well with better settings than the killer making this a more action orientated film. A must in any action library... something you will never tire of watching.

not very good
this movie is plain bad. yes good gun fight but where's the kung fu. Theirs plenty of american made film that are way better in terms of action sequence. Man even the gun fight in Face off was much better then the killer or hard boiled. Maybe im not into old fashion gun fight like in these two movie, i would rather watch a movie like ballistic kiss, great gun fight, some kungfu and a little special effect. I don't care if the killer or hard boil was made 10 or 20 years ago. It's just didn't live up to my potential. This is the 21st century, i need some special effect. I don't understand why some of you people keep living in the past. trust me their are way better mivie then these two and were made in the 70 and 80. Take for example the God Father 1 and 2, much better movie then these two, go and recomend this movie for the customer not some lame movie like killer and hard boil. As for chow yun fat check out my review for Hidden dragon crouching tiger.

Why Put Two Movies Together?!!!
I love both movies here, but why not release them individually,DVD 2-packs are a pet peeve of mine. Somtimes you just want each film treated with individual respect, and sometimes you may just want 1 movie and not both!

JOHN WOO'S HARDBOILED/THE KILLER
HARD BOILED IS A VERY GOOD MOVIE, THE LOVE STORY IS REALLY A NICE ONE, AND THE HOSPITAL SCENE IS REALLY RIVITING! THE KILLER IS MY VERY FAVORITE. I BOUGHT THESE TOGETHER AND WATCHED THEM OVER AND OVER. ANY CHOW YUN FAT FAN WILL LOVE THEM BOTH. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

1987 - great visuals, action, story, everything
This film started the "mortal meets ghost" trend in the late 80s, and as we all know, originals are the best.

The plot in a nutshell-a tax collector screws up during a collection run, and with nowhere to stay, decides he'll take his chances and stay in the deserted monastery on the outskirts of town. He meets a beautiful woman and a mad Taoist swordsman. When he discovers the woman is a ghost trapped by the Tree Demon he enlists the help of the Taoist in order to save her.

There are great performances from Leslie Cheung and Wu Ma-they both seemed to be born to play their roles. Joey Wong, thankfully, doesn't really have to act, so we don't have to cringe at her rather...limited...acting range This film is beautifully filmed, with some etheral scenes, such as the underwater kissing scene, and the special effects compliment, rather than detract, from the storyline. The characters are well-formed and I could definitely sympathize with the lover's plight. Well-written and highly recommended. - ew

A Love Stronger Than Death
Movie Summary: A young tax collector named Tsei-Shen is forced to stay in the old almost abandoned Lan Ro temple while making his rounds. There he meets a Taoist monk/master swordsman/ghost buster who is the only other human staying at the temple. He also meets a very beautiful young woman, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, whom he falls in love with. Although she resists at first, the woman falls in love with Tsei-Shen as well. This complicates things because she is a ghost and has been ordered to delete Tsei-Shen and take his soul.

My Opinion: At first I had a hard time with the poor English subtitles and strange story. But then I was pulled into the love story and began to understand what was going on. Some of the small things that happen in the beginning are a bit confusing but I think this is mostly due to the cultural differences and poor subtitles. I ended up liking the movie very much. It has horror, action, and romance all very well mixed up into an entertaining package. The special effects are quite good. The plot is very filled out as well. The Taoist monk is a very cool character and you can’t help but fall in love with the maiden ghost Nieh Hsiao-Tsing.

DVD Quality: Non anamorphic, no English language sound track, poor English subtitles

What You Should Do: Rent it. Don’t buy this edition, wait for a new version that has an anamorphic transfer. This movie is what I would consider a fairly hard core Hong Kong film. You need to be into this type of film to enjoy it. If you are into this genre you should definitely see it and also check out The Bride With The White Hair.

Colorful, Original and Farout!!
This is such a cool film! The magic is felt when you watch it. The moves of the actors, the music, the sets, the storyline and especially the visuals. The effects are natural and unique in this film. There is a transexual tree monster who rules the beautiful dead ghost, who has to be a vampire in order to survive in the ghost world. They are all living in a temple with a possible ghost or warrior, wasn't quite clear. The warrior stood for good and fought the evil. When a young man who is naive and doesn't realize the temple is haunted stumbles in and falls in love with the bewitched beautiful vampire ghost. He does not know she is dead yet and they have a lovely romance sequence. Soon he finds out she is a ghost and wants to help her escape her karma and be reborn again. With the sanskrit words and the help of the good warrior, they take on the tree monster and even go to hell to fight for the spirit of the beautiful ghost finally making there way back to the world. A shimmering image filled feat! Just like the haunted mansion you always wanted to see. Highly Highly Recommended. It has subtitles and they are sometimes hard to follow. This is a movie definately for art lovers and whoever else that is open to something new and different.

Lisa Nary

A must-see if you want to fully enjoy Chinese Ghost Story II
I saw Chinese Ghosty Story II before Chinese Ghost Story, and there's a marked difference between the two. Unfortunately, there are several important plot points from the two movies that join them in a way that makes both better (including a song that takes on a whole new meaning when you realize it's sung by two different characters in each movie).

Chinese Ghost Story is not as wacky or enthralling as its sequel, with less special effects and a more uneven rhythm. The plot, in short, is about Ning Tsei-Shen, a tax collector, falling in love with a ghost, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, who is kept by a, uh, "tree hag." The tree hag uses her to kill unwitting male mortals.

One particularly weird point is that the tree hag can transform into a gigantic tongue, which shoves itself down men's throats in Alien-esque fashion. Upon doing so, the victim's life force is sucked out. So in essence, the tree hag gives one serious French kiss.

I've since read elsewhere that Sam Raimi took inspiration from this film for Evil Dead, a connection I made on my own. The animated trees, the grasping tentacles, the perspective from the demon's point of view, and even the tree hag's shout that she'll "swallow your chi!" - yep, Sam saw this movie and loved it.

Ghost life is different than typical European ghost folklore. In Chinese Ghost Story, ghosts are more like faeries. They have lives, get married, argue, have relatives, etc. In this case, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing is torn by her role of luring men to their doom and her affection for the hapless tax collector. Worse, she is promised to some unspeakable evil guy in hell.

Our fearless protagonist stumbles into this plot because his tax records are rained on, thus leaving him without any means of getting paid for his hard work. Broke and desperate, Ning Tsei-Shen can only afford to stay in a haunted temple to stay out of the rain.

Chinese Ghost Story is like an Asian version of Romeo and Juliet, down to the help friar -- in this case, a crazy monk who happens to enjoy the presence of spirits more than living people. Although we don't get much perspective on Ning Tsei-Shen's life prior to the story, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing's back-story is fleshed out. She has sisters, all of whom were murdered and left without a proper burial ritual.

As ghosts, they serve a weird tree demon who is actually a man dressed in drag. This is an ongoing theme throughout both movies - demons always look like men, but dress and sound like women. It's strangely effective in making the demons seem immediately wrong, even in their supposedly mortal forms.

The struggle here is not to reunite the two lovers - that's understood to be an impossible task. Instead, it's a race to put Nieh Hsiao-Tsing to rest before she is married to the Unspeakable Evil. A final burial means the ghost also has a chance at being reincarnated as opposed to roaming the Earth or being married in hell. In comparison to the other two fates, reincarnation sounds a lot better.

Of course, things don't go that smoothly. Nieh Hsiao-Tsing is kidnapped, and the dynamic duo of bumbling tax collector and crotchety monk pursue her right into hell. The action propels itself along so quickly that things become confusing - I picked up a lot on second viewing because the characters shout or react so quickly to Hell, which is a murky place.

Between the three protagonists, they manage to defeat Hell's minions, an axe-wielding general, and the big bad himself.

Ning Tsei-Shen looks over his shoulder and his ghostly love is gone. Next we see him giving her a proper burial. Then Ning Tsei-Shen points - we can only assume at a rainbow in the distance that we see in the next scene - and the tax collector and the monk ride off into the distance.

POOF! The end.

To say the ending is jarring is an understatement. The director's style definitely matured in the second movie. This first movie is an excellent set up for the sequel, but on its own it seems like a pastiche of ideas and concepts that were never fully executed. A must-see if you want to fully enjoy Chinese Ghost Story II.

Tale of a man and a ghost...
The debt collector, Tsai-Shen, arrives in a small town in order to collect a debt. However, during a massive rainfall the water has destroyed the records of the debt that Ning is suppose to collect. Penniless and friendless Tsai-Shenseeks shelter in the Lan Ro temple oblivious to the reputation of the temple, which is known for its ghosts as well as its deaths. During the night Tsai-Shen meets Hsiao-Tsing with whom he falls in love with, but he is unaware that she is a ghost. Chinese Ghost Story is a touching love story full of swashbuckling adventure and humor as Tsai-Shen ignorantly tumbles through an adventure with horrors around every corner. However, the comedy is not as well balanced with the horror, since the comedy removes the suspense as it often is slap-stick humor. In the end, the audience experiences a action comedy that will entertain and offer some hilarious moments as Tsai-Shen struggles through this adventure. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A terrific small-scale suspense thriller about a botched bank robbery and the hostage crisis that grows out of it. Two jittery kids (one a showy epileptic played by Hard Boiled's Tony Leung Chiu-wai) chicken out before they can finish knocking over a small branch bank; with their escape route cut off, they are forced to improvise. Ti Lung, from A Better Tomorrow, is a low-level mobster on the lam who tries to exploit the chaotic media circus that develops, first to extort a set of exit papers for himself, and then to bust his slatternly girlfriend out of the slammer. This is almost a one-set movie, skillfully orchestrated by director Yee Tung-sing: an exercise in synthetic tension. And the resemblance to Dog Day Afternoon is much too close for comfort. Ti Lung (a former kung fu superstar, here in his mid-40s) is a monumentally graceful actor. He doesn't flinch from the unsavory truth of his ruthless, stubborn, thin-skinned character, but he nevertheless makes us empathize with an aging bully's drive to get out from under. The hot-wired actor Tony Leung Kar-fai (the spineless husband in Lady in Black) plays a stressed-out cop bent on capturing the mobster. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Fun Romantic Frolic from Wong Jing
This film has some very strong comedic performances from Carrie Ng, Cheung Kwok Bong, and Roy Cheung among others. Each romantic tale is quirky and funny from the Christy Cheung's superstitiousness about whom she dates to Sandra Ng's metomorphous from lover of women to devoted wife and mother-to-be despite her fight against it. I think this film is one of Wong Jing's better efforts. It has less un-PC aspects to it than many of his other works. For my part, it is the strong performances, wit, and chemistry between the cast members that make this film worth seeing for some escapist fun. ... Read more