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Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong filmmaker. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas.
- Douglas Parkes
- A Hero Never Dies《真心英雄》 One of Johnnie To’s most divisive films but our favourite nonetheless, A Hero Never Dies has its cake and then asks for seconds.
- The Longest Nite《暗花》 Although Patrick Yau is credited as the nominal director of this 1998 Milkyway film, To directed at least half of the movie, supposedly taking the reins when he wasn’t happy with Yau’s initial work.
- The Mission《鎗火》 Considered one of Johnnie To’s finest films, The Mission is an exemplar of minimalist filmmaking. Shot and edited in a single month, the film focuses on five gangsters hired to protect a mob boss and the tensions that develop when, later, one is approached to kill another of the five.
- Mad Detective《神探》 One of the darkest of To’s many dark crime films, Mad Detective has frequent To collaborator Sean Lau play Bun, a schizophrenic cop with an ability to see people’s inner personalities, which allows him to solve various murders.
Johnnie To is a Hong Kong filmmaker. He has contributed to many projects, as a producer, director or a combination of the two. He made his directorial debut in 1980, when he directed The Enigmatic Case, a film starring Damian Lau.
YearFilmCredit(director)Credit(producer)1978The Good, the Bad and the BeautiesNoNo1980The Enigmatic CaseYesNo1985It's a Drink! It's a Bomb!NoNo1986YesExecutive- Where a Good Man Goes (co-directed with Patrick Yau -1999) Michael (Lau Ching-Wan) is an aggressive triad who checks into a hotel in Macau ran by a lonely widow (Ruby Wong) on the night he released from jail.
- The Longest Nite (co-directed with Patrick Yau -1998) Released the same year as Expect the Unexpected and initially also credited to Patrick Yau alone, The Longest Nite is one hell of a bleak and nihilistic crime thriller.
- Expect The Unexpected (co-directed with Patrick Yau – 1998) One of the earliest gritty Milkyway crime thrillers is officially credited to Patrick Yau (as are the next two entries on this list) although it later came to light that To was mainly responsible for the directing duties on all of Yau’s Milkyway films and he has since officially confirmed that he in fact was the principal director.
- Sparrow (2008) Possibly Johnnie To’s most personal film, Sparrow is also the odd one out in this list and potentially his entire oeuvre.
- Akira Kurosawa. Seven Samurai. The opening scene, with the horses, is one of the best ever. It always mesmerizes me.
- Akira Kurosawa. High and Low. It has a great setup, great characters, and a great theme. Kurosawa’s vision raised the film to another level.
- Sam Peckinpah. Straw Dogs. Sam Peckinpah and Dustin Hoffman at their best. The rape scene is horrific and haunting.
- Masaki Kobayashi. Harakiri. The first view of the sword sent chills through my spine.
Johnnie To Kei-fung is the most prolific and popular director in Hong Kong cinema, working in various genres and collaborating with Wai Ka-fai. He combines action, humor, and style in his urban crime films, such as PTU, The Mission, and The Heroic Trio.
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Jul 25, 2022 · Where to begin with Johnnie To. Tales of cops, crooks and Triad members. Here’s how to get into the prolific career of Hong Kong action auteur Johnnie To.
