Although a bold statement, college professor and author Lisa Stokes is convinced: Hong Kong filmmakers have increasingly more influence in Hollywood each year. A renowned expert on the subject, Stokes wrote Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema (Scarecrow Press, 2007) and co-authored City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema (Verso, 1999) with Michael Hoover. During a recent interview, she provided insight into current trends and offered movie suggestions for newcomers to Hong Kong cinema.
Hong Kong Influences in Hollywood
Examples abound that show Hong Kong’s substantial influence in Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed Reservoir Dogs exemplifies the trend of Hollywood copying Hong Kong, which originally copied Hollywood. According to Stokes, Tarantino borrowed the last part of Ringo Lam’s film City on Fire for Reservoir Dogs. Films such as these with lots of rapid gunfire, physical action, and close-up camera work of speeding bullets were popular among 1980s Hong Kong filmmakers.
One of the most famous examples comes from the blockbuster three-part film series The Matrix, in which Keanu Reeves transforms from a computer hacker into a gun-toting savior of the world. Hong Kong director Woo-ping Yuen choreographed these movies, which introduced audiences to a style that has since been copied and adapted for countless films.
“People in the movie [The Matrix] have attested to how training with him has changed their lives,” Stokes says.
Tarantino’s Kill Bill Part I and Part II uses Woo-ping Yuen’s choreography, which also was included in the recent action sequences for The Forbidden Kingdom, a martial arts fantasy that takes an American teenager back to ancient China.
In addition, the influence of Hong Kong is evident in music videos, such as Korn’s rendition of “Freak on a Leash.” In the music video, a bullet sequence draws from the work of Ringo Lam’s 1982 film Full Contact where the bullet’s point of view is shown before switching to the action of the bullet.
Crossover Appeal of Hong Kong Cinema
More than the action has crossed over into American filmmaking, however. “Crossover possibilities like Woo-ping Yuen and actor Jackie Chan have been enhanced by the way that Hollywood has looked to Hong Kong and seen certain aspects of the films that they find appealing,” Stokes says.
In addition to the on-camera action, much of this appeal lies in the process of Hong Kong filmmaking. “In Hong Kong films, you get a sense that these people are having fun with what they’re doing,” she says. “There’s an infectious kind of quality – a sense of adventure – that is somehow communicated on camera. In Hollywood there is such a big budget invested, their formulas are all pre-scripted and so many people have a say in how things are run that it’s a different kind of business than in Hong Kong.”
Stokes enjoys the depth of the stories, artistic expression, and strong male role models. “Hong Kong film is very lively, very pleasurable,” she says. There’s something in there for everybody.”
10 Recommended Films
1. A Better Tomorrow (action)
Director: John Woo
2. Chungking Express (art film)
Director: Wong Kar-wai
3. City on Fire (action)
Director: Ringo Lam
4. Comrades: Almost a Love Story (drama)
Director: Peter Chan
5. Once Upon a Time in China (martial arts)
Director: Tsui Hark
6. God of Cookery (comedy)
Director: Stephen Chiau
7. An Autumn’s Tale (drama/comedy)
Director: Cheung Yuenting
8. Summer Snow (drama)
Director: Ann Hui
9. The Bride with White Hair (fantasy)
Director: Ronny Yu
10. Now You See Love, Now You Don’t (comedy)
Director: Alex Law
For more information on martial arts films, read Review of The Forbidden Kingdom.
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