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Shout Factory is truly doing the lord’s work these days, with their Hong Kong Cinema Label currently touring several 4K remastered hits, including John Woo’s The Killer, Hard-Boiled, Bullet in the Head, and more. Most of these titles have only been released digitally so far, but today Shout Selects announced a deluxe 4K Blu-ray boxed set for the Better Tomorrow trilogy. A Better Tomorrow was the movie that officially established John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat in Hong Kong, with it revolving around an aging Triad gangster (played by Shaw Bros vet Ti Lung) who attempts to leave his life of crime behind when his beloved younger brother...

Earlier this summer, the home video distributor Shout Factory was announced to be collaborating with Hong Kong Film Archives to bring you the 4K remastering of the most coveted of Chinese action film classics. The films will include works by Jet Li, Chow Yun-Fat, John Woo, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark. The partnership is set to be a treasure trove for fans of classic action films from Hong Kong cinema. Now, Shout! TV is going further by unveiling a Hong Kong Fight Club Fast Channel. Fast channels are free ad-supported television channels on services like Roku, Plex or Freevee that stream content live like old-fashioned television. You can also watch it Right Here!

The channel showcases the absolute greatest in action cinema from Hong Kong’s cinematic golden age of the ’80s and ’90s. Restored from new 4K scans, the channel will showcase the classic films in the best quality...

The beloved action cinema hailing from Hong Kong in the 1980s and ’90s is now being honored by distributor Shout! Studios.

IndieWire exclusively announces that the films of John Woo, Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, and Tony Ching will screen as part of the “Hong Kong Cinema Classics” series, taking place at Los Angeles’ American Cinematheque and New York City’s IFC Center in August 2025. The retrospective will then tour select markets across the U.S. throughout the fall, with Shout! Studios releasing physical and digital versions, courtesy of the Golden Princess library.

Woo will also be in attendance at select American Cinematheque screenings. The auteur recently made his return to Hollywood filmmaking with 2023’s “Silent Night” and his 2024 remake of “The Killer” Woo’s “Hard Boiled,” “Bullet in the Head,” “A Better Tomorrow,” and its sequel, “A Better Tomorrow II,” are all among the “Hong Kong Cinema Classics” program. “A Better Tomorrow III,...

Shout! Studios’ Hong Kong Cinema Classics collection is getting bigger and more badass than ever with the addition of four films featuring martial arts filmmaking masters John Woo and Tsui Hark! Upcoming additions to the platform include A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, A Better Tomorrow III, The Killer (1989), and Hark’s Hong Kong action-comedy classic Peking Opera Blues. All films will be available On Demand and digitally starting in July on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Microsoft, and other digital platforms.

The following hails from Shout! Studios’ press release about the upcoming releases:

This summer, prepare for even more high-octane action and thrills when Shout! Studios and Hong Kong Cinema Classics invite movie enthusiasts and loyal fans to binge-watch some of the acclaimed early works by legendary filmmakers John Woo and Tsui Hark, and internationally celebrated actors Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-Fai,...

The home video distributor Shout Factory is collaborating with Hong Kong Film Archives to bring you the 4K remastering of the most coveted of Chinese action film classics. The films will include works by Jet Li, Chow Yun-Fat, John Woo, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark. The digital titles will include A Better Tomorrow in 4K, A Better Tomorrow II in 4K, and A Better Tomorrow III in 4K, Tsui Hark’s Peking Opera Blues in 4K, John Woo’s The Killer in 4K, Tony Ching’s A Chinese Ghost Story (starring Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang), A Chinese Ghost Story II (starring Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang), and A Chinese Ghost Story III (starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Joey Wang) and John Woo’s Bullet In The Head in 4K (starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai).

However, the first two big releases are the Chow Yun-Fat films Hard Boiled and City on Fire. The descriptions...

Directed by Ronny Yu and featuring a young Brandon Lee in the lead role, “Legacy of Rage” was also his only Hong Kong production. American actor Lee, trained in Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, and Muay Thai, was the son of the legendary martial arts icon Bruce Lee. After returning to America, he went on to star in “Showdown in Little Tokyo” (1991), “Rapid Fire” (1992), and “The Crow” (1994).

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In this revenge-driven story, Brandon Ma (Brandon Lee) and May (Regina Kent) are a happy couple living in a small apartment. Ma loves motorbikes and works two jobs—a car wrecker during the day and a waiter at night. May also works at the same nightclub as a dancer. Their wealthy friend, Michael (Michael Wong), enjoys spending time with them, believing he can win May over. Unaware that Michael’s father, Boss Yee (Michael...

The action cinema of John Wick, Havoc and John Woo’s The Killer has constantly evolved as it’s travelled between filmmakers and eras.

Now on Netflix, writer-director Gareth Evans’ Havoc is an ultra-violent stew of influences. It’s set in a benighted US city, but was shot in Wales; its bullet-strewn action is directly inspired by Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo.

Then again, action cinema has always been a particularly international genre, taking in disparate bits of American westerns, low-key French thrillers and more besides. When John Woo directed A Better Tomorrow, released in 1986, its contemporary gangland setting and ferocious shoot-outs changed the look and feel of action cinema forever. Widely credited with inventing what was later dubbed the ‘heroic bloodshed’ genre, it made a star out of its lead, Chow Yun-fat.

Woo continued to hone his signature style – slow-motion photography, close-quarters action, and his characters’ habit of holding...

Shout! Studios has unveiled Hong Kong Cinema Classics Line, “a new entertainment label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating and cinematic masterpieces on digital entertainment platforms in 4K and definitive-edition physical releases (Uhd and Blu-ray) for collectors’ home entertainment shelves,” according to the official release. The first titles will be released this summer.

The home video company “in collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Archives, has been working diligently to remaster and restore several prized hits, all scanned in stunning 4K from the original camera negatives. The video and audio have been restored, and the subtitles have been newly translated. With fans in mind, Shout! Studios is currently producing a variety of bonus content for each physical media release for this numbered and deluxe home entertainment series.”

Many of these titles have long been out-of-print or unavailable in the west, so to have them with brand-new...

Although he has been working in Hong Kong cinema since the late ‘60s, the legend of director John Woo truly kicked off with A Better Tomorrow in 1986. The success achieved critically and commercially not only made actor Chow Yun-fat into a megastar overnight but also invented a new genre of cinema known as "heroic bloodshed." Like any blockbuster hit that captures the cultural zeitgeist, A Better Tomorrow II was produced to strike while the iron was hot.

In 1986, a virtually unknown film with a tight budget became a blockbuster and broke box office records in Hong Kong and Asia. The film, “A Better Tomorrow” also made its star Chow Yun Fat an overnight success and launched him into the big league of the Asian film industry. Furthermore it also gave co-star, a Shaw Brothers veteran, Ti Lung‘s career a much welcoming boost.

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After the huge success of its predecessor, a sequel with the same cast returning soon hit the big screens. The filmmakers had to bring Chow back due to his popularity. The problem was, they killed off Mark, the character he played in the previous film, so he returns as Ken, Mark’s long lost twin brother. John Woo was also back as director but it was a troubled shoot since producer Tsui Hark was...

Leslie Cheung, a luminary of Hong Kong's golden era of the 80s and 90s, stands out as one of its most gifted representatives. Revered globally as both an actor and a singer, he holds a position as one of the forefathers of Cantopop, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

Cheung's brilliance transcended geographical boundaries, captivating admirers in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. Notably, his pivotal role in John Woo's “A Better Tomorrow” marked a turning point, propelling his acting career to new heights. Subsequent collaborations with esteemed directors such as Chen Kaige and Wong Kar Wai propelled him to international stardom.

Eventually, his name figured in the first place on the list of the most favorite actors in the 100 years of Chinese cinema, in the third of the Most Iconic Musicians of All Time, and CNN considered him the Most Beautiful Man from Hong Kong...

Kenneth Tsang, a veteran Hong Kong actor who starred in pioneering martial arts movies, has died. He was 87.

Tsang (aka Tsang Kong) was staying in the Kowloon Hotel on Nathan Road, a venue used for passenger quarantine after overseas travel, and was found dead in the room on Wednesday. No immediate cause of death has been given by Hong Kong authorities.

Tsang had traveled home on Monday after a visit to Singapore. His rapid Covid test on Tuesday had tested negative for the disease.

With a career spanning some 65 years, Tsang had over 220 film credits, mostly as bad guys, as well as key roles in multiple TV series. He is best known for supporting roles in 1960s kung fu movies. He is reported to have appeared in 25 film in 1969.

In the 1980s and 1990s he appeared in several influential titles by John Woo including “A Better Tomorrow” and “A Better Tomorrow 2...

If Wing Chun had a sponsor in cinema before the endless Ip Man movies, then it would be Sammo Hung. With “The Prodigal Son” he made what many would consider the definitive Wing Chun movie. Yet three years before, he also helmed another fictional version of the real-life exponent Leung Jan, only this time at the latter stages of his life. “Warriors Two” whist the lesser of the two, remains an interesting part of the Sammo Hung filmography, as it’s the transition from the more traditional form of martial arts movies, to his increasingly varied work that was to follow

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Change Giver Wah (Casanova Wong) finds himself the fall guy in a plot by Boss Mok (Fong Hark-on) to become Mayor of the region. Boss Mok has ingrained himself into the community as part of a plot to fleece them of their wealth and...

Back in the late 80’s and 90’s, John Woo was on a roll. Starting with “A Better Tomorrow” through to “Hard Boiled”, he came to define the Heroic Bloodshed sub genre. In 1989, he co-directed “Just Heroes”, a tribute movie to the legendary mentor at Shaw Brothers Chang Cheh. Staring several actors from his productions and featuring cameos from others it should be more recognized than it is. Yet when John Woo’s Hong Kong canon is discussed it is almost an afterthought. With his Hollywood career seemingly done and his more recent vehicles lacking the magic of old, it’s a good time to go back and see if “Just Heroes” is worthy of rediscovery.

With the death of their leader, a criminal organization seeks to arrange a successor. Sou (Danny Lee) is chosen and along with Tai (Chen Kuan Tai), tries to find who is responsible for their bosses murder.

Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion. As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture.

One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.

This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.

There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

The Fighter – Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

How Do You Know – Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson

Tron: Legacy – Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde

Yogi Bear – Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris

Movie of the Week

Tron: Legacy

The Stars: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde

The Plot: Sam Flynn (Hedlund), the son of Kevin Flynn (Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the electronic world where his father has been living for the past 25 years.

The Buzz: This film has been more than adequately promoted, especially here in cyber-space, which is all very appropriate. The film’s original teaser was released eons ago, which has allowed for a tidal wave of anticipatory energy to build up, day after marketable day. The question now is: Will Tron: Legacy live up to the hype? My bet is that it will — that is,...

The three main cast members (Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat) from A Better Tomorrow are back. Kit(Leslie Cheung) is now working on a dangerous undercover mission. The authorities feel his currently incarcerated brother may be of use. Ho (Ti Lung) is offered the chance to get out of jail early if he agrees to help. At first he turns the offer down, but soon he realizes the best way to protect his brother is to take the offer. Useing his former status to infiltrate the syndicate himself. Meanwhile the twin brother of the now deceased Mark(Chow Yun-Fat) is living in New York running a Chinese restaurant and trying to avoid paying protection money to the local wise guys.

Once inside the gang Kit and Ho both make contact with former mob boss Si Lung(Dean Shek) who appears to be going straight but is finding it difficult.

Fans of the gleefully excessive Jason Statham action film "Crank" know that it concluded with an impressively ballsy ending: Statham's Chev Chelios gets his revenge but -- Spoiler Alert! -- falls out of a helicopter in the process. In "Crank"'s final shot, he falls into a car, bounces on to the pavement, twitches and... dies.

It was certainly a surprise -- a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless -- when the IFC.com staff first got word of a sequel, this week's "Crank: High Voltage." Statham was pretty clearly not alive at the end of that first movie, but, as the sequel's poster puts it: "He Was Dead... But He Got Better."

Chelios is not the first. Hollywood has a long history of bringing back popular dead characters in sequels. Here's a look at five commonly used techniques:

"He's My Twin!"

Jack Palance in "City Slickers II: The Legend...

Early in the week reports started surfacing that John Woo’s production company Lion Rock Entertainment began developing a big screen adaptation of the 2007 video game Stranglehold. Given that Stranglehold is the sequel to Woo’s iconic action film from 1992, Hard Boiled, does that mean that a live action Stranglehold film is indeed a sequel? We chose to sit on this bit of news for a while because we wanted to know for sure what was going on. We went directly to John Woo’s production partner for many years, Terence Chang, and asked him what the deal is. Here’s what he had to say…

There was once a sequel to Hard-boiled, from an idea that I had. I developed it for Chow Yun-fat and had commissioned a pretty good script written by John Jarrell. The project is now inactive.

At the same time, we developed a video game...