Genre Research: HK gangster films

When an individual looks towards a movie genre, what generally comes to their mind in terms of expectations? We all hold our own set of preferences leaning one way or another when it comes to choosing films categorically that would most likely fulfill our viewing enjoyment for what a movie is worth. Having seen anything and everything that comes out of Hollywood, you might venture into other markets for a broader variety of cinematic offerings. Looking the globe over, you span your horizons and stumble upon the vibrant film industry of the thriving economic hub in Southeast Asia that was once a crown colony of the British Empire. If you have not figured it out already, you just entered the world of Hong Kong cinema. Over the past few decades, the film industry in Hong Kong has grown tremendously and evolved unique styles of storytelling that spurred many subgenres within the whole spectrum of HK cinema. When you first think of what kind of Hong Kong movies are out there, the majority of people tend to think along the lines of high-flying acrobatic, gravity defying kung fu flicks. It is the kind of old-school martial arts mayhem that brought renown fame to a particular Kung fu legend by the name of Bruce Lee, who rose to international mega-stardom back in the early 1970s before his untimely death. It is important though, to make note that the immortalized martial arts icon Bruce Lee did help pave the way for the numerous action stars that came after him, and that he also made a measurable contribution in introducing Hong Kong cinema to rest of the world. Following the boom of mass produced Kung fu movies to come out of 1970’s era Hong Kong, filmmakers shifted their focus and began a new popular trend that gradually took shape during the 1980s. The new force that appeared to drive the industry during the decade was the popularizing of stories about cops and gangsters. With this trend in place, it brought on an entire “New Wave” of Hong Kong movie directors who made films that would change the industry itself and ushered in the arrival of the new superstars in HK cinema.

The “New Wave” in Hong Kong cinema came about during the very end of the 1970s actually when a group of young directors started making films that attempted to break away from the norm of Kung fu and comedy that had been popular throughout the decade. Just to name a few, Yim Ho’s The Extras (1978), Tsui Hark’s The Butterfly Murders (1979), Ann Hui’s The Secret (1979), and Allen Fong’s Father and Son (1981) were some of the films during that timeframe to be hailed for their ingenuity over the established formulas for HK cinema at the time. It was good to be different and many filmmakers soon followed suit by making movies that catered to experimental concepts and storylines. The introduction of the cop stories and gangland dramas took the forefront in the line of movies produced by the mid-80s. The Golden Harvest Film Company, which was still a fairly young film enterprise, scored major box-office hits with Jackie Chan’s Police Story (1985) and the several sequels that followed in that series.

On the road to the rise of the Hong Kong gangster film, which was derived from and synonymous to its parent the Hong Kong action genre, it can be said that one movie in particular was pivotal in setting the subgenre in motion. It was through Cinema City, a film studio that had its peak of success in the 1980s, working in conjunction with Tsui Hark’s Film Workshop when it produced A Better Tomorrow (dir. John Woo, 1986). The movie took the Hong Kong market by storm when it became the number-one box-office hit of that year, and proved to be a pivotal milestone in the world of HK cinema. Truly an important work in regard to expanding the ‘triad’ films genre, “A Better Tomorrow’s style was a major influence on Hong Kong filmmaking for years to come” (Fonoroff, 42). The success of the film was a welcome sign for director John Woo no doubt, because it literally boosted Woo’s career and redefined his techniques for movie-making. The movie also had a positive outcome for its main protagonist Chow Yun-Fat, seeing that it sky-rocketed this star’s status to Hong Kong’s number one leading man, a position he would hold onto for the remainder of the 1980s and into the early 1990s.

Other than solely churning out triad-themed films, another popular trend that materialized during the 1980s was the beginning of ghost stories, such as the comedy Encounters of the Spooky Kind (dir. Sammo Hung, 1980) and the supernatural costume drama A Chinese Ghost Story (dir. Ching Sin Tung, 1987). On another note, Hong Kong movies took a turn for venting deep political statements in the aftermath of the June 4, 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square. In the movie A Better Tomorrow III (dir. Tsui Hark, 1989), there was a scene depicting Vietnamese Communist troops gunning down protesting students in a symbolic parallelism to the Tiananmen Square massacre. Also, the people of Hong Kong began to think wistfully and speculate about what would happen to their lives after the 1997 handover of the colony to the People’s Republic of China. There were a handful of gangster films and comedies that expressed sarcastic views of the Chinese Communists, but much of the politically intertwined messages to appear in Hong Kong movies lessened as filmmakers became reluctant to incite any anger from the PRC near to the coming of 1997.

Social impacts that could be seen to have rocked the world of the Hong Kong movie industry appeared evidently in the early 1990s. The movie business in Hong Kong fell victim to pressure and fear tactics incorporated by real life gangsters who wanted a cut in the appealingly large profits. It is not so farfetched to believe that Hong Kong has been seriously plagued by appreciable amount of gangster elements and activity within its movie industry, more so than any other film-producing locality. Triads’ lucrative show business dealings and connections stretch vastly, and run notoriously deep. It can accountable that acts of violence, sabotage, and extortion against stars, managers, producers, and directors are often used to coerce many into going along with the Triads’ wishes. Stories of triad violence and intimidation were all too common within the Hong Kong movie business ranging from,

Amy Yip, who had retained her allure by never taking off all her clothes on screen, was threatened that if she did not agree to star in a film which she bared all she would pay the price…An actress who pulled out of a Triad film had her HK$150,000 fee burned in front of her. Another unnamed star was said to have been gang-raped for refusing to accept a contract, whilst Andy Lau’s office was smashed up and a gun put to his manager’s head to force him to comply. (Booth, 249)

By 1992, Triad pressure on the Hong Kong film industry had reached its limit. In a bold outcry to denounce triad influences and involvement in their business, a public mass demonstration was organized in January by leading filmmakers and stars to stir up public awareness about the problem. The march drew out supporters and appearances by notable Hong Kong movie elites such as Jackie Chan, Joey Wong, Chow Yun-Fat, Andy Lau, and Amy Yip.

Tracing back a film to be considered the first of the Hong Kong gangster film genre, The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (dir. Lung Kong, 1967) comes as a precursor to the stories of the criminal life shot through the lens of a Hong Kong director’s vision. This movie serves as “an acknowledged model for John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow (1986), which made super-stars of the director and his leading actor Chow Yun-fat. Woo's film was no "remake" but the link between the two is clear” (Bren). On the level of the impression that this film had on its audience when it was initially released, it is described to be a piece of Cantonese cinema history that helped in keeping the industry alive during its time of low attendance. The goal was to attract an audience, and Lung Kong along with his contemporaries did this by “producing edgy contemporary films with a social message.”

This leads to the social aspects of the HK gangster film genre itself. When looking to make a movie what does a filmmaker tend to look for? An answer for that question is simply that filmmakers want to make movies that will satisfy their artistic vision. For instance, it is evident as to why Hong Kong filmmakers have invested so heavily into producing gangster films. It can be said that crime films, about the majority of the time, are widely popular within capitalist societies. On a level, this genre provides filmmakers with an outlet for “exploring themes of class mobility and male bonding, the maintenance of social boundaries and the limits of state power” (Zhang, 75). It takes the audience out of the comfort zone of their everyday lives and allows them to step into the world of a hardened criminal who lives with danger and risks at every turn.

As with any given work of genre film, there is a set of guidelines that the film must follow. These so-called instructions come in the form of formal conventions that are distinct to a certain genre. Every genre has its signature trademarks that come immediately to mind when you hear its name. The first main aspect to put into consideration when defining a genre is with its characters. In the Hong Kong gangster genre, the character array is typically male dominated, reflecting the nature of the films as gritty fictionalizations of the triad underworld. The lead characters usually fill in the role of a gangster or ex-gangster who is portrayed as a tragic romantic individual who lives by their own values in a world lacking moral structure. Most of the time women in triad films play supporting roles to the protagonist primarily as a love interest or they have a central role within the triad society. In some cases the focus is switched over and the lead character is female. A good example of this is the film Portland Street Blues (dir. Raymond Yip, 1998), which follows the story of a lesbian branch leader named Sister 13, who is portrayed by Sandra Ng. Next we must consider the main plots behind a HK gangster film. Since the story revolves around crime, it is easy to assume that profit and money plays an important part in the storyline. Generally, there is an individual in pursuit of something. That character could be a triad member who wishes to rise higher in the society or one that comes to the realization that they should leave their current lifestyle. In order to attain these goals, they must meet harsh challenges and stand up dire odds. Now every story requires a proper setting, so it is logical to set Hong Kong gangster films where else but in Hong Kong. Although this is the usual location where the stories take place, various films have set the part of the story in a variety of locales such as Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Japan. As for the central themes of this genre it can be summed up with the gangster figure wanting to live the dream life. Most of the time the only way of obtaining this is to go through violent means to reach the dream. As for an ironic twist, the gangster usually meets a tragic death in the end attempting to fulfill his desire. The stylistics of a Hong Kong gangster film comes neatly packaged like a box of Chinese takeout. The acting is true and fitting to the portrayal of the characters. The bad guys are instantly distinguishable from the characters with heart and compassion. The cinematography changes from steady during scenes of dialogue to intense and dramatic during the action sequences. Some directors like to use their own preferential style when filming a specific climatic moments. Just think of John Woo and “bullet ballet” as a prime example.

In light of the Hong Kong gangster genre’s existence, its future appears to be substantial as a successful formula of Hong Kong cinema. This is namely because of the fact that triad films and Hong Kong action films usually go synonymously together. Classics such as John Woo’s The Killer (1989) along with other notable HK gangster films like As Tears Go By (dir. Wong Kar-Wai, 1988), City on Fire (1987), Full Contact (1992, both dir. Ringo Lam), A Moment of Romance (dir. Benny Chan, 1990) have become the frontrunners of expanding the genre back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Other recent directors have followed suit and made films that infused new techniques and ideas into the genre to keep it going on strong. The biggest exemplary work to come from this genre most recent to date has to be the film Infernal Affairs (dir. Andrew Lau, 2002). “The picture signals a new era for Hong Kong filmmaking; its mean-streets crispness doesn't derive from the two-gun firepower of Mr. (John) Woo, or even from the earlier gangster-lean films Andrew Lau directed on his own, like Young and Dangerous” (Mitchell). If Hong Kong were to produce more films that matched Infernal Affair’s caliber or further raise the standard of innovation, then the prospect of the HK gangster genre is a very promising one.