Top 15 Greatest Hong Kong Movies of All Time

• English Title: Ip Man
• Release Year: 2008
• Genre: Martial Arts
• Director: Wilson Yip
• Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
• Awards: Best Film (Hong Kong Film Award - HKFA 2009)

Ip Man is one of the hottest martial arts films from Hong Kong, depicting the life and career of the legendary martial artist Ip Man - who played a significant role in establishing the Wing Chun martial arts style in Hong Kong. The film is set in the 1930s, from Ip Man's time living in Foshan to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The movie Ip Man won the Best Film award at the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) in 2009. Its success paved the way for sequels, all of which were highly acclaimed.

• English Title: Police Story
• Release Year: 1985
• Genre: Crime-Martial Arts
  
• Director: Jackie Chan
• Stars: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin
• Awards: Best Film (HKFA 1986)

Police Story is a film starring the renowned martial artist Jackie Chan. The movie tells the story of a police officer who gets framed and embroiled in trouble with a Hong Kong crime syndicate. The highlight of Police Story is its spectacular action sequences directed and performed by Jackie Chan himself. After its release, the film achieved both commercial and artistic success, winning the Best Film award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1986. It can be said that Police Story epitomizes Jackie Chan's film career before he ventured into Hollywood later on.

• English Title: The Mission
• Release Year: 1999
• Genre: Crime-Gangster
  
• Director: Do Ky Phong
• Stars: Hoang Thu Sinh, Ngo Tran Vu, Lu Tung Hien,
• Awards: Best Director (HKFA 2000)

Fire Line is a standout film in the career of Do Ky Phong - a director who has received the most nominations for Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards, totaling 13 nominations. Fire Line tells the story of the battle against crime by Hong Kong police officers. Although the film did not win the Best Film award at the Hong Kong Film Awards that year, it earned Do Ky Phong the Best Director award. The film was also ranked 14th by the HKFA among the 103 best Chinese-language films of all time.

• English Title: Chungking Express
• Release Year: 1995
• Genre: Romantic drama
  
• Director: Wong Kar-wai
• Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong, Valerie Chow, Takeshi Kaneshiro
• Awards: Best Film (HKFA 1995)

City of Romance is a romantic drama film directed by Wong Kar-wai, consisting of two romantic and mundane stories connected through a grocery store, portraying the lives of ordinary people in the Chungking area and the beauty of Hong Kong. Compared to other films like Fallen Angels and Happy Together, City of Romance is light-hearted, whimsical, and adorable in its theme of love by director Wong. City of Romance won the Best Film award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1995, making it one of Wong Kar-wai's most outstanding films.

• English Title: Fist of Fury
• Release Year: 1972
• Genre: Martial arts
  
• Director: La Duy
• Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao,
• Awards: Information not available

Fist of Fury is one of the earliest films in Hong Kong cinema, associated with the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. Fist of Fury follows Chen Zhen, a disciple of Huo Yuanjia, who goes to a Japanese dojo seeking revenge for his master.

As it was released early, before the prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards (established in 1982) and when Hong Kong cinema was still in its infancy, the film did not receive many awards. However, being a pinnacle in Bruce Lee's legendary career, Fist of Fury is ranked 16th on the Hong Kong Film Awards' list of 103 best Chinese-language films of all time. Excluding films from mainland China and Taiwan, Fist of Fury ranks 9th on this list.

• English Title: House of Flying Daggers
• Release Year: 1995
• Genre: Swordplay-Martial Arts
  
• Director: Zhang Yimou
• Stars: Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro
• Awards: Best Cinematography nominee (Oscar), Best Foreign Language Film nominee (Golden Globes), Best Foreign Language Film nominee (BAFTA)

The Decadent Armor is a film directed by the renowned Zhang Yimou, revolving around a love triangle amidst treacherous martial arts world, filled with a myriad of schemes, plans, twists, and turns to serve vengeful plots, dominance... The film is a visual spectacle of colors, martial arts combat scenes, and intricate schemes, surprises until the very last minute. The Decadent Armor is considered one of Zhang Yimou's most prominent films, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, BAFTA as well as Best Cinematography at the Oscars.

• English Title: In the Mood for Love
• Release Year: 2000
• Genre: Romantic Drama
  
• Director: Wong Kar-wai
• Stars: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung
• Awards: Best Actor (Cannes), Best Foreign Language Film nominee (BAFTA)

Sentiments in Love is another notable film by director Wong Kar-wai, part of the trilogy: Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, 2046. The film tells the story of hidden romance between two neighbors in a working-class housing estate in Hong Kong. Both are married, and the husband of one is having an affair with the wife of the other, leading them to feel abandoned and finding solace in each other, yet societal and moral norms compel them to keep their feelings hidden.

The film was overshadowed in Hong Kong by the blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but gained international acclaim. It scored 85/100 on Metacritic and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Washington Post hailed Sentiments in Love as the best romantic film from Asia, and it won at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Many fans regard Sentiments in Love as Wong Kar-wai's finest work.

• English Title: Hero
• Release Year: 2002
• Genre: Martial Arts-Epic
  
• Director: Zhang Yimou
• Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen
• Awards: Best Foreign Language Film nominee (Oscar)

The Vigilante is the most famous film directed by Zhang Yimou, rated 85/100 on Metacritic. The film is set in the Warring States period, where a swordsman named Nameless arrives in the capital of the Qin state to claim a reward for killing three assassins who threatened the King of Qin. However, what Nameless claims is not the truth, and his true intention is to assassinate the King of Qin.

Although not particularly prominent in Hong Kong, The Vigilante gained much attention overseas, especially in the United States, leading to its nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars that year.

• English Title: Boat People
• Release Year: 1982
• Genre: Life-Social
  
• Director: Ann Hui
• Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh
• Awards: Best Film (1983 HKFA)

Boat People is a Hong Kong film that focuses on the lives of Vietnamese boat people in the south after 1975. The story is told through the lens of Japanese photographer Shiomi Akutagawa in Da Nang, depicting internal social issues post-liberation in 1975. Boat People won Best Film at the 1983 Golden Statue Awards and ranked 8th on the HKFA's list of the 103 greatest Chinese-language films of all time.

• English Title: Days of Being Wild
• Release Year: 1991
• Genre: Romantic Drama
  
• Director: Wong Kar-wai
• Stars: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Tony Leung
• Awards: Best Film (1991 HKFA), Best Director (Asia-Pacific Film Festival)

The Legend of Ah Fei can be considered Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece. The film marks the beginning of the artistic filmmaking style of the Wong family, also serving as the prelude to the trilogy, including In the Mood for Love and 2046. The storyline is relatively simple, revolving around the theme of love set in Hong Kong and the Philippines in the 1960s. However, what makes The Legend of Ah Fei remarkable is its unique filmmaking approach based on character psychology and significant dialogues, which has established Wong Kar-wai's distinct filmmaking style, famously known as the 'no-script' filmmaking style.

The Legend of Ah Fei won the Best Film category at the 1991 Golden Statue Awards, Best Director at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, and was critically acclaimed with a score of 96/100 on Metacritic.

• English Title: Infernal Affairs
• Release Year: 2002
• Genre: Crime-Gangster
  
• Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak
• Stars: Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang
• Awards: Best Film (2003 HKFA)

Unbounded Principles is a film about the police and the underworld, telling the story of two moles: one is an undercover cop infiltrating the criminal underworld and the other is a criminal planted within the police force. The two moles constantly engage in a battle of wits to come out on top. It can be said that Unbounded Principles is the best film on the theme of moles, with an extremely dramatic and moving storyline.

Unbounded Principles won the Best Film category at the Golden Statue Awards, caught the eye of Hollywood director Martin Scorsese, and was later remade by him. The Hollywood remake, titled The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, won the Best Picture category at the 2006 Oscars.

• English Title: Raise the Red Lantern
• Release Year: 1991
• Genre: Drama-Social
  
• Director: Zhang Yimou
• Stars: Gong Li, He Saifei, Cao Cuifen
• Awards: Best Foreign Language Film Nomination (Oscar)

Hanging High Red Lanterns is the finest film by director Zhang Yimou, depicting the contemporary Chinese society. The film portrays the tragic story of women who become concubines in the household of a wealthy man, with the protagonist being a young woman married as a concubine to the wealthy man. Within that household lies the humiliation of women, the scheming against each other, the erratic moods of the master... ultimately leading the young woman, tortured by her unfortunate life, to madness.

Hanging High Red Lanterns received a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the prestigious Oscars.

• English Title: Almost a Love Story
• Release Year: 1996
• Genre: Romantic Drama
  
• Director: Tran Khai Tan
• Stars: Le Minh, Truong Man Ngoc, Tang Chi Vy
• Awards: Best Picture (HKFA 1997)

Secret Sweetness recounts the love story of two Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong, united by their shared affection for a song titled 'secret sweetness' but their relationship is thwarted by a triad. Following its release, Secret Sweetness received high critical acclaim, clinching the Best Picture category at the 1997 Golden Statue Awards. The film is also deemed the most successful in Golden Statue Awards history, with a record-breaking 9 wins at the ceremony, surpassing even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) with its 8 wins.