My 50 Favorite Chinese Films (Unranked)
by psychotronicbeatnik | created - 24 May 2017 | updated - 26 May 2017 | PublicThis also includes films from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Compiled for the Poll on iCM Forum. Unranked / Presented chronologically.
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1. Come Drink with Me (1966)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime
Bandits kidnap a governor's son and demand their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange. The governor's daughter, a skilled martial artist, is sent to rescue him, but eventually finds herself overmatched and in need of assistance.
Director: King Hu | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Chih-Ching Yang, Hung-Lieh Chen
Votes: 4,926
2. Dragon Inn (1967)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Adventure
When the children of an executed General are pursued in 1457 China, some heroic martial arts swordsmen intervene.
Director: King Hu | Stars: Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan, Chun Shih, Ying Bai, Feng Hsu
Votes: 3,627
3. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
R | 115 min | Action, Drama
A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Chiao Chiao, Chung-Hsin Huang, Yin-Tze Pan
Votes: 3,621
4. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
PG | 90 min | Action, Comedy
An orphan who has been raised at a kung fu school, where he is treated as little more than a dogsbody and practice target for the students, has a life-changing experience after helping an old peripatetic beggar.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Jackie Chan, Siu-Tin Yuen, Jeong-lee Hwang, Dean Shek
Votes: 12,887
5. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 18,373
6. Han shan fei hu (1982)
Not Rated | 90 min | Action, Drama
The Purple Jade Badger: is what all martial artists seek, a magical elixir that will transform the drinker into an all-powerful kung-fu master! The Flying Fox comes seeking the murderer of ... See full summary »
Director: Chao-Yung Li | Stars: Peng Tien, Ho Tien, Hua Tsung, Chun-Erh Lung
Votes: 87
7. Project A (1983)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Fighting against pirates at the turn of the 20th century, the Hong Kong navy are failing miserably. It's up to Sergeant Lung (Jackie Chan) to take matters into his own hands.
Directors: Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Biao Yuen, Dick Wei
Votes: 18,533
8. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983)
Unrated | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A Chinese soldier in an ancient civil war flees the battlefield and gets caught up in a fantastical quest to save the world from evil.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Biao Yuen, Hoi Mang, Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin
Votes: 3,055
9. Police Story (1985)
PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A virtuous Hong Kong Police Officer must clear his good name when the drug lord he is after frames him for the murder of a dirty cop.
Directors: Jackie Chan, Chi-Hwa Chen | Stars: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Yuen Chor
Votes: 41,893 | Gross: $0.11M
10. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu
Votes: 25,474
11. Peking Opera Blues (1986)
TV-14 | 104 min | Comedy, Action
The movie is set in chaotic 1920's China, when warlords fought each other for power while Sun Yat-Sen's underground movement tried to establish a democratic republic. The movie tells the ... See full summary »
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh, Cherie Chung, Mark Cheng
Votes: 2,660
12. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
Unrated | 98 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
After a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple, where he encounters a ravishing female ghost and later battles to save her soul from the control of a wicked tree demon.
Director: Siu-Tung Ching | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang, Wu Ma, Wai Lam
Votes: 11,077
13. City on Fire (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee, Carrie Ng
Votes: 7,264
14. Project A 2 (1987)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dragon is now transferred to be the police head of Sai Wan district, and has to contend with a gangster kingpin, anti-Manchu revolutionaries, some runaway pirates, Manchu Loyalists and a corrupt Police Superintendent.
Director: Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, Carina Lau
Votes: 11,343
15. As Tears Go By (1988)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Mid-level gangster Wah falls in love with his beautiful cousin, but must also continue to protect his volatile partner-in-crime and friend, Fly.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Alex Man
Votes: 12,507 | Gross: $0.01M
16. The Big Heat (1988)
98 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Inspector Waipong Wong has to put his life and resignation from the Hong Kong police department on hold to investigate his former partner's mysterious murder. What he and his crack team of ... See full summary »
Directors: Yeung-Wah Kam, Johnnie To, Hark Tsui | Stars: Waise Lee, Joey Wang, Matthew Wong, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok
Votes: 757
17. Encounter of the Spooky Kind II (1989)
100 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Impoverished teahouse worker (and martial-arts student) Abao is engaged to his boss' daughter, Little Chu, and fights to protect her from the lecherous advances of the wealthy but repulsive... See full summary »
Director: Ricky Lau | Stars: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Ching-Ying Lam, Hoi Mang, Ha Huang
Votes: 465
18. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,089
19. Pedicab Driver (1989)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Lo Tung and his friend Malted Candy, pedicab drivers working the streets of Macao, have both fallen in love. The problem is that both their objects of affection--one a baker, the other a ... See full summary »
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Siu Chung Mok, Hoi Mang, Lung Chan
Votes: 1,046
20. Bullet in the Head (1990)
Not Rated | 136 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When three close friends escape from Hong Kong to war-time Saigon to start a criminal's life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Simon Yam
Votes: 11,666
21. Days of Being Wild (1990)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau
Votes: 25,508 | Gross: $0.14M
22. Ju Dou (1990)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Romance
In rural China, the young bride of a tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.
Directors: Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang | Stars: Gong Li, Wei Li, Baotian Li, Zhang Yi
Votes: 9,021 | Gross: $1.99M
23. Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (1991)
PG-13 | 80 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Jackie is hired to help the UN find Nazi gold hidden in Sahara. He's accompanied from Spain by 2 (later 3) cute women. As there are others wanting the gold, lots of kung fu fighting and comedy follows.
Director: Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Carol 'Do Do' Cheng, Eva Cobo, Shôko Ikeda
Votes: 22,684 | Gross: $10.44M
24. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung
Votes: 19,899
25. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
PG | 125 min | Drama, Romance
China in the 1920s. After her father's death, Songlian is forced to marry the wealthy Master Chen. With three wives already, each living in a separate house, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Jingwu Ma, Saifei He, Cuifen Cao
Votes: 35,358 | Gross: $2.60M
26. Full Contact (1992)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two disreputable friends get tied in with a group of criminals who turn out to be excessively violent and deceptive.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong
Votes: 4,834
27. Hard Boiled (1992)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
Votes: 54,043
28. The Moon Warriors (1992)
Not Rated | 87 min | Action, Romance, Thriller
A simple fisherman helps a fugitive King in a fight, and offers him refuge in a hideout near his fishing village. When the King's group is attacked by his usurper brother, the fisherman is ... See full summary »
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Andy Lau, Kenny Bee, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung
Votes: 1,056
29. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Arriving by train in Guangzhou, 1895, the trio fight off White Lotus followers, who want to kill all foreigners and the cute, European dressed 13th Aunt. It's not kung fu master Dr. Wong's (Jet Li) last fight.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Siu Chung Mok, David Chiang
Votes: 10,638
30. Autumn Moon (1992)
108 min | Comedy, Drama
Twentysomething Japanese tourist, Tokio, comes to Hong Kong looking for good cuisine. He does all that the tourist is expected to do, but is disappointed with the food so far. By chance, he... See full summary »
Director: Clara Law | Stars: Masatoshi Nagase, Pei-Hui Li, Siu Wan Choi, Maki Kiuchi
Votes: 375
31. Supercop (1992)
R | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A Hong Kong detective teams up with his female Red Chinese counterpart to stop a Chinese drug czar.
Director: Stanley Tong | Stars: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang
Votes: 24,288 | Gross: $16.27M
32. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
R | 171 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Gong Li, You Ge
Votes: 33,172 | Gross: $5.22M
33. Iron Monkey (1993)
PG-13 | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A martial artist/doctor steals from the corrupt authorities as a masked thief to give to the poor while another martial artist/doctor is forced to hunt him down. But a major threat unites them as a powerful and traitorous shaolin monk takes over the authorities.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tsang
Votes: 17,227 | Gross: $14.68M
34. Temptation of a Monk (1993)
118 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Near the beginning of the Tang dynasty, in 7th century China, General Shi Yan-sheng is tricked into leaving the crown prince unguarded. The crown prince is murdered by one of his brothers ... See full summary »
Director: Clara Law | Stars: Joan Chen, Hsing-Kuo Wu, Fengyi Zhang, Ming-Yang Li
Votes: 389
35. Ashes of Time (1994)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
A broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Votes: 16,972 | Gross: $0.17M
36. Chungking Express (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Votes: 95,844 | Gross: $0.60M
37. Fist of Legend (1994)
R | 103 min | Action, Drama
In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.
Director: Gordon Chan | Stars: Jet Li, Shinobu Nakayama, Siu-Ho Chin, Billy Chow
Votes: 24,929
39. Vive L'Amour (1994)
R | 118 min | Drama, Romance
Three lonely young denizens of Taipei unknowingly share an apartment used for sexual trysts.
Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Chen Chao-jung, Kang-sheng Lee, Kuei-Mei Yang, Yi-ching Lu
Votes: 4,798
40. The River (1997)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
A young man develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river; his dysfunctional parents are unable to provide any relief for him or themselves.
Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Miao Tien, Kang-sheng Lee, Yi-ching Lu, Ann Hui
Votes: 3,332
41. The Hole (1998)
95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical
While never-ending rain and a strange disease spread by cockroaches ravage Taiwan, a plumber makes a hole between two apartments and the inhabitants of each form a unique connection, enacted in musical numbers.
Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Kuei-Mei Yang, Kang-sheng Lee, Miao Tien, Hui-Chin Lin
Votes: 4,408
42. Not One Less (1999)
G | 106 min | Drama
13-year old Wei Minzhi is the new substitute teacher of a mountain village school. She is told not to lose any of her pupils under any circumstances.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Minzhi Wei, Huike Zhang, Zhenda Tian, Enman Gao
Votes: 9,362 | Gross: $0.59M
43. The Road Home (1999)
G | 89 min | Drama, Romance
Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hao Zheng, Yulian Zhao
Votes: 13,920 | Gross: $1.28M
44. Yi Yi (2000)
Not Rated | 173 min | Drama, Romance
Each member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.
Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee
Votes: 28,426 | Gross: $1.14M
45. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,682 | Gross: $53.71M
46. Ge wu zhong guo (2003)
75 min | Musical, Documentary, Drama
Wayne Peng's documentary opens with breathtaking image of a young woman dancing on the roof of a Shanghai skyscraper as dawn breaks over the city. You can see this in the clip the director ... See full summary »
Director: Wayne Peng | Stars: Liang Yi, Yang Yang, Li Feng
Votes: 35
47. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003)
82 min | Drama, Comedy
On a dark, wet night a historic and regal Chinese cinema sees its final film. Together with a small handful of souls they bid "Goodbye, Dragon Inn".
Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen, Kiyonobu Mitamura, Chun Shih
Votes: 6,176 | Gross: $0.03M
48. The Missing (2003)
82 min | Drama
A grandmother is looking for her grandson, a teenager for his grandfather.
Director: Kang-sheng Lee | Stars: Yi-ching Lu, Chieh Chang, Miao Tien, Shiang-chyi Chen
Votes: 345
50. The Grandmaster (2013)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ziyi Zhang, Jin Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 36,802 | Gross: $6.59M
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