Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Yiu Lian Dockyard, Tsing Yi

The cargo depot scenes were at least partially, if not wholly, shot at the Yiu Lian Dockyard on the south west side of Tsing Yi Island.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Tsuen Wan Plaza, Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan Plaza is the mall that Kurt runs into as he tries to escape being caught.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Wang Kwun Road, Kowloon Bay

The confrontation between the recently hacked and raging robot and the cops takes place at the junction between Wang Kwun Road and Lam Lok Street in Kowloon Bay. The building with the large columns is the Nam Fung Commercial Centre, and the building with the glass wall is called Enterprise Square. You can see the same location on this GoogleEarth link.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Aberdeen Harbour

Actually, before I forget, we will stay in Aberdeen for the sequence where the FBI catch up with Edison and all hell breaks loose. Props to Paul Rudd in this scene because the man goes and takes a full on head first dive into Aberdeen Harbour waters for this scene and seems to have survived. I know the water has cleared up a lot since the boat people were largely moved onto land, but still...

In the background of the top image you can see what was the Wild West Minetrain rollercoaster that was in Ocean Park until just a few years ago. I believe it was decommissioned in September 2021 as the theme park was in the process of modernising. However, it's so long since I went there I have no idea what it has been replaced by.

Paul Rudd's legs 😁

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen

Any footage of the Jumbo (or the other floating restaurants) is appreciated these days given what happened in 2022. This is where Edison first goes to meet with his friend Kurt. The pair have a paintball fight amongst the piers on the Shum Wan Drive side of the harbour.

Jumbo is also seen later in the film as Edison and Jane (Maggie Q) try to retrace Edison's footsteps to track down clues as to Kurt's whereabouts. Don't forget to go and listen to my RTHK podcast about the various international films the Jumbo has been in over the years.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai

The "Police Technology" exhibition is taking place at the HKECC, except it's not one that you will recognise because for some unknown reason the production has decided to use either CGI or a matte painting to make it look a bit more...funky?. Weird choice.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok

The police go to the airport to welcome the FBI contingent and their robot.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Wong Chuk Hang

The Police headquarters in this film is actually the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in Wong Chuk Hang on the south side of the Aberdeen Tunnel.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - former Lok On Pai Desalination Plant

We were only here a few months ago for Hacker, but this location is used twice in this film. The first time (top two images) is the location of the underground fight club where the pair pick up Edison, and the second time (lower four images) we go back to this location is when the cops go and try to capture Kurt and his gang.

Gen Y Cops - Edison Chen (2000) - Lantau Link

Here's one I was going to do years ago and then just forgot about (because it's not very good) but seeing as Paul Rudd (aka Ant Man) is in the cast with some very dodgy blonde highlights (we used to call them "streaks" when I was at school), then perhaps now is the time to roll this one out. The story is a follow up to Gen X Cops minus Nicholas Tse and with Edison Chen brought in as a replacement. He's not someone you see in films anymore thanks to his indiscretion that led to the Edison Chen photo scandal back in 2008. It was all over the news at the time and ended (at least for a while) quite a few careers. 

Anyway, in this movie the intrepid cops Match (Stephen Fung), Alien (Sam Lee) and...erm...Edison (Chen) join forces to track down a hacker who has taken over an FBI robot. Rudd plays one of the FBI agents, along with Maggie Q, sent to Hong Kong to ensure its demonstration at the "Hong Kong International Exhibition of Police Technology" goes according to plan. Spoiler alert, it doesn't.

The film's Hong Kong story starts with Match and Alien driving along the Tsing Ma Bridge in a borrowed Ferrari, on their way to try and meet up with an undercover cop, Edison. The first image below was taken on the Tsing Ma bridge section of the Lantau Link (between Tsing Yi and Ma Wan), but the middle image is of the Kap Shui Mun bridge section between Ma Wan and Lantau Island. The lower image was actually filmed as the car goes back the other way across the Tsing Ma Bridge.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - O'Brien Road, Wanchai

Watching the film, I thought this next shot was supposed to be the view from Josie's window in the apartment where she is employed, but perhaps it was just a transitional shot for the sequence where her employers callously cancel her holiday, take her passport and then lock her in their apartment while they go off on their own holiday.

Anyway, this image shows the view looking south along Thomson Road/O'Brien Road and so was most definitely captured from the walkway/footbridge above Wanchai MTR station. We've been in this area a couple of times in the last few months (Crossing Hennessy, Hafen der Düfte).

This lower image is from the opening sequence and shows a view along the footbridge but next to where it crosses Gloucester Road.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Winner Building, Happy Valley

Josie is employed (and therefore lives) with a family in the Winner Building next to the Happy Valley Tram Terminus. She gets off the tram to go home and walks through the building's main entrance. The 7-11 is still there, by the way.

Happy Valley Tram Terminus

We later see Josie wistfully looking out of the window of the apartment following her incarceration by her employers. The blue paint scheme on the outside of the building was removed (according to historical Streetview imagery) sometime between 2011 - 2016 when the building was renovated.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Johnston Road, Wanchai

Josie waits for a tram home and is barged out of the way as she goes to get on. In the background you can see the circular front of the old Chung Wui Apartment building on the corner of Wanchai and Johnston Roads which means we are on Johnston Road in this image.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

Here's a nice image of the section of Gloucestr Road between O'Brien Road and Stewart Road. The low, white building on the left was the former Hong Kong Exhibition Centre that was knocked down about 10 years ago and replaced by the funky looking St Regis Hotel. The China Resources Building behind it also looks far more funky these days with an complete external renovation using copious amounts of glass. The pillars on the left are the ground floor of Central Plaza and this shot was captured from the footbridge at the end of O'Brien Road (this one).

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Des Voeux Road Central

More opening sequence shows this view of the main junction between Des Voeux Road Central, Pedder Street, Chater Road and Connaught Place. The corner of Worldwide House can be seen on the right and Des Voeux Road continues into the distance to the right of frame.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Victoria Park

Some more of the opening scenes as we see a bunch of Hong Kongers doing their morning exercises in Victoria Park with the Central Library (note, Central Library is not located in Central, but in Causeway Bay in Wanchai District) in the background.

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui

Another scene from the opening montage includes a shot of the ferries at the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier. It's a brief glimpse, but thankfully later in the film there is also some footage of the same area as Josie's friends wait for her on her day off not knowing she has been locked inside the apartment by her employers whilst they go on a jolly (lower images).

Anak - Vilma Santos (2000) - View from The Peak

How about a Filipino film for a change? I've been on the lookout for an old Filipino film called Hongkong Honeymoon for many many years. It stars Zaldy Zshornack and (from some clips I have seen) features some nice 1960 B&W scenery from around Hong Kong. Sadly, it appears to be completely out of existence and I've had no luck. If anyone knows where a copy might be found, please feel free to comment.

In the meantime, here is another Filipino film of more recent vintage and one that is perhaps more relatable to the many Filipino domestic helpers who work and live in Hong Kong. Anak tells the story of Josie (Vilma Santos) who leaves the Philippines to come to Hong Kong to earn more money, but it's at the expense of the relationship with her children who resent her absence and misunderstand why she has left them. Things are made worse when her husband dies and she is unable to return for his funeral - let's just say that her Hong Kong employers aren't the nicest of people. Much of the story is set back in the Philippines where Josie returns after several years to reunite with her children. However, there are still a few scenes shot in Hong Kong that make it worthy of including on the blog.

The film was available to watch on Youtube via the official channel of Star Cinema who also produced it, but since I watched it just a few weeks ago it has been removed. You may get more luck searching their channel directly.

The film opens with Josie narrating about her life in Hong Kong over a variety of images of the place starting with this one taken from Lugard Road around the top of the Peak.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Adam Baldwin (2000) - Yau Ma Tei Police Station

No longer a Police Station because it was decommissioned a couple of years ago. I did make a trip here last year with David Bellis from Gwulo and, after seeing a gathering in the rear carpark area, we popped in to have a look around only to be instantly told to get the hell away. Such is life in the new National Security-conscious Hong Kong.

In the movie this is the exterior used for the Police station in the film where one of the gangsters is set free after he refuses to talk. So Mr. Hyde follows him back to his opium den (yes, quite a few of these Hong Kong cliches pop up) to extract the information he needs.

One of the things I can gather from this sequence is that this was before the local police stations were all given a new grey/dark blue coat of paint. Back in 2000 it was still the white/light blue colour scheme (seeing little things like this please my nerdy brain).