Friday, May 22, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Queen's Pier, Central

This is one of the locations that Yung and Kwok's adoptive father goes to when he arrives back in Hong Kong from Malacca. Yung is having him followed by one of his goons so he knows whether or not his dad is on his side or Kwok's. My understanding is that the old structure - removed when reclamation started back in 2007 (after a delay due to the growing awareness of heritage protection in HK). The pier structure is supposed to be restored back to its original, although now landlocked, location in front of CIty Hall, but I haven't been there for a while so can't confirm whether or not it has been done. I'll confirm later.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Following his return from Malacca, Chai makes a call to Inspector Cheung (Danny Lee) telling him his plan to take out Yung so that Cheung can take all the credit. He makes his call from a phone box located on Nathan Road opposite the Peninsula Hotel. It looks to me like a prop because in one shot the phone box is facing the hotel on the other side of the road, and then in the next it has turned at an angle so that we can see the end of the hotel building facing Salisbury Road.

Notice in the top image how the left arched window aperture is missing the molding from its keystone? That has since been replaced and the rectangular hole next to it has been filled in. As you can see, most of the things I notice in these images are of no interest to anyone...

No doubt the Google location marker will have jumped to a nearby building, but to be clear, this is on the south east corner of the Nathan/Middle Road junction.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Shaw Bros Dormitories, Clearwater Bay

The exterior scenes of the police station where Chai's wife, Po (Carina Lau), is being held were filmed at the old Shaw dormitories next to Movietown. The interior scenes were shot somewhere else though (looks like a real, but old station - yet to be determined).

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Sun Wong Toi Road, Kowloon

Kwok heads back to Malacca after arriving in Hong Kong to plead with Yung to end his quarrel with Chai. Not much of a scene other than a view of his car supposedly driving towards the airport along Sung Wong Toi Road.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Fu Uk Tung Kei Joint Garden, Tai Chung Hau Village

Following the execution of Big Eye, Chai calls a meeting with all the disparate groups of triads to work out a plan to deal with Yung. However, they have all been set up and the police raid the meeting, kill a couple of the gangsters and to save his brothers, Chai gives himself up to the police and takes all their guns with him.

This was filmed at a small horticultural co-operative in Sai Kung called Fu Uk Tung Kei Joint Garden (富屋東記組合花園). It's still marked on some maps as being located right next to the junction of Tau Chung Hau Road and Hiram's Highway. It may have moved around a bit over the years, I have no idea, but at least one of the angles matches the ridgeline in the top image below.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Lower Shing Mun Reservoir Main Dam

Chai discovers that A-lok's death was the result of him being double-crossed by Big Eye (Lam Chung) so he takes the latter to a secluded place to confront him. The location is on top of the dam wall at the lower Shing Mun Reservoir in Tai Wai. I located this one quite quickly because it was one of the places I used to ride to on my motorbike a few years back. The building in the background of the third image is part of the Fu Shan Crematorium. You can see it in my own image at the bottom (taken 2017).

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Silvercord Centre, Canton Road

A-lok (Shing Fui-on) decides to take matters into his own hands and plots to assassinate Yung by pretending to be a window washer. He takes the gondola down to Yung's office floor but someone has already ratted him out and he is shot to death through the window. This scene was shot dangling from Tower 1 of the Silvercord Centre on Canton Road with the Wharf T&T Centre directly behind.

Friday, May 15, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Chi Lok Villa, Tuen Mun

Boss Chu's house is Chi Lok Villa, a famous mansion that was demolished a few years back to make way for the current "South Crest" developemnt. You can see some images of it here because it also featured as Chor Yuen's house in Police Story 2. We don't get to see much of it in this film because the camera is inside filming out onto the driveway. This is where Yung puts in his attack plan and finally kills Boss Chu during a dinner party.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Tip Choi Villa, Barbecue Gardens

As in the first film, Chai's luxury family home is located in a 1960s era housing estate along Castle Peak Road called Barbecue Gardens. Apparently it was quite famous for having lots of stars living there in the 1960s. These days a few of the original houses remain. Chai's house, as can be seen here in Rich and Famous, was Tip Choi Villa at #11. The house is still around but I have no idea who owns it or lives there.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Clearwater Bay Country Club

Chai meets his former rival gang boss, Boss Chu, at the Clearwater Bay Country Club to discuss how to deal with the increasingly unhinged and belligerent Yung. The two former rivals now being friends and business partners.