This paper aims to discuss the as well as comparing the generic and the historical evolution of the Hong Kong films. The films which are going to be discussed in this paper are the Internal Affairs, Better Tomorrow as well as the Fist of Fury. The thriller films are going to be analyzed in terms of theme, plots, stylistic features like the character and characterization, scenes, camera work.
Internal Affairs
This this is movie which is about a cop who is a gangster and at the same time a gangster who is a cop. The early scenes show them being placed in a deep cover. A gangster is assigned by his boss to enter into a police academy. At the same time, a young academy graduate is also removed from the academy and then assigned to work as a gangster. The reason for doing all these is to leave them in those places for several years and doing their job as well as they could. This is done to make them rise in ranks and to make them become very valuable to their bosses (Marchetti, 2007).
Internal Affairs is so intriguing and it grows more tangled. This is because the lives of the two characters take on a much hidden desperation. The two of them have spent quite a long time pretending to be a person who they are actually not. This is only realised as their performance becomes a reality. It is realised that Andy Lau who acts as Lau in the film is assigned by his boss Erick Tsang to go and infiltrate the police force. He manages to portray very positive qualities in the job. He is very skilled, smooth at the departmental politics. He can be described as being cool as cucumber (Zhuang et., 2004).
Tony Leung on the other hand who plays Chang, is recruited to infiltrate the mob. In the initial stages of his recruitment, only two police forces knew of his true identity. He only turns to Superintendent Wong to show his increasing desperation. He expresses his discontentment in being a criminal. The work is really depressing him.
The two generals come into full play ten years after their recruitment. This happens when both of them are brought into a play by those who originally employed them. After this the two sides realize they have been having a traitor between them. In a kind of symmetry which is unlikely and it has been used poetically to show some of the important elements which happen in our societies. The two actors were assigned duties to try and find the mole within the group. They are sent on missions to find themselves.
The film also depicts some element of irony. Being that Lau and Chan had actually graduated in the same academy, they were only aware of one another by sight. Chan is unable to know that Lau is just a sleeper for the mob even though Lau on the other hand knew that hand knew that Chan was a cop he might have also known that he had disappeared to do some undercover somewhere. They only meet by chance some years later while they were in a stereo store. What mesmerizes is the fact that they do not recognize themselves yet they had been together.
This film is full of tension. Lau is really prospering in his department while Chan is presented as having no peace in the undercover. He begs Wong to leave the work. Wong on the other hand refuses saying that the department has spent so much putting him in that place. There are a lot of cell phone strategy in the Internal Affairs. The actors are brought into a level of complexity which can impress a logician. They placed on the edge of trying to identify who the other is and also of being discovered.
A Better Tomorrow.
This is Hong Kong Crime film which was directed by John Woo. This film had a very major influence on the Hong Kong film making industry. This film is about Sung Tse-Ho who works for the triad whose main operation is printing as well as distribution of counterfeit US notes. Ho is a much respected member of the organization he is allowed to transact the most important operations of the business. Mark Lee who acts as Chow Yun Fat who is a member of a highly ranked member in the group is his good friend as well as a partner in crime. Leslie Cheung, who is Ho’s younger brother dreams of becoming a police officer. Ho keeps the criminal life he is leading very secret and encourages his brother to continue with his career. Ho’s father knows of his criminal activities and tells him to be straight (Ju et al., 2010).
Ho is then sent to Taiwan by his boss so as to complete a deal. Waise Lee who is a new recruit in the team is sent along with Ho to act as an apprentice. This deal turns out to be the unexpected. They were trapped by the Taiwanese gang. In the process, a shootout ensues. Luckily, Ho and his counterpart manages to escape. As a result, Ho surrenders to the police so as to enable Waise to escape. When Mark reads about what has happened to Ho, he plans a revenge and manages to kill the gang leader and his body guards. He is shot in the leg and becomes a cripple after this.
While Ho is in prison, his family is attacked by an assassin and during the struggle, the father is killed. When Ho is released from prison three years later, he find employment as a driver for a taxi company. He meets Mark during one of his errands and in contrary to what he has been reading in the letters, he realizes that Mark has been reduced into a messenger by Waisewho is now the new head of the group. Mark tries to convince Ho to revenge on Waise but he refuses (Woo et al, 2001).
A lot happens to the two friends. Ho tries to reconcile with his brother a=but he refuses. When Waise realizes that Ho is around, he tries to persuade him to come back but he refuses. Ho and Mark manages to steal some evidence about what is going on. They wanted to revenge on Waise for what he had done. A lot ensues during the process and in the end, Waise mocks Ho saying that his money will ensure he is released. Kit, seeing eye to eye with his brother, give him a revolver which he uses to kill Waise.
The song which has been used in the film is the In the Sentimental Past. This song I performed by Leslie Cheung. When Kit was rushing to Jackie, he was doing this to a music recital. The violinist was playing just before Jackie played the theme song for the movie. This song is played to comparison between the current and the future which is hoped to be better than today.
Fist of fury
This film was set in the Shanghai. Zhen goes to school to marry his fiancée. Little did he know that very tragic news were waiting him on arrival. His master Huo had died due to illness. This demise of his teacher saddens as well as traumatizes him. During the burial ceremony, students from other school come and taunt them. Zhen is mocked and even slapped. Then they leave (Wei et., 2002).
Shortly after this, Zhen goes to their schools and manages to beat all of them including their master. He then proceeds to a park after the fight. The guard refuses him entry saying that the sign says no dogs but when a Japanese man comes with a dog, he is allowed in. the man approaches Zhen and tells him that if he behaves like a dog, he will go in. he is furious and beats the man also blows the sign.
Zhen manages to escape from the police. The team that he had beaten wants him dead. While planning on what to do, he realizes that the master had been poisoned by the cook. He kills the cook. His finance find him hiding near the master’s grave. Suzuki then forces the local police to go and arrest and kill everyone who is found in the two schools (Cheng &Simitar1995)
The same night, Zhen goes to the dojo so that he can take a revenge on the death of his master. He kills the student master, then kills Petrov and lastly he kills Suzuki. When he goes back to his school, he finds everybody dead except yuan and Fan Junxia. Lo goes to Jingwu to arrest Zhen. Zhen agrees just to protect his master’s legacy. In the end, Zhen charges and makes a flying kick at the soldiers. He is killed in the process.
Sound has not been widely used in Hong Kong films for a long time. As a result, even the songs which were used in this film was dubbed. It is the voice of the Russian fighter, Petrov in Cantonese that was dubbed by Bruce Lee. In the second commentary, the theme song which was played by Mike Remedies was re-dubbed.
Conclusion
The paper set out to describe the generic and the historical evolution which has been witnessed in the Hong Kong films. The paper began so well by describing the conditions in the internal affairs as well as the plot. What followed was A Better Tomorrow. Lastly, the musical use in the Fist of Fury was also looked at.
