The Most Underrated Hong Kong Action Films

[Mr Bakaboy]

The Storm Riders. Came out in '98. My friend picked it up in '99. Back in the day made us wish hollywood would make a comic book movie that good. The sequel was meh though (The Storm Warriors).

 

[Burning Fight!!]

this thread is too fucking good

 

[Naika]

If there's another underrated Hong Kong action film I could recommend that's totally underrated in terms of Shaw Brothers, it'd have to be Avenging Eagle with Ti Lung and Fu Sheng. We can talk about Five Venoms and 36 Chamber and so on and so on (all good films), but Avenging Eagle is one that I think doesn't get enough love. Great movie, decent story, good fights and weapon work and a very very powerful villain make it a must see that needs it's place in the Shaw Bros. pantheon of great films.

 

[pepelegit]

Was full contact the one with the line, "business is like shitting; smoothness is what's most important"? That has never left my head, haha.
I remember really watching the hell out of Time and Tide when it came out, and I've always had a soft spot for Gen-x cops despite it being kind of a mess.
These days I have a lot less free time, so when I do feel like Hong Kong action its usually the well known classics that get watched (hard boiled etc)

 

[HDRchampion]

If there's another underrated Hong Kong action film I could recommend that's totally underrated in terms of Shaw Brothers, it'd have to be Avenging Eagle with Ti Lung and Fu Sheng. We can talk about Five Venoms and 36 Chamber and so on and so on (all good films), but Avenging Eagle is one that I think doesn't get enough love. Great movie, decent story, good fights and weapon work and a very very powerful villain make it a must see that needs it's place in the Shaw Bros. pantheon of great films.

Im pretty sure Avenging Eagle is in the top 25 for most kung fu fans. Its in my top 15.

I really fell out of films after 1997 but a few i recall were pretty decent that im not sure if they were popular or not.

House of Fury - Yuen Woo Ping choreograph this
Naked Weapon - Get to see Maggie Q tits, some really good girl action

Reign of Assassin - Directed by John Woo and has Michelle Yeo as the lead.

Although not Hong Kong but has the same hong kong energy and action, probably my fav Thai film is Bangkok Knockouts.

 

[Naika]

Im pretty sure Avenging Eagle is in the top 25 for most kung fu fans. Its in my top 15.

I really fell out of films after 1997 but a few i recall were pretty decent that im not sure if they were popular or not.

House of Fury - Yuen Woo Ping choreograph this
Naked Weapon - Get to see Maggie Q tits, some really good girl action

Reign of Assassin - Directed by John Woo and has Michelle Yeo as the lead.

Although not Hong Kong but has the same hong kong energy and action, probably my fav Thai film is Bangkok Knockouts.

I have yet to see House of Fury. Been meaning to but I've been taken aback by other things.

 

[joe8]

The Jackie Chan movie Drunken Master 2 is one of the best Hong Kong action/ kung fu films. Although, I wouldn't say it's underrated.
Also, A Touch of Zen (which is a Taiwan movie, rather than Hong Kong).

 

[oliverclaude]

More like 25 years.

Pretty much. I remember upon discovering a lot of great HK gems back in the early '90s, when Woo entered Hollywood with Hard Target, that in fact the party was as good as over. Then I watched "Bride with White Hair" during the 8th Fantasy Filmfest in Köln, it was in 1994, and the film description already mentioned that this was a dead man's last breath.

Anyway, a couple of very good underrated HK titles in my opinion are "What Price Survival", "Green Snake" & "Saviour of the Soul".

 

[2D_mastur]

I really like anything Jimmy Wang Yu... in particular...

The Chinese Boxer
One Armed Boxer
Beach of the War Gods
A Man Called Tiger
One Armed Swordsman

Not really great choreography, but Jimmy Wang Yu movies are brutal and gritty... often weird.

 

[oliverclaude]

One Armed Swordsman

While you mention One Armed Swordsman, I recall that my pick above, "What Price Survival", is also titled: The New One-Armed Swordsman '94.

 

[racecar]

the golden age of HK films is the 90's . anything tsui hark is great action ,

 

[Burning Blade]

the golden age of HK films is the 90's . anything tsui hark is great action ,

Just his shit with Jet Li was remarkable! Not to mention Iron Monkey amongst others.

 

[HDRchampion]

the golden age of HK films is the 90's . anything tsui hark is great action ,

Golden age was the 80s to mid 90s. Anything after 96 was a shitshow for long time.