Godzilla vs. Destroyah - Takuro Tatsumi (1995) - Nga Tsin Long Road , Kowloon City

I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning on my increasingly creaky desktop and found a couple of images from Godzilla vs Destroyah that I never made into a post. I have no idea if I forgot at the time or just didn't know where the location was. Anyway, after a quick look I can see that this shot was taken at the junction of Nga Tsin Wai Road and Nga Tsin Long Road. The giveaway in this case is the corner of the market building that can be seen on the right of the upper image. The older buildings are still there for the time being.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Cochrane Street, Central

Rex is handcuffed to a lamp post on the corner of Cochrane/Stanley Streets. In the background of the top image you can see the "Good Spring Company". I believe this Chinese medicine shop is still there, albeit with a newer sign.

Anyway,it looks like this is the last post for Spitfire. Time to move on to a new film.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Wellington Street, Central

The pair are finally caught at the junction of Pottinger Street and Wellington Street. Not much has changed here at all, apart from the fashions.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Pottinger Street, Central

After beating up their pursuers over in Wanchai, by the magic of the movies, the pair are transported all of a sudden to Pottinger Street - recognisable thanks to its stone slab steps (which give the street its Chinese nickname/unofficial name - 石板街).

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay

In another of those remarkable feats of human achievement, running away from the bad guys up a street in Aberdeen leads the pair to Lockhart Road in Wanchai! Specifically where it intersects with Percival Street. The green neon shop (first image) was on the ground floor of the Po Hon Building. In the second and third images you can see the Percival Street-facade of Causeway Bay Plaza.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Aberdeen Harbour

Aberdeen Harbour proper now as Rex (Tim Thomerson) and Charlie (Kristie Phillips) are taken along the western breakwater in an attemptto disguise them from the pursuing helicopter. The Dairy Farm Cold Storage facilities in the background are still around. The usual cat-and-mouse chase, in and around the floating community, takes place before everything moves back to land.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Tin Wan Praya Road, Aberdeen

The taxi eventually stops along Tin Wan Praya Road, right next to the Aberdeen Gasometer/Gas storage facility. The driver then walks down the small cutting that links up to the western harbour breakwater. Believe it or not but the Google cameras have made it down there as well.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Hennessy Road, Wanchai

Another shot of the taxi driving around as it turns out of the eastern end of Johnston Road and heads back west along Hennessy Road. Quite a few of these buildings are still around. 

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Pedder Street, Central

After catching a taxi at the "airport", the cab is filmed driving around various streets in Hong Kong including the area below. This footbridge connected Worldwide House, in the background, with what was Swire House on the corner of Chater Road/Pedder Street. Actually, the footbridge lasted longer than the building because the footbridge remains whereas Swire House was demolished in the late 90s and replaced by the current Chater House. Despite the poor picture quality, you can just make out the words "Swire House" on the right hand side of the top image below.

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Hung Hom Train Station

Although we are supposed to be in the airport terminal, the cylindrical support columns threw me off for a few seconds because the columns at Kai Tak were square. The location is revealed when the actors head outside and we can quite clearly see - in large, thanks to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University across the road - that we are in fact at Hung Hom Station, and not the airport. Mr Pyun pulling a bit of bait and switch there. The bus terminus is still there although the inside of the station has had a very funky new redecoration (I know because I was there just last week - my first time since I caught a cross-border train back in 2016).

Spitfire - Lance Henriksen (1995) - Kai Tak Airport

I've been trying for some time to get hold of Albert Pyun's Spitfire because it was partially shot in Hong Kong. Sadly out of print, I haven't been able to find any copies that are attainable without re-mortgaging my house again. Such is life. However, I discovered a partial upload of it online which includes the Hong Kong footage and so have been able to finally include it here. I have no idea what the film is about, the bit I saw was just utter rubbish. Such is the way with Pyun films, some are good, some are complete pants. Sadly, this film appears to fall into the latter category.

It appears to be a sort of spy movie where Lance Henriksen plays a spy with access to some nuclear launch codes. He has an enemy who wants them and is killing off his family to get them, leaving his gymnastic daughter, Charlie (Kristie Phillips), to get to the codes before the enemy does.

Anyway, as with most films that feature some Hong Kong, there's the bit in the film where the location shifts (from the Philippines in this case) and it requires the obligatory footage of a plane landing at Kai Tak (it was filmed in 1995, so just a few years before it closed).

The building in the background of the last two images is not the airport terminal, but in fact the HQ of the EMSD (Electrical and Mechanical Services Dept). This place has cropped up as a location before because it stood in for a Police HQ a few years ago in Man of Tai Chi. I've been reliably informed that when the airport was in operation, this building was the air freight terminal.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui

Nikos is able to secure passage on another vessel and boards it at Ocean Terminal.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - Tai Chi Garden, Hong Kong Park

Nikos finally catches up with Li at the "Tai Chi Garden". It's a terrace with a variety of white pavilions held up by large white columns. These days though it also has the SARS memorial - dedicated to some of the front line workers that were exposed to, and died from, SARS during the outbreak in 2003.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - Hong Kong Park Children's Playground, Central

If you have ever had young kids in Hong Kong then the chances are you will have taken them to the huge playground in Hong Kong park at some point. This place was cool (it probably still is, I haven't been for a while now that most of my kids are now officially adults!) because it had some toy diggers in the sandpit with articulated arms as well as a bunch of swings, slides and a very cool tunnel slide etc.

This is where Nikos leaves Li as he heads off to the shipping offices to try and get a spot on another ship. He returns later to find she has disappeared.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - Lion's Club Pavilion, The Peak

Unfortunately we don't get to see how they get up to the Peak, but at the top there is the Lion's Club  Pavilion andits very famous view.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - The Peak Tram Open Top Bus, Central

I'm not sure if this thing still runs, I don't think it does but I could be wrong because I have only just made it back up to the Peak following a break of almost 10 years. Lots has changed. I didn't see this bus around so I assume it has gone the way of many other great things (some tangible, some not so) in Hong Kong and disappeared.

 Anyway, back during my multiple trips in the 90s you used to be able to catch this free, dedicated open-top bus from Edinburgh Place, outside the old Star Ferry pier. It didn't go to the Peak, it just trundled up to the Lower Peak Tram Terminus, offload and refill passengers, and then go back down again, but it was a short and very enjoyable journey through a small part of Central. Did I mention it was free? Nikos and Li do the same in the film, although they don't appear to be quite as excited about it as I used to get all those years ago.

Fun fact: when I first moved to Hong Kong in 2006, I think a one way ticket on the peak tram was HK$14, and a return $28. Now it's $62 for a one way trip and $88 for a return and each tram now has four carriages (it used to be two).

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Stephen Rea (1995) - Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market

The sites of Nikos and Li's walk seem to change between Hong Kong and Kowloon. In this scene they are walking through Ya Ma Tei's famous wholesale fruit market.