peterjoseph1

[peterjoseph1]

Blog 4

After viewing and researching Hong Kong cinema over the past couple weeks my knowledge of the subject has not only increased my liking for the genre as a whole increased as well. The movie I chose was Rush Hour. Brett Ratner directed the 1998 film "Rush Hour," which stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the key parts. The movie skillfully combined aspects of buddy cop, martial arts, and humor to provide audiences with a distinctive and incredibly enjoyable experience. It proved popular right away, making over $244 million in revenue globally and inspiring two well-received sequels. This action movie was a well put together movie for what they were trying to do. It has the patented kung fu and martial arts fight scenes. There are multiple shootouts throughout the film which are loud, many added special effects, blood, explosions, etc. This movie is pretty much the epitome of Hong Kong action and what it was built on. It is a cop/secret agent type movie that keeps the audience guessing with quick camera cuts. It does a couple things well in the buddy cop genre, two partners that are not excited about working together but end up becoming close friends. Another thing it does is have a huge case with multiple ripples that affect the plot. The movie has deceit, lies, and double crossing which goes well with the fast paced action style. This movie was somewhat of a blend of western filmaking and Hong Kong films with the blend of the two main characters Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. This movie helped bridge the gap between the two different worlds of cinema. Although this movie was made later in Hong Kong action films prime but still contributed and helped influence other filmakers and further push the genre as a whole.

[peterjoseph1]

Blog 3

Many directors watch other genres and directors to get some inspiration and ideas for things they can do. John Woo who I have talked about multiple times in these blogs who helped transcend Hong Kong action films was a big inspiration to others who voiced that they watched and took ideas from him. Quentin Tarantino who now has emerged as one of the best directors of his time, has said that he has looked up to John Woo and that he helped him in creating these films. Along with Quentin, there were other filmmakers who looked to John Woo. Robert Rodriguez and Chad Stahelski were some of others who have said to use John Woo or the Hong Kong action films for inspiration. The thing that made John Woo different from the rest is the unique style of filming. He used quick camera cuts to help make the viewer feel like there is more going on in the scene when all that has changed is the camera angle. Quentin Tarantino also used a lot of violence in his films similar to John Woo. John Woo started the wave of violence being used for entertainment instead of as a way to scare the viewer. His films were filled with action and unique fighting styles that the cinematic world hadn't seen at that time. His films were highly chaotic where anything could happen at any point. You could not go to the bathroom while watching his movies because you may miss out on one wild scene. A signature of his is the duel wielding guns. He would add the protagonist of the film use two pistols which was a unique and cool addition that he coined and used throughout his career. He also used the slow motion camera to help with the impact as a whole and create drama in the scene. It leaves the viewer wondering what is gonna happen and makes them more invested. John Woo was definitely ahead of his time and the other directors who looked at him for inspiration saw this and decided it could make their movies better too. In the 80's action films were at a low and John came in and brought the action films back to the top. Tarantino not only liked John Woo's technical film style he enjoyed John and even the characters that he created. In the interview attached he said "I got a big long coat like him, I got the glasses like him and I wore that around for three months." John Woo transcended the action movie genre as a whole and these directors saw this and enjoyed it as well. In the same interview with Quentin Tarantino he said "To this day I still think it's one of the most invigorating cinema that has been made in the world. These filmmakers produced movies like Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, the John Wick series, Grindhouse, and Machete Kills. These films are all respected movies in the action genre and it is very interesting to see that these ideas and techniques and came from John Woo and the Hong Kong film industry as a whole. Everyone looks for inspiration from people who have succeeded before them and even John Woo probably took inspiration form things and directors he saw before he made it. Personally I am a big fan of Hong Kong cinema, I grew up watching a good amount and I always though it was interesting but also different from most movies. There is a sense of thrill throughout the movies and I never knew what was going to happen next. I think that is what makes Hong Kong action, John Woo, and other action film directors different from the other genres is the ability to keep the audience out of the loop even though they are watching the movie.

[peterjoseph1]

Blog 2

In todays blog we will be viewing a film that pertains to Hong Kong action films, by the famous John Woo who has been an influential figure when it comes to filmmaking and directing. This movie was produced in 1989 which was the peak of Hong Kong's economic expansion and their start of becoming a word renowned contributor to the film industry. The film is called The Killer starring Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee, and Sally Yeh. This film did not find immediate success amongst Hong Kong but found success internationally because of its over the top, quick cut, and action filled scenes. As for John Woo he gained popularity nationally from this movie and it did not stop there, this movie is said to be his stepping stone to becoming a household name in Hollywood and an inspiration for many other directors in the future. I personally thought this was a well made and great all around movie. To give a summary the hitman Chow Yun_fat, decides to retire after his final job, he his hired to take out these guys in a nightclub and gets into a shootout there with them. After taking out most of them he takes a performer who is in the club by his side to protect her. They get ambushed and he fires at the guy to stop him from killing them and shoots very close to Jennie's eyes damaging them in the process. He gains a sense of remorse after this and decides to watch over so he decides to go to her shows. One day he saves her from being mugged after one of his shows and the two begin to grow interest in each other. They from a relationship and Jennie later finds out she will have to undergo a serious eye surgery for her to keep her vision. She does not have the money so Ah Jong decides that he will do one more job, kill the gang leader in order to pay for the operation. Detective Li is looking for Ah Jong seeing that he is on the run and hiding so he does not go to jail. He is double crossed twice and has the police and other hitmen after him trying to kill him. He is played by his employer and given fake bills as his "payment" for completing the job. Detective Li finallly decides to go after Ah Jong and arrest him for his crimes but ends up helping him and Jennie get out of the mess that they are in. They take hiding in an abandoned church and stay their while Sei, Ah Jong's manager who betrayed him with the fake bills. Because Ah Jong saved him he goes out to help him. He gets the money but is injured badly in the process by Hay Wong Hoi. He makes it back the the church barely alive and gives them the money. In the final scene which is filled with heartbreak, revenge, and a ton of action Hoi takes Jennie and puts a gun to her head while Li and Yong have their guns aimed at Hoi. He shoots Ah Yong eyes out and he is left for dead on the ground. Jennie who is now one hundred percent blind from the gunshots searches around for Yong helplessly. Once the police arrive Hoi pleads to be arrested while a very angry Li who has seen many people die, decides to put an end to the madness and shoots Hoi infront of the police. John Woo produced a truly great film for its time being that there was so much going on but he found a way to make it all work and flow well together. This film created and started a very important part of Hong Kong history and film History in general. A scene that stuck out was in the beginning of the film where Ah Jong has a shootout in the nightclub. This scene was filled with special effects from the gunshots and explosions. It had it all, bloodshed, drama, and the start of a love story. There were quick cuts followed by slow mo shots of the fighting and gunshots. John woo made the violence in these scenes feel normal and justified. The stunts were choreographed with the explosions and fighting scenes. This movie really embodies the idea of Hong Kong cinema. It has everything and was a very strong start to an era of things to come.

[peterjoseph1]

Blog 1

In these blogs I will be breaking down action movies and comparing them to other films. Action movies in Hong Kong have been a big hit for them in the film industry being one the leading genre for movies there. Hong Kong gained worldwide success from these movies and recently after Covid numbers have fallen off. Hong Kong has a very deep and rich history in the action film cinema with stars like, Bruce lee who was a mixed martial artist who also acted, Jackie Chan who directed an acted in a ton of movies during his time and lastly John Woo who was a popular director of Hong Kong action films and was a pioneer of the action genre. Hong Kong is a key piece of the film industry because it was one of the main exporters of movies in the world being that is a small island. The reason they were able to have this success is because Hong Kong was leased to the United Kingdom where there were 2 systems that coexisted and benefited from one another. By having the U.K. by their side it allowed them to try different things to create and make money off of creating movies. The Hong Kong directors like to use fast paced scenes and camera cuts, a lot of fighting and violence, and visual effects. Before Hong Kong was known for their violent but thrilling martial arts and action movies they went through a number of trials and errors before stumbling upon this genre and style that blew up in viewings. The first martial arts action film that gained tons of popularity for Hong Kong was "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" this film was a silent film that had sword fighting, action, and what they had for special effects. It turned out to be one of the longest films ever produced in different parts but has a run time together of 27 hours in total. It is said to be the founding film of Chinese cinema. After this film directors continued to adapt and create films that got the audience excited and involved in the film. John Woo created numerous action films which gained numerous amounts of buzz within Hong Kong and worldwide. He won and was nominated for multiple awards within the cinema space and some of his best known movies were, Mission Impossible 2, Red cliff, The killer, and his newest film Silent Night. He used many different techniques like the use of slow-mo, and the martial arts style of fighting to make the film more interesting. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan also transcended the film Industry in Hong Kong because of how likable and popular they were among the world. They were celebrities almost all over and were very popular in the United States which played a huge role in the growth of the industry. The interesting thing about the immense growth of the Hong Kong action film is that this was before the expansion of streaming services which have helped other countries show off and promote films from their country. They became a frontrunner for cinema in the world while having less exposure and budgets for promoting and filmmaking.