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The 50 best Hong Kong films since the 1997 handover, part 2: from 25 to 1

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, we revisit the greatest movies the city’s cinema has produced in the past two decades

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25. Kung Fu Hustle
Missed the first of our two-part countdown from last week? Click here to read our 26th to 50th picks for the best Hong Kong films since the handover.
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25. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

There are special effects movies, and then there is Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s bombastic martial arts spectacle. As cartoonish as a live-action film could ever aspire to be, the comedy legend’s homage to 1960s and ’70s Hong Kong cinema is a surreal showcase of slapstick action at its most exhilarating.

24. Chinese Odyssey 2002
24. Chinese Odyssey 2002

24. Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

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Twelfth Night meets Roman Holiday in this Lunar New Year movie, produced by Wong Kar-wai and directed by Jeff Lau Chun-wai. A zany and even slightly touching rehash of 1959 huangmei opera classic The Kingdom and the Beauty, it is both a first-rate Wong parody and a wuxia-flavoured romantic comedy of the highest order.

23. Beast Cops
23. Beast Cops
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