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Ranking every Hong Kong film released in 2019, from worst to best – was this the year the industry hit rock bottom?

  • Unflinching in his criticism, unstinting in his praise, film editor Edmund Lee looks back over the year’s releases from old hands and new talent
  • Louis Koo was everywhere, as usual, Fruit Chan was back, Simon Yam impressed, Sammi Cheng had two top-10 films, and as for Derek Tsang …

Reading Time:10 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Louis Koo (left) and Nick Cheung in a still from Line Walker 2.

Hong Kong cinema, like the city it once inspired and in which it prospered, may have hit rock bottom in 2019.

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On the one hand, in a creative industry where most of the heavy hitters are pro-Beijing businessmen who won’t gamble on their earnings at the Chinese box office, major productions rarely take artistic risks.

One only need to look at how veteran Hong Kong filmmakers have applied their skills to making patriotic fluff ( The Climbers , The Captain ), awkwardly played up the role of Chinese law enforcement ( P Storm , Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch ), or attacked white supremacy in America ( Ip Man 4: The Finale ), to know where their hearts are.

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On the other hand, the anti-government protests in Hong Kong have, not surprisingly, led to delays in releasing locally made films – and not just because cinemas temporarily shut down at the height of the social unrest.

Vocal opponents of the protests have been made personae non gratae on their home turf. A Hong Kong release was never on the cards for Tony Leung Ka-fai’s directorial debut, Midnight Diner, after he attended a pro-police rally. Yonfan scrapped the release of his Venice Film Festival award winner, No. 7 Cherry Lane, after he called out protesters for taking away the freedom of others to use public transport in the city.
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