https://www.scmp.com/rss/524478/feed The latest news and updates on Sammo Hung Kam-bo, a highly influential Hong Kong filmmaker with a career spanning over six decades, renowned for his multifaceted contributions to martial arts cinema. As an actor, director, producer, and action choreographer, he has shaped the genre, often blending kung fu with comedy. Hung was a pivotal figure in the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, reinventing martial arts films and popularising the "jiangshi" (hopping vampire) genre with works like... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Richard James Havis Richard James Havis The late Hong Kong filmmaker Alex Law Kai-yui is best known abroad for directing Painted Faces (1988), which depicted the early lives of martial arts cinema icons Sammo Hung Kam-bo and Jackie Chan. But with his life partner Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, Law also wrote or directed several other classic Hong Kong films, such as The Illegal Immigrant (1985) and The Soong Sisters (1997). While their wider filmography captured the grand sweep of history, some of the couple’s most poignant collaborations... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3353554/why-hong-kong-filmmaking-couple-alex-law-and-mabel-cheungs-nostalgia-films-are-must-sees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3353554/why-hong-kong-filmmaking-couple-alex-law-and-mabel-cheungs-nostalgia-films-are-must-sees?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2026 07:15:04 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis A screen legend in the early 1970s, martial arts performer Angela Mao Ying, 75, is remembered for big hits such as the 1972 films Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, and a small role in Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon (1973). Beyond these, the Taiwan-born highly skilled fighter made several other excellent martial arts films. Here, we discuss Mao’s The Invincible Eight (1971), The Angry River (1971), The Tournament (1974), Stoner (1974) and The Himalayan (1976) with film historian Frank Djeng, who provided... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352099/why-1970s-hong-kong-film-legend-angela-mao-was-better-martial-artist-michelle-yeoh?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352099/why-1970s-hong-kong-film-legend-angela-mao-was-better-martial-artist-michelle-yeoh?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Kung fu and action comedies dominated Hong Kong’s comedy genre in the late 1970s and 80s, but the city’s film industry was also still making mainstream comedies at the time – and audiences loved them. We take a deep dive into three crowd favourites. Itchy Fingers (1979) Hugely popular upon its release, this odd-couple comedy might feel a bit tame for modern viewers. But director Leong Po-chih, a notable member of the Hong Kong New Wave, was a consummate craftsman. He delivers a well-paced romp... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349459/3-hong-kong-comedy-classics-1970s-and-80s-became-local-favourites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349459/3-hong-kong-comedy-classics-1970s-and-80s-became-local-favourites?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan Mixed martial artist Lone’er Kavanagh has said he would definitely commit to shooting a film with one of Hong Kong’s biggest action stars if such a chance were ever to arise. Fresh off his career-biggest win, over former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno last month, Kavanagh, whose mother is from Hong Kong, also said he enjoyed fighting at places that “felt like home”, including China. The odds were stacked against the 26-year-old, who took the fight on just three weeks’ notice in early... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3345877/mma-fighter-hong-kong-roots-wants-fight-home-make-film-jackie-chan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3345877/mma-fighter-hong-kong-roots-wants-fight-home-make-film-jackie-chan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:26 +0000 Daniel Eagan Daniel Eagan It has been more than seven years since Yuen Woo-ping last directed a feature film. Opening for Lunar New Year 2026, Blades of the Guardians marks a return to the kind of martial arts blockbusters that the Hong Kong cinema icon helped define with works such as Drunken Master (1978) and Wing Chun (1994). Based on a popular comics series, the new film follows bounty hunter Dao Ma (Wu Jing), the “second most wanted fugitive” in the Sui dynasty (581-618), as he tries to lead a rebel leader across... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343880/director-yuen-woo-ping-revives-wuxia-blockbuster-blades-guardians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343880/director-yuen-woo-ping-revives-wuxia-blockbuster-blades-guardians?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis To the uninitiated, the sight of a blood-soaked swordsman fighting on with an arrow lodged in his chest seems absurd. Yet, in the world of Hong Kong cinema, realism is rarely the point. Martial arts films, whether “kung fu” fisticuffs or “wuxia” sword-fighting, operate on a unique logic of physical poetry and historical myth. Below, to help find your footing, we punch out some commonly held misconceptions about this widely cherished tradition. Why the unrealistic fights and injuries? Martial... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342311/beginners-guide-watching-hong-kong-martial-arts-movies-and-why-realism-doesnt-matter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342311/beginners-guide-watching-hong-kong-martial-arts-movies-and-why-realism-doesnt-matter?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars A film does not need to be a masterpiece to become a megahit, provided it strikes the perfect chord. Few contemporary Hong Kong releases prove this better than Back to the Past, a subpar historical sci-fi fantasy that is saved – and arguably even transcended – by the potent wave of nostalgia it inspires in its target audience. An effects-driven action adventure that picks up where the 2001 TVB drama series A Step into the Past left off, this long-gestating sequel co-directed by Ng... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338164/back-past-movie-review-louis-koo-raymond-lam-lead-nostalgic-sequel-tvb-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338164/back-past-movie-review-louis-koo-raymond-lam-lead-nostalgic-sequel-tvb-series?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:08 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Stanley Fung Shui-fan, known for his comedic roles, has died aged around 80. Fung’s death came after his late friend, “Benz Hung” Hui Shiu-hung, died on Tuesday at the age of 76 from complications arising from cancer. Fung mourned Hui’s death on social media on Tuesday and hinted that he might follow soon. “We must part ways eventually, but I’m older than you and terminally ill, barely clinging to life,” he said. New Taipei City councillor Tsai Shu-chun confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3331176/hong-kong-comedian-stanley-fung-dies-days-after-friend-benz-hung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3331176/hong-kong-comedian-stanley-fung-dies-days-after-friend-benz-hung?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 09:22:43 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Sammo Hung Kam-bo began his career as a child star before moving into stunt work and martial arts choreography, often taking supporting roles in the films he worked on. But his ambition since the age of 14 was always to direct. He learned the craft by closely observing the filmmaking process on set. “Whether it was martial arts or operating a camera dolly, I was always up for the challenge,” Hung told the Hong Kong Film Archive. “Whenever the foreman asked me to do something, I showed myself to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3330049/how-sammo-hung-came-direct-his-first-film-then-complete-bruce-lees-game-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3330049/how-sammo-hung-came-direct-his-first-film-then-complete-bruce-lees-game-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Stephen Chow Sing-chi became a Hong Kong superstar in 1990, inheriting the comic crown that was worn by Michael Hui Koon-man in the 1970s and kung fu comedians like Sammo Hung Kam-bo in the 1980s. But by the middle of the decade, overexposure had caused his star to wane. A more thoughtful filmmaker than his scatterbrained films often suggested, Chow realised he needed to make a change, focusing on increasing the quality and decreasing the quantity of his films. Consequently, the 1996 film The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3328469/how-stephen-chows-god-cookery-proved-hong-kong-comedy-star-could-do-much-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3328469/how-stephen-chows-god-cookery-proved-hong-kong-comedy-star-could-do-much-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 08:15:07 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Like all Hong Kong actors who have sustained long careers, Louis Koo Tin-lok has performed in many genres. The last 15 years in particular have seen Koo excelling in hardcore action roles, even though, unlike Andy Lau Tak-wah, he received no early training in martial arts. Koo always tries to instil his action performances with human drama. Here we look at three of his best 21st-century action films. 1. Drug War (2012) Koo mainly plays it introspective and quiet in this rough crime caper from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323485/how-hong-kong-movie-star-louis-koo-fared-his-action-roles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323485/how-hong-kong-movie-star-louis-koo-fared-his-action-roles?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 04:15:07 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese audiences left cinemas in tears after watching Nobody. Why? Just like the widely acclaimed 3D animated film Ne Zha 2 before it, Nobody – a breakout box office hit in China this summer – draws its inspiration from a Chinese literary classic, namely Journey to the West. 2. ‘Brothers’: Hong Kong and Beijing palace... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323292/new-black-myth-character-daily-drinkers-wake-call-7-lifestyle-stories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323292/new-black-myth-character-daily-drinkers-wake-call-7-lifestyle-stories?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Yuen Biao is not as well known today as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung Kam-bo, his “brothers” at their teacher Yu Jim-yuen’s Beijing Opera school, but the Hong Kong martial arts actor certainly has his own style. Biao, the youngest of the trio known as the “Three Dragons”, was lean, flexible and acrobatic in his youth, often mixing somersaults and backflips with his kung fu. The actor, who is still working, was also known for being the best looking of the three – although he has noted that did not... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3322644/better-looking-jackie-chan-and-sammo-hung-yuen-biaos-rise-martial-arts-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3322644/better-looking-jackie-chan-and-sammo-hung-yuen-biaos-rise-martial-arts-star?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 07:15:11 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven Lifestyle and Culture stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. 5 rising Korean women filmmakers and the movies that shaped them The Busan International Film Festival in South Korea celebrates its 30th anniversary in September with an expanded and revamped programme. 2. How to age well? Singaporean firms gamify health in ‘Blue Zone 3.0’ bid Singaporeans are embracing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3321828/singapore-firms-gamify-ageing-well-500-illustrations-toast-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3321828/singapore-firms-gamify-ageing-well-500-illustrations-toast-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 07:30:13 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Sammo Hung Kam-bo’s Wheels on Meals (1984) operates on a simple premise: unite three of Hong Kong’s greatest martial arts talents and let the magic happen. The action comedy, starring Hung alongside Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, works brilliantly within its own parameters. It is entertaining throughout, has few cringeworthy comedic moments, and benefits from a surprisingly well-structured storyline. If that was not enough, the action scenes are superb, and the fights are rightly considered to be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3321022/how-wheels-meals-featured-some-jackie-chan-and-sammo-hungs-best-action-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3321022/how-wheels-meals-featured-some-jackie-chan-and-sammo-hungs-best-action-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 07:15:07 +0000