Benson - Robert Guillaume (1984) - The Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay

Following Kraus being kidnapped by the bad guys, Benson flees to the roof of what is supposed to be the warehouse but is in fact the roof of the now demolished Excelsior Hotel. Sadly, this is the last Benson post until I can figure out some of the other blurry shots that pop up randomly throughout the show.

Looking down onto the apartment buildings around Paterson/Cleveland Streets

View to North Point across Victoria Park

...and Millions will die! - Richard Basehart (1973) - The Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay

Alas no more, demolished during the Covid lockdown, the Excelsior has been a popular filming location over the years, perhaps most famously for the lift farting scene in Revenge of the Pink Panther. In this film it appears to be that Gallagher (Leslie Nielsen) has some sort of private residence on the roof, but I believe this was the "Talk of the Town" bar on the - then - top floor. At some point the hotel looks to have encapsulated the previous open roof section around the 34th floor and incorporated it into the main structure. The second batch of images below, shows the previously open roof section around the bar - behind where the hotel name sign was.

Talk of the Town? Please feel to comment if you ever went there. I only ever made it as far as the Churchill Bar in the basement with a bunch of folks from Gwulo many years ago.

The area on the roof by the bar

The scarring on the hillside in the background is the start
of construction of the Lai Tak Estate.

Roof terrace entrance/exit

We then get afew shots of the hotel interior as Pruit tries to escape from Gallagher. You can compare the entrance lobby lift shot to the same area a few years later for the aforementioned Pink Panther movie.

This clearer shot above shows the same place in Revenge of the Pink Panther

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay

The film tries to trick us into believing that the Excelsior Hotel is in Macau, because this is Lung's next stop as he tracks down the man responsible for hiring the thugs to kidnap the woman at the airport. It looks like the interior scene may have also been shot in the hotel with the obvious view over to Kowloon and Beacon Hill in the distance. Then, the next scene we are back in Macau again.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

A few moments after driving along Hung Hom Road, the car pops out on the other side of the harbour and drives along Gloucester Road, past the now demolished Excelsior Hotel.

Foxbat - Henry Silva (1977) - Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

Silva's contact for the espionage deal is a fashion designer and they first make contact at one of his shows being held at what we are led to believe is the World Trade Centre (built 1975) in Causeway Bay. Here is the establishing shot that shows us the front as well as the Excelsior Hotel next door. Sadly, the Excelsior has closed and is currently (April 2020) still being demolished.

Shatter - Stuart Whitman (1974) - Cross Harbour Tunnel, East Tsim Sha Tsui

Here's one we haven't seen yet (unless you count the fake one from Double Impact), it's the original Cross Harbour Tunnel that joins Tsim Sha Tsui with Causeway Bay.

Once through the toll gates on the Kowloon side, we have a quick glimpse inside the tunnel before emerging into the daylight, Hong Kong-side.

It looked fairly bare on this side back in 1974, that patch of bare earth in the bottom snap now contains the Police Officer's Club. You can see the Excelsior Hotel in the background as well.

Contagion - Matt Damon (2011) - Victoria Park Road Lay-by, Hong Kong

Just off the main road in Causeway Bay, where Gloucester Road joins with Victoria Park Road, is a small lay-by. This is the location of the kidnapping. The car and van cruise in, pull up, and poor Dr Orantes (Marion Cotillard) is carted off against her will. The big cream building in the background is the very recognisable Excelsior Hotel.

As you can see by the Streetview capture below, the place hasn't changed. Of course this is not surprising considering it has only been a few years since filming was done, but you never know - this is Hong Kong after all and there are rumours in the air that the Excelsior is soon to be sold and redeveloped.