Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (August 2-8), from You Were Never Really Here to Men on the Dragon

Joaquin Phoenix in a haunting revenge thriller, Tom Cruise in the stunning MI:6, the joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men, the ultimate boy-meets-alien movie and Iranian master’s last film are this week’s must-sees

Film reviews

Edmund Lee

Published: 7:00am, 2 Aug, 2018

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1. You Were Never Really Here

Known for uncompromisingly sombre films such as Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay has made arguably her best film yet. This haunting revenge thriller stars Joaquin Phoenix as a traumatised army veteran who tracks down missing girls for a living. (Opens on August 2)

2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Action filmmaking seldom gets better than this, the stunning sixth instalment of the espionage thriller series. Returning director Christopher McQuarrie more than delivers on the trust put in him as he showcases one outrageous stunt after another. A must-see for adrenaline junkies. (Now showing)

3. Men on the Dragon

The joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men are portrayed with poignancy and cheeky humour in this ensemble drama about a corporate dragon boat team. Director Sunny Chan Wing-sun has a uniformly excellent cast to thank for helping his debut film stand out from the pack. (Opens on August 2)

4. 24 Frames

The late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami remained an explorer of the film form to the very end. This posthumous feature offers us one last reminder of his ability to rethink the visual image – in this case, he made still photos come to life in 24 short films with the help of computer-generated imagery. (Opens on August 2)

5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

This 1982 film about a boy who befriends an alien creature is one of the greatest examples of Steven Spielberg’s aptitude for heart-warming family entertainment. Its sense of childlike wonder still sets a benchmark for all mainstream filmmakers. (August 3, part of the Hong Kong Kids International Film Festival)

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