Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen

We were here earlier during the boat chase but I figured I would finish the known locations of this film on this as I take leave for a few weeks. The gangsters' boss is on the boat and the bank clerk who messed up the sting on Depardieu is dealt with quite brutally in the basement of the restaurant.

This film still has quite a few places I have yet to find, adding up to a fair amount of places. It's not too shabby when you realise that the HK portion of the film is only the first half and before the so-called Guardian Angels of the title rear their heads.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon

Finally, a shot set in Kai Tak that was actually filmed in Kai Tak. It looks like there was a section of the old terminal that jutted out from the rear with these angled window panes. I have no idea what it was used for but I suspect it wasn't the airport police office as it is supposed to be in the film. I'm sure there are some people out there who can remember what it was (restaurant or viewing area maybe?).

Darren Shahlavi, who passed away in 2015, can be seen on the right.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal, Macau

When everyone finally arrives at the "airport" it turns out that Kai Tak is still a long way off and the film makers instead used the Terminal Marítimo de Passageiros do Porto Exterior as a stand in.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Kai Tak Tunnel, Ma Tau Kok

Yet more of the car chase, now we are back in Kowloon and close to the actual location this was all supposed to be set at. This is the southern Ma Tau Kok entrance to the Kai Tak Tunnel. The opposite northern entrance of the tunnel (Kowloon Bay end) can be seen in Police Story 2.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun

Despite being chased along Dragon Road, Depardieu makes a turn and suddenly finds himself charging down Centre Street on his stolen vehicle, crashing into stuff and generally causing mayhem. The biggest change to this road recently is the addition of an escalator on the right hand side (when looking down from the top). I'm not sure if there is still a street market.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Dragon Road, Tai Hang

Interspersed with the shots filmed in Tai Po but edited to make it look as though they are nearby is a scene filmed on Dragon Road in Tai Hang (i.e. about 20 km away on Hong Kong Island).  Dragon Road is instantly recognisable because it is one of the only streets - at least that I know of - that has such a prominent tree slap bang in the middle of the road. We get to see it from both sides as the gangsters pursue Depardieu only his stolen pedicab thingy.

The first shot is the view from the east about in line with where the Tin Hau temple would be on the right (that is the temple that the "Tin Hau" MTR station is named after). The second image looks as though it was taken from the branches of the same tree still looking west and the final image is looking back the other way (west to east). This location is right next to another I posted about in Lust Caution last year.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po Market

We stay in Tai Po for the next few images (although I think they appear later in the chase), this time on Heung Sze Wui Street. The top image was shot from the junction with Po Heung Street looking back up towards Wan Tau Street. Actually, I am very familiar with this street because not only did I live here for the first six months of my move in 2006, but it's also where my three kids went to Kindergarten. The car crash is at the junction I just mentioned. The Tai Po Rural Committee building (second/third images - centre screen) was demolished circa 2014 to make way for a new Govt housing development called the Po Heung Estate.

In the top photo, the area behind the red flower boards was an open concrete sports ground and this is how it was when I first visited Hong Kong. I first visited in November 1995 so I think I must've missed the filming by only a few months - what a shame. Anyway, the sports ground was subsequently developed into the Tai Po Complex.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Shung Tak Street, Tai Po Market

In the ensuing chase that started at the fake airport, the action quickly moves to Tai Po. Of course, the flow of the sequence implies that we are somewhere in Kowloon, but the actual footage was filmed in the small streets of Tai Po Market. This following shot was filmed in a place that may be familiar to a few people even if they don't realise it. It's the corner of Shung Tak Street and Yan Hing Street - directly opposite what is now the main entrance to the excellent Tai Po railway Museum. In fact this is the same view you will see when you walk down the steps from the museum entrance there. Believe it or not but that shop is still there.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Shatin Racecourse, Fo Tan

Here's one that was a bit of a surprise. The location is a stand in for the Kai Tak airport area which looks as though it was probably out of bounds for filming - understandably considering how busy the place used to get. So instead of Kai Tak airport, we get an amalgam of several places, the first is this one. It's the car park next to Shatin Race Course. The giveaway was the strange structure behind Clavier in the top image - it's one of the viewing towers that looks over the race course.

The rest of the images are shot in the car park area with views over to the construction of the Royal Ascot residential development (see in the background swathed in bamboo scaffolding and green safety netting). A quick check on Centamap confirms it was completed in 1995.

 The sequence was shot to hide the main stand which would be to the right in this lower shot, but the walkways and other structures here are still around - except for the obviously fake airport signage, of course.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Harbour Road, Wanchai

As Depardieu takes care of business inside the Bank of Shanghai, his pursuers watch and wait from a car parked along Harbour Road. The first view is looking east towards the Great Eagle Centre from under the pedestrian link bridge connecting Central Plaza with the Exhibition centre. The second shot is looking back the other from the same point.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Central Plaza, Wanchai

Depardieu heads to the "Bank of Shanghai" to find out what is in his dead friend's safety deposit box. The bank though is not a real bank but was in fact Central Plaza - once Hong Kong's tallest building when it was built. In fact at the time this film was made it was the tallest building in the whole of Asia! Not anymore.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Nam Ning Street, Aberdeen

After dropping his new charge off at the boys' boarding school (i.e. Penha Church in Macau), Depardieu runs outside to grab a cab to the bank (because he has his friend's safety deposit key and is about to find out why all the gangsters are after him). Some more geographical shenanigans arise when he suddenly appears back in Hong Kong and stops the cab on Nam Ning Street in Aberdeen town centre. The archway in the background marks the entrance to the commercial arcade/plaza that runs through the middle of the Aberdeen Centre residential development (it's called Aberdeen Square on Google maps).

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Penha Church, Macau

Some more Penha Church as Depardieu and his new charge manage to evade the triads by jumping over a wall and landing...in the courtyard of Penha Church. Quite an impressive feat considering the distance between Kowloon and Macau. Anyway, the priest is giving a sermon when Depardieu gatecrashes and then persuades the priest to take the boy in under his charge. This church, its courtyard and the view from it have featured in quite a few films seen on this blog over the years.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen

After meeting his new charge, the boat is attacked by the triads. Depardieu and the boy escape by commandeering a tourist boat and then a speedboat which they use to outrun their pursuers. The action is spread out all over the harbour including the top image showing the western end with the Dairy Farm cold storage facility and its two pylons...

...over by Sham Wan with the Aberdeen Marina Club in the background...

...and next to the Jumbo Kingdom.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Ap Lei Chau Waterfront, Ap Lei Chau

When Depardieu first arrives in HK, he is taken to his friend's son who is being looked after on board a boat in Aberdeen Harbour. The area they arrive at is on Ap Lei Chau side on a section of land that has seen been redeveloped into the Municipal Services Building and the beautified waterfront. As you can see by the images, it was still a bit of a wasteland back in 1995. However, most of those taller buildings (top and bottom pictures) are still there as far as I can tell and were not affected by the redevelopment. Of course the second picture shows the view looking back across towards Aberdeen. Look closely and you will see the old Aberdeen Police Station on the hill behind the actor.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon

Despite all the locations used in lieu of the real thing, there are some shots of Kai Tak Airport in this film. The first two images are from when the boys are heading back to their school/church after their day of helping out at the camp. The last image is from the end of the HK section of the film as they all head to France. I'm fairly certain all the buildings seen in the first image are still around - at least for the time being.