The cover is my own collage of photos (stills, screen captures and poster combined to look like a lobby card) illustrating a 1995 Jackie Chan movie titled Thunderbolt, which is actually the worst of his nineties Hong Kong movies – not Wong Jing’s City Hunter (i.e. contrary to the many detractors who claim otherwise just because his name is on it). The title is the name of a copyright document. In 2005, Warner Brothers decided that it was best not to advertise that they had purchased the rights to nearly 200 Chinese movies (mostly H.K. with a few Taiwanese titles thrown in for good measure). According to the U.S. copyright office, the date of recordation is August 30, 2005. What caught my attention is that W.B. purchased more movies created by Jing (written, directed or produced) than anyone else.
As for the list in general, I suspect that it’s more to do with W.B. wanting to do remakes or rip-offs without suffering legal consequences. One type of remake is taking the plot of a period movie and updating it to a Western setting e.g. The Boxer’s Adventure. As for rip-offs, it can be something as simple as taking an action scene. To understand where their interest comes from, you should read the reviews over at the Hong Kong Movie Database. If Quentin Tarantino had purchased the films for the Dragon Dynasty DVD label in 2006, they would all have been released by now. The English title of a H.K. movie is mostly not a direct translation, so I’ve removed some titles whose titles can’t be found even if you translate it into Chinese for a web search. The abridged list of movies (originally 193) is as follows…
1) 02:00 A.M. (1997)
2) 24 Hours Ghost Story (1997)
3) A Chinese Legend (1991)
4) A Roof with a View (1993)
5) A Terracotta Warrior (1989)
6) The Age of Miracles (1996)
7) Always Be The Winners (1994)
8) Enter the Eagles (1998)
9) The Avenger (1972) a.k.a. Queen Boxer
10) Awakening (1994)
11) Banana Spirit (1992)
12) Basic Impulse (1992)
13) Best of Best (1994)
14) Best of the Best (1992)
15) Big Bullet (1996)
16) The Big Score (1990)
17) Blade of Fury (1993)
18) The Blade (1995)
19) Blind Romance (1996)
20) Blood Reincarnation (1974)
21) The Boxer’s Adventure (1979)
22) Bruce Lee’s Secret (1976) a.k.a. The Story of the Dragon
23) Butterfly Lovers (1994) a.k.a. The Lovers
24) The Christ of Nanjing (1995)
25) The Crane (1980) was filmed in California.
26) The Criminal Hunter (1988)
27) Crossroad (1976)
28) The Day That Doesn’t Exist (1995)
29) The Days of Being Dumb (1992)
30) Devil Killer (1981)
31) Disco Fever (1979) is a spoof where the John Travolta clone is named John Toyota.
32) Dr. Mack (1995) a.k.a. Mack the Knife
33) Dog Ann’s Revenge (1981) a.k.a. The Blind Girl and Dog
34) Don’t Give A Damn (1995) a.k.a. Burger Cop
35) Downtown Torpedoes (1997)
36) Dragon Fight (1989)
37) The Dream of the Red Chamber (1977)
38) Drunken Master II (1994)
39) Encounter of Spooky Kind II (1990) a.k.a. Spooky Encounters 2
40) The Enigma of Love (1993)
41) Enter the Fat Dragon (1978)
42) Escape to Hell (1990) a.k.a. Never Say Regret
43) The Escape (1972)
44) Extreme Crisis (1998)
45) Fascinating Affairs (1985)
46) Feel 100% (1996)
47) Feel 100%, Once More (1996)
48) The Final Option (1994)
49) The First Time (1983)
50) Forced Nightmare (1992)
51) The Funny Vampire (1986)
52) Ghost Busting (1989)
53) Girl Named Iron Phoenix (1973)
54) Girls Unbutton (1994) a.k.a. Goodtime Girls
55) Green Green Meadow (1974)
56) Growing Up (1996)
57) Happy Hour (1995)
58) Haunted Karaoke (1997)
59) He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Father (1993)
60) Heaven Can’t Wait (1995)
61) Her Fatal Ways IV (1994)
62) Her Judgement Day (1993)
63) He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (1994)
64) Hold You Tight (1998)
65) The Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple (1985)
66) How Deep Is Your Love? (1994) a.k.a Big Neon Lights
67) I’m Your Birthday Cake (1995)
68) The Imp (1996)
69) The Imprudent Iron Phoenix (1973)
70) Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979)
71) Into the Fire (1989)
72) I’ve Got You, Babe!!! (1994)
73) Kitchen (1997)
74) Last Song in Paris (1986)
75) Latino Encounter (1994) a.k.a. Run (the original English title).
76) Legal Innocence (1993)
77) The Legend of an Erotic Movie Star (1993)
78) License to Steal (1990)
79) Love in the Time of Twilight (1995)
80) Love of the Swindler a.k.a. The Lovers (1993)
81) Lover’s Tear (1992)
82) Mafia vs. Ninja (1985) a.k.a. Secret of Ninja
83) Masked Justice (1990) a.k.a. Midnight Angel
84) Mean Street Story (1995)
85) Mirage (1987)
86) Money Maker (1991)
87) Morning Goodbye (1973)
88) Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
89) Mr. Vampire 1992.
Coincidentally, Jet Li’s The Master was released in 1992 as Wong Fei Hung `92. Some people must have known that the eventual release of Jurassic Park in 1993 would spell the end for locally produced movies, what with Call Girl `92 and Gangs `92 as well. Also, 92 Legendary La Rose Noire doesn’t roll off the tongue. Ironically that was the most successful of the 92-themed titles. There was even a Taiwanese movie titled 1992 Feng Chun Nu. To guarantee good luck for Mr. Vampire 1992, it was released on the eighth day of the eighth month. It flopped.
90) My Neighbours Are Phantoms (1990)
91) The Old Master (1979) was originally titled The Intrigue but had its title changed when it was revealed that Jackie Chan (the student of the star) was going to be in a film titled The Young Master.
92) Once a Cop (1993) a.k.a. Project S
93) Once in a Life-Time (1995) a.k.a. Marriage is a Life-Long Affair
94) Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993)
95) Once Upon a Time in China V (1994)
96) One Step Ahead (1980) a.k.a. A Champion Player
97) Our Neighbour Detective (1995)
98) Pantyhose Hero (1990) was released in Pakistan as Lethal Killers.
99) Pedicab Driver (1989)
100) The Peeping Tom (1997) a.k.a. Deadly Target
101) Police Story IV (1996) was released by New Line Cinema as First Strike.
102) Portland Street Blues (1998)
103) The Rapist (1994) was released in the same year as Portrait of a Serial Killer (which was shot on video) because they were based on the same case.
104) Red Zone (1995) was released in the same year as another film which had a similar title, The Red-Wolf, and the same star (Kenny Ho), because Golden Harvest thought that Yuen Woo-Ping remaking Under Siege as The Red-Wolf would be a colossal comeback film for the two of them. Red Zone was such a huge flop that it took five years for anyone to give acting assignments to the hope-deflated star.
105) The Returning (1994)
106) Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
107) Satyr Monks (1994)
108) Secret Lover (1995)
109) Sex and Zen III (1998)
110) Shaolin Ex-Monk (1978) a.k.a. Renegade Monk
111) Shaolin Temple Against Lama (1984)
112) Shaolin Vs. Ninja (1983)
113) Slickers Vs. Killers (1991)
114) Spider Woman (1995)
115) Spike Drink Gang (1995)
116) The Spirit of Love (1993) a.k.a. Dial “H” for Hell
117) The Star (1976)
118) Street Angels (1996)
119) The Street Car Named Desire (1993)
120) Street of Casual Love (1993) a.k.a. Date in Portland Street
121) Street of Fury (1996)
122) Summer Snow (1995)
123) The Sword of Many Lovers (1993)
124) Take Me (1991)
125) Task Force (1997)
126) The Third Full Moon (1994)
127) Those Were The Days… (1995)
128) Thou Shalt Not Swear (1993)
129) Thunderbolt (1995)
130) Till Death Do Us Laugh (1996)
131) Till Death Do Us Part (1998)
132) To Money With Love (1975)
133) Tom, Dick and Hairy (1993)
134) Tongdang Wansui (1989) a.k.a. Gang of Three Forever
135) Too Many Ways To Be No. 1 (1997)
136) Trilogy of Lust (1995)
137) True Love (1992)
138) Twenty Something (1994)
139) Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star (1996)
140) The Tycoon (1982)
141) The Umbrella Story (1995) a.k.a. Heirs
142) The Undaunted (1973)
143) War of the Under World (1996)
144) The Wedding Days (1997)
145) Whatever Will Be, Will Be (1995)
146) Who Am I? (1998)
147) Wind Beneath the Wings (1995) a.k.a. Sky Is Limit
148) Wizard’s Curse (1992)
149) The Wrath of Silence (1994)
150) Yesteryou, Yesterme, Yesterday (1993)
151) Yesterday You, Yesterday Me (1997)
152) You Can’t Tell Him (1971)
153) Young and Dangerous (1996)
154) Young and Dangerous 2 (1996)
155) Young and Dangerous 4 (1997)
156) Young and Dangerous 5 (1998)
Pop Cult Master 