Top 3: Films at HOME’s CRIME: Hong Kong Style festival

From February until April, HOME is hosting CRIME: Hong Kong Style, a major film festival. It will showcase 20 movies, including big hits, cult favourites, and some forgotten gems. Described as the UK’s biggest celebration of Hong Kong cinema, HOME will welcome leading figures from the films for Q+As, introductions, and other events. Three of the best movies are outlined below…

Infernal Affairs (2002)
Infernal Affairs (you might have read that wrong) was massively popular in Asia and became a cult hit in the West. It focuses on a cop who goes undercover with the Triads, and a mobster who infiltrates the police force. If that sounds a wee bit familiar, that’s because it was remade by Martin Scorsese as The Departed. Despite winning many awards, including the Best Director Oscar for Scorsese, many feel that the original is superior. The film features two of Asia’s biggest stars in the lead roles: Andy Lau and Tony Leung. It’s really good.

Police Story (1985)
Of course, no such festival would be complete without a Jackie Chan film, and this is surely one of his best. In the early 1980s, Chan was trying hard to break into the Western market, with films like ‘The Big Brawl’ and ‘The Protector’. Unhappy with those films’ lack of success, he took it upon himself to direct and co-write ‘Police Story’. He also plays the lead – a maverick cop who tries to take down a mob boss. It features the signature Jackie Chan blend of action and comedy. The movie is a cult favourite, and was hugely influential for filmmakers such as Edgar Wright.

Wild City (2015)
The festival isn’t just about established favourites; this is a UK premiere. Wild City is directed by Ringo Lam, who helmed one of Hong Kong’s most influential crime films, City on Fire. Here, he returns to the crime genre with this stylish neo-noir. Wild City centres on a former police officer and his wayward brother. They try to take on a ruthless group of Taiwanese gangsters, but soon find themselves out of their depths.

Feb – Apr, HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, First Street, Manchester, M15 4FN, Tel: 0161 200 1500, Times and prices vary, homemcr.org