HK Cinema - 1980
Another director that might be included in The
New Wave category is Kirk Wong. He brought a sense of visceral realism
and brutality to many of his films.
One of his first films is called The Club. Years
before Woo was to mine this territory, Wong tells a tale of triad life
– the sense of loyalty and the inevitable betrayals. I have seen this film
referred to as one of the best crime films ever made in HK. As a side note,
it is interesting to note that the main actor Michael Chan had been in
the triads for many years and it was a newspaper article recounting his
exploits that brought him to the attention of a film producer. Other films
he appeared in are My Heart is the Eternal Rose and Royal Warriors
Wong has gone on to make a number of excellent
crime films – Crime Story (Jackie Chan), Rock and Roll Cop, Organized Crime
and Triad Bureau (Danny Lee), Police Confidential and the recent Hollywood
film, The Hit.
