(Photo by Focus)
15 Fresh Tony Leung Movies
After four decades in entertainment, Hong Kong acting legend Tony Leung Chiu-wai makes his American major movie debut with Shang-Chi and and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Even audiences who have never seen Leung on-screen before will gravitate towards the human vulnerability he brings to his antagonist role in the Marvel blockbuster. The smoldering sensitivity is something Leung has perfected over his career, though he started his career doing TV comedies in the early 1980s as part of young actor ensemble called the Five Tigers.
1989’s City of Sadness, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, represented an enormous leap for his international profile, leading to projects with the most renowned Chinese and Taiwanese directors, including John Woo (Hard-Boiled, Red Cliff) and Ang Lee (Lust, Caution). Across them all, Leung is best known for his collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai: Together, they’ve made seven films, including romantic masterpieces Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love, and The Grandmaster, which was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design Oscars. A 2002 Leung-starring movie, Infernal Affairs, was remade by Martin Scorsese as The Departed.
Since the ’80s and ’90s Hong Kong cinema boom, Leung has communicated willingness to act in an American production if the role were worthwhile. That search occupied just mere decades: As Wenwu, he’ll appear with Hong Kong action great Michelle Yeoh in the MCU’s Shang-Chi. Now, discover Fresh and Certified Fresh movies starring Tony Leung! —Alex Vo
#15
Adjusted Score: 78577%
Critics Consensus: Ang Lee's Lust, Caution is a tense, sensual and beautifully-shot espionage film.
Synopsis: During World War II a secret agent (Tang Wei) must seduce, then assassinate an official (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) who...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 75004%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An 18-year-old orphan who is only known by his profession of a cyclo (pedal-taxi) driver, struggles on the streets of...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 80885%
Critics Consensus: Wong Kar Wai's redux, with a few slight changes from his 1994 classic, is a feast for the eyes, if a little difficult to follow.
Synopsis: When his friend Huang (Tony Leung Ka Fai) visits mercenary Ou-yang (Leslie Cheung), they trade stories including that of princess...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 83968%
Critics Consensus: Though its storytelling is a tad muddled, Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster still exhibits the auteur's stylistic flourishes in gorgeous cinematography and explosive action set pieces.
Synopsis: The fall of China's last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war, is the golden age of Chinese martial...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 86380%
Critics Consensus: Happy Together's strong sense of style complements its slice of life love story, even if the narrative slogs.
Synopsis: Lai (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his boyfriend, Ho (Leslie Cheung), arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong, seeking a better...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 90495%
Critics Consensus: Director Wong Kar-Wai has created in 2046 another visually stunning, atmospheric, and melancholy movie about unrequited love and loneliness.
Synopsis: A train in a futuristic landscape takes passengers to a place where they can recapture their memories, a place from...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 92593%
Critics Consensus: Even if all it had to offer were writer-director Wong Kar-wai's thrillingly distinctive visuals, Chungking Express would be well worth watching; happily, its thoughtfully drawn characters and naturalistic performances also pack a potent dramatic wallop.
Synopsis: Every day, Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, symbolizing the...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 99428%
Critics Consensus: An exquisitely shot showcase for Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung that marks a somber evolution of Wong Kar-wai's chic style, In the Mood for Love is a tantric tease that's liable to break your heart.
Synopsis: In 1962, journalist Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his wife move into a Hong Kong apartment, but Chow's...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 108508%
Critics Consensus: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn't entirely free of Marvel's familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one.
Synopsis: Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings" stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 89880%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Women struggle in a Shanghai brothel where everything only appears to be beautiful....
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#5
Adjusted Score: 98139%
Critics Consensus: Boasting impactful action as well as surprising emotional resonance, Hard Boiled is a powerful thriller that hits hard in more ways than one.
Synopsis: A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 95544%
Critics Consensus: Smart and engrossing, this is one of Hong Kong's better cop thrillers.
Synopsis: Idealistic police cadet Chan Wing-Yan (Tony Leung) is recruited by Police Superintendant Wong (Anthony Wong) to go deep undercover as...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 101099%
Critics Consensus: With death-defying action sequences and epic historic sweep, Hero offers everything a martial arts fan could ask for.
Synopsis: In this visually arresting martial arts epic set in ancient China, an unnamed fighter (Jet Li) is being honored for...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 55824%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three Hong Kong gang fighters (Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee) try crime in Vietnam and land in...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 100329%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Soon after Japan relinquishes control of Taiwan in 1945, the Lin brothers face hardships from the changing culture. Bar owner...
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