Full Contact - Chow Yun Fat (1992) - Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui

Next up is one of Ringo Lam's most famous films, Full Contact, released in 1992 and starring Chow Yun Fat as (in some dubs) "Goofy". In the YT version I watched, he is called Jeff in the subs and "Gou Fei" in the dialogue.

Jeff is a gangster based in Bangkok and along with his friends, Chung (Chris Lee), Sam (Anthony Wong) and Mona (Anne Bridgewater) he involves himself in various lucrative plots. Sam gets in trouble with a loanshark - he borrowed money to pay for Jeff's mum's funeral - and Jeff has to free him but as a result makes an enemy of the loan shark. Sam's cousin, Judge (Simon Yam) is a ruthless, murderous gangster, but Sam suggests their gangs team up to do a heist that will earn them all big money. The heist is a disaster and unbeknownst to Jeff and his gang, the loan shark has asked Judge to kill Jeff afterwards. This all goes off in the first 37 minutes of the film and culminates with Jeff supposedly being killed by Sam on Judge's orders. The plot then moves to Hong Kong where Judge and his gang carry on their ruthless business.

Sadly, I haven't been able to get many locations out of this film largely due to most of the scenes being interiors - this means very few clues for me to work with beyond what appears in the film's credits. Nevertheless, there are a couple in here that are quite interesting including the very first HK scene, filmed at a real life bar in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The setting is "The Jouster 2" pub on Hart Avenue as the gang burst in and get the whereabouts of an arms shipment from another local gangster. They kill a few people before grenading the place and heading off to get the goods.

The scene starts with Judge sitting in a car scoping out the pub. As you can see the pub was located on the first couple of floor of Hart Avenue Court. The residential block is still there but the pub has long gone. There is currently a sports bar called AT-LUX occupying the same space.

I believe the railings were over the pub's "moat"

Faux stone interior, made to look like a real castle

This last images shows the opposite block with the Waltzing Matilda Arms

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - The Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay

Following Kraus being kidnapped by the bad guys, Benson flees to the roof of what is supposed to be the warehouse but is in fact the roof of the now demolished Excelsior Hotel. Sadly, this is the last Benson post until I can figure out some of the other blurry shots that pop up randomly throughout the show.

Looking down onto the apartment buildings around Paterson/Cleveland Streets

View to North Point across Victoria Park

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - King Lam Street, Cheung Sha Wan

Benson and Kraus track down the mysterious Ursula Van Dyne (Marian Mercer) to her garment factory. I'd love to say it was easy finding this place but it wasn't. The exterior shot for this place was a recently demolished factory building, the Wing Cheung Factory Buiidling, in the far part of Cheung Sha Wan along King Lam Street. It looks to have been kncoked down in 2020 and a new, taller building has replaced it, but Streetview has historical imagery showing it. The building on the right though, Hang Cheung Factory Building, is still around for the time being.

Interestingly, one of the businesses displayed on the exterior is still around and has a shop in Sham Shui Po - the Ta Hing Thread Manufacturing Company (大興線廠有限公司). Its name can be seen four rows down from the top in red writing. 

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - Lion Pavilion, The Peak

Benson and Kraus head up to the Peak to decide what to do about the now missing Governor. They are being followed by two shady characters who turn out to be some sort of fashion world security guards who are looking after the real taregt of the villains. They're quite happy about the kidnappings as they are a distraction and it means they can whisk their charge away without anyone knowing.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - The Peak

Benson and Kraus realise they are being followed and after leaving the boat in Aberdeen they head over and hail a cab at a nearby carpark. However, this carpark is in fact the one that used to be located at the Peak next to Peak Mansions. The giveaway is the toll/security booth. You can see the same booth in this post. It also makes sense that the show would film here given the location of the next post. I guess you could argue that the carpark still exists, sort of. The site (and neighbouring Peak Mansions, not seen here) was developed into the Peak Galleria which still has a bus terminus and carpark underneath.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - Aberdeen Harbour

In the second episode, Made in Hong Kong: Part 2, following the disappearance of the Governor, Benson and Kraus retire to Aberdeen to plot their next move. We get a night shot of Jumbo as well as some daytime shots of the pair as they get shuttled around on a sampan.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - Ladder Street, Sheung Wan

While the Governor and Benson are out looking for clues around Upper Lascar Row, they find a pot with an emblem on it which may be related  to Clayton's kidnapping. Benson suspects someone is following them and hangs back only to find out it is Kraus. Meanwhile the Governor spots the car that Clayton was abducted in and jumps in a taxi to follow. All this takes place around the area where Upper Lascar Row, Ladder Street and Hollywood Road join up.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - No.8 Police Station, Sai Ying Pun

We've seen this place before, here's the reminder. This is where the group go to report Clayton missing to the Police. It was still an operational station at the time but has since been turned into the David Trench Rehabilitation Centre. The trio chat for a while deciding on strategy outside the main gate posts before sending Kraus (Inga Swenson) back to the hotel to wait for any phone contact. We see her taxi head up High Street towards Bonham Road. The gateposts are still there, but there is now a glass entrance structure between them and the old police building.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - Jumbo Restaurant

Clayton has gone missing because he's been kidnapped by the baddies. The other three go for dinner at the Jumbo and then head back to shore on one of those little shuttle boats that used to run from Shum Wan Pier Drive and elsewhere.

Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - Regent Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui

The group are staying at the Regent Hotel. Later it became the Intercontinental and has now been renamed back to The Regent. It's probably one of the most-featured hotels on my blog (alongside the Peninsula).