Beyond Hypothermia - Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien (1996) - Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun

The next film is another one of those local films that actually qualify for my (very loose) definition of an "international" movie courtesy of it being a Hong Kong/South Korea co-production. It also appears to hold the esteemed title of being the very first Milkyway production.

The story revolves around a nameless female assassin played by Jacklyn Wu, who falls for a humble noodle stall owner, Long (Sean Lau). In between contracts she stops by his nearby stall and eats his noodles and he slowly starts to anticipate her random reappearances. Eventually though, her work catches up with her as she is spotted killing a Korean businessman, whose bodyguard takes it upon himself to seek revenge and he follows her back to Hong Kong.

Long's noodle stall is located at the very top of Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun. The area where the stall was is now unrecoginsable due to the (recent - circa 2015?) construction of some escalators. However, some elements remain including the view of the harbour and the assassin's apartment block (#47-49 High Street). The Google marker keeps snapping to 35 Bonham Road, but the actual location is the adjacent section of Centre Street.

Hong Kong Confidential - Gene Barry (1958) - Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun

Next up for Hong Kong Confidential is a shot looking up Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun. It took a while to be sure but to the eagle-eyed there are several common features between this screencap and a 1920s/30s era image that can be found on Gwulo.com including the buildings at the very top of the road- which are quite blurry in the image from the film. I can't be sure when those buildings were redeveloped but pretty certain they had gone by the late 1950s when the film was made.

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.

Kill a Dragon - Jack Palance (1967) - Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun

The sequence when Aldo Ray and Jack Palance are sitting in the back of the truck and chatting was filmed along Queen's Road West just at the part before it meets Centre Street. In fact, the whole sequence also involves the truck turning down Centre Street before we hit and edit point and see the truck go past from an external angle.

Look carefully and you may spot some similar shop frontages that were also seen in The Last Grenade (and identified by Thomas at the time).

 Queen's Road West

Turning into Centre Street

Centre Street

And the final picture showing us looking up Centre Street.

The Heroin Busters - Fabio Testi (1977) - Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun

More street wanderings as Testi is filmed walking down Centre Street when it still had a street market. These days the road has recently been upgraded by having an escalator constructed on one side. The market has gone, as have most of the old buildings.

Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine - Jean-Paul Belmondo (1965) - Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun

Another excellent spot by Thomas and one that he has done before because the next screen shots show the exact same spot that we covered a while back whilst looking at The Last Grenade. It's the junction where Queen's Road meets Centre Street. You can click the link above to re-familiarise with the location. The top picture below shows the last shophouse before reaching the junction with Centre Street and this building with its columns can still be found there - although who knows how long they are safe for.

Queen's Road West

Turning right into Centre Street.

The blue sign at the top right of the lower pictures along Centre Street was still there 4 years later when The Last Grenade was shot. You can see it in the pictures on the link I posted above. Once again, many thanks to Thomas and his eagle-eyes.

The Last Grenade - Stanley Baker (1969) - Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun

Here is one of the urban spots that was proving difficult for me to locate, that is until Thomas came along with a suggestion that was right on the nail. It was part of the scene when Baker and his motley crew are being taken from the airport after their arrival to their tumbledown base in the New Territories. I'm not sure quite how they made it onto HK Island from Kai Tak on the way to the NT but it's nice to see some real local colour from the late 60's.

I'm not sure where Sheung Wan ends and Sai Ying Pun starts but the recent opening of the western extension of the MTR's Island Line means that Sai Ying Pun station has opened pretty much underneath this area and exit A1 is further back east along Queen's Road West, just beyond the curve we can see in the upper picture. Anyway, here's the reminder.

Queen's Road West turning right into...

...Centre Street

Here are the comments and links that led to the confirmation that this was the intersection between Queen's Road West and Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun.

This might be where Queen's Road West meets Centre Street. The very curve at the back seems fit, but I am unable to match the shop fronts. Need some other old photos of the area of the time for reference...

The shape of the column of the shophouse on the left hand side seem to match this one -https://goo.gl/maps/5LLRZsSf2sp (the one with red writing above the yellow bin)

This might be a match of the blueish restaurant building -http://www.weshare.hk/uploads/12155/X_USzntYq3kmAX_K2LI6Bw.jpg

and...from the opposite point of view -http://www.weshare.hk/uploads/12155/AigUFa3WnSOi9JjlcuaQ5Q.jpg

If you click through on Thomas's first link you can see the shophouse with its specific column design. It's not the only old building in the area but it's certainly nice to see it still around whereas the opposite side of the road has been completely replaced and redeveloped over the years. Anyway, a great find by Thomas - one of many he has done for me on this blog - so a big thanks to him.

Knock Off - Jean Claude Van Damme (1997) - Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun

Here's another missed post, this time from the rickshaw race, however this was deliberate because I was having a hard time matching it to anywhere. In the end my mistrust of movie geography has been my downfall because it turns out that this is the upper end of Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun and is pretty much where the race continues after the nifty turn at the bottom of St Stephen's Lane.

The reason why I was having a hard time matching it is because this part of Centre Street - between Bonham Road and Third Street - has been completely renovated to incorporate an escalator - stage 1 of a system that will rival the existing mid-level's escalator in Central. As far as I can tell (though the final verdict may well have to wait until a personal visit can be made) those steps that gave the street quite a bit of character have all gone.

If you ask me it's a really big shame and just I feel that streets like these should be protected as much as old buildings, but that's just me.

Bloodsport - Jean Claude Van Damme (1987) - Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong

Remember that our scene has us in an easterly-headed HK tram trundling along Johnston Road in Wanchai. Well, guess what, when the camera pans back to get a look at the bemused JCVD observing Gibb's rather inappropriate-but-ultimately-harmless behaviour towards his fellow passenger, we get to see a completely different piece of HK.

But guess what, the Emerald Hotel was a hotel that sat on the corner of Des Voeux Road West and Centre Street over in Sai Ying Pun. In other words, in the space of just a few seconds we have changed direction (now headed west), and have miraculously ended up 4 kilometres away from where we were just a second ago. The power of film!!

Anyway, the Emerald Hotel is no longer with us and in fact the whole site was redeveloped and opened as another hotel called the Island Pacific. Here is a recent Streetview. And here is a picture of how it used to look courtesy of the HK Memories website.