Erotic Journey: Love Affair in Hong Kong - Hirokazu Inoue (1973) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

The in-car footage continues on the island as we are driven along Gloucester Road. The first image shows the junction with Stewart Road before zooming quickly along (meaning the screencaps are a bit blurred) past the old Wanchai Police Station building. There's a building in the first two images, along Stewart Road, that is still there. It's the one behind the no entry sign in the second image. Gwulo has an image of it here. That and the Police Station are the only old buildings left here.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

The two main nefarious antagonists discuss the need to kill Shi as they drive along Gloucester Road in their Rolls Royce. In the background you can see a building site with Far East Motors Ltd on the front hoarding. This was the location of the former Far East Motors car showroom that can be seen in the back of a shot from The World of Suzie Wong. Behind it is the large B.A.T factory that stood along the waterfront until the mid-70s when it was replaced by Elizabeth House. The in-car scenes were obviously shot over a long period as the background outside changes from Harcourt Road to Queen's Road Central. This shot below was the establishing shot for the sequence.

Ballad of a Small Player - Colin Farrell (2025) - Windsor House Car Park, Causeway Bay

Doyle briefly catches a glimpse of a man falling past his window as he relaxes in the hotel lounge, and runs down to see what has happened. This is a quick hop to Hong Kong because by the time he gets down to what we think is the ground level of the hotel, we have arrived at a podium carpark at Windsor House in Causeway Bay.

...and Millions will die! - Richard Basehart (1973) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

As the gunmen make their way to their target, heir car can be seen driving along Gloucester Road in Wanchai.You can see the Excelsior Hotel. This hotel features prominently in the film so I'll post about it later.

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

Here's a nice image of the section of Gloucester 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).

Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - Gloucester Road Pedestrian Footbridge

After some walking, Oi Lin stops to ponder life on a pedestrian bridge that straddles Gloucester Road. There are a few that span this highway, but this is the one in front of the Luk Kwok Hotel that I believe has been around since the 1960s. Obviously this is the safest way to cross this road, unless you are Jackie Chan.

Telecom House on the right

Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - Gloucester Road Pedestrian Bridge, Wanchai

Another brief transition shot shows the large pedestrian bridge that connects the two sides of Gloucester Road. Anyone who has spent any length of time in Hong Kong will probably have had to use this bridge as it used to connect Wanchai MTR station (above O'Brien Road) with what was the Immigration Department HQ (since moved to Tseung Kwan O though, I think).

Rich and Famous - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Wanchai Police Station

On the day of the wedding, the gruff Inspector Cheung (Danny Lee) gets picked up by a police car and taken to the church so he can continue his threats against Chai. But to be fair, considering what's about to happen, that's the least of Ah Chai's worries. I'm not sure what'sgoing on with this old uilding at themoment, the last timeI saw it (a few months ago) it was covered in scaffolding - usually an indicator of a revamp.

International Prostitution: Brigade criminelle - Jean-Louis Broust (1980) - Gloucester Road

The next scene shows the car driving down the section of Gloucester Road that runs alongside Victoria Park. On the right side of the frame are the residential blocks that occupy the block between Kingston Street and Cleveland Street. Just beyond is the Park Lane Hotel and Windsor House.

Legacy of Rage - Brandon Lee (1986) - Harbour Drive, Wanchai

Michael's car can be seen driving down Harbour Drive, just past the junction with Fleming Road. That's the Fleming Road flyover behind the car. This section of Harbour Drive runs parallel with Gloucester Road, the main highway behind. The hotel sign used to belong to the Harbour Hotel, but this was demolished in the mid '00s to make way for the Mormon Church. The white building in the background with the large Chinese characters on it is the Tung Wai Commercial Building. That one is still around as far as I know. Anyway, it's here where May tries to make a run for it after Michael attacks her.

Flash Point - Donnie Yen (2007) - The Sun's Group Centre, Wanchai

The meeting between the two gangs, where the Vietnamese gang blackmail the other group into leaving them alone and minding their own business, was shot on one of the upper floors of the Sun's Group Centre on the corner of Marsh Road where it joins Gloucester Road. 

Police Story 2 - Jackie Chan (1988) - Gloucester Road, Hong Kong

Ka Kui is told by May's aunt that the gang are across the road keeping an eye on them. However, "across the road" in this movie means several miles away across the harbour on Hong Kong Island. Ka Kui then proceeds to jaywalk across Gloucester Road to reach Harcourt House where the gang are eating in a cafe on the ground floor.

Harcourt House

The HK Academy of Performing Arts is in the background

Ka Kui gets hit by a van on the slip road that runs alongside the main highway. It looks like - given the amount of damage it gets - the cafe was a studio mockup. The space where it was has since been occupied by several car dealerships including Mazda, Ford, VW, and is currently occupied by Lexus.

Anti-Corruption - Bill Lake (1975) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

The next scene in the opening of the film is a panning shot that starts on the (since replaced) Wanchai ferry pier on the newly reclaimed waterfront north of Gloucester Road. The camera then pans right to align with the road. The location of the camera - in an elevated position above the road, suggests it was placed on the newly built flyover that connected Fleming Road with the new ferry pier. So we are looking east from Fleming Road. If you look closely you can just make out a pedestrian bridge that crossed Gloucester Road at the end of Tonnochy Road.

Election - Simon Yam (2005) - Old Wanchai Police Station, Wanchai

The police station where Simon Yam's character is being held is Wanchai Police Station on Gloucester Road. It's no longer used as a Police Station and was closed a few years ago with questions over what would happen to it. I believe it is being adapted for some other purpose. It's actually the only police station I have ever been in - I had to go and give a statement once following being approached by an illegal taxi driver at the airport - back in the time when the Hong Kong Police force still commanded some sort of respect (i.e. before 2014). This is a very popular angle of this building because it's shot from the nearby Fleming Road pedestrian footbridge.

It's featured (briefly, in the background) once on this blog before - in a minibus scene with Jeremy Irons and Maggie Cheung in Chinese Box.

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.

I Come With The Rain - Josh Hartnett (2009) - Various Hong Kong Locations

I Come With The Rain is a French film made by Vietnamese-French director, Tran Anh Hung. It stars Josh Hartnett as Kline, a burnt out cop who has left the police after a violent encounter with a rather sadistic serial killer and he is hired as a private investigator to track down the missing son of a wealthy pharma boss. After a brief bit of searching in the Philippines he heads to Hong Kong to enlist the help of an old police friend who now works with the HK Police Farce...oops...I mean "Force".

The opening Hong Kong scenes are of Kline catching a car to his hotel and we get a few flashing glimpses of various parts of Wanchai. Such as the Hopewell Centre, Pico Tower. Then in some bizarre reverse time warp the car ends up back in Central (see third image) as the car passes the PLA Central Barracks (formerly HMS Tamar).

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

In a previously unused bit of footage for this final episode, The Runaway, we see Lloyd Bochner driving his police car along the Wanchai waterfront. You can just make out a white blur amongst the water facing buildings along Gloucester Road which is the still standing Wanchai Police Station (on the left side of the first two images) which means the curved building marks the junction with Fleming Road.

In a wonderfully prescient nod to current events in Hong Kong, Bochner stops outside a dive bar on the Wanchai waterfront called "Carrie" as he continues his search for a missing female. This is not the first time that the words "missing female" and "Carrie" have been used in Hong Kong since the anti-Govt protests started in June 2019. Just sayin'...

I'm just guessing but the bar's location in 1960 seems to tally with the current Dah Sing Financial Centre in the block between Fleming and O'Brien Roads.

DOA: Dead or Alive - Devon Aoki (2006) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

A final shot from the bike ride and this particular bit is along Gloucester Road just before the walkway that joins up to the Causeway Centre. The dead giveaway here is the signage at the top.

Foxbat - Henry Silva (1977) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

The next shot of the ambulance is as it turns onto Gloucester Road from Arsenal Street. This is a great picture and it's a shame I haven't got a better quality version because there is a whole bunch of stuff to be seen. As well as the recognisable buildings in the background (which include the Bank of America Tower - then perhaps still known as the Gammon Centre? - Hutchinson House, Furama Hotel and the Connaught Centre - now Jardine House), there is a tantalising glimpse of Caine House in its former red coat of paint as well as the old China Fleet Club (behind the lamppost).

A little further on down the road and the ambulance is passing by the old Luk Kwok Hotel. That's the building with the red signage at the top. It's hard to see from this angle but it was actually a big advert for SANYO (it's the building immediately behind the ambulance in the picture below). I'm not to knowledgeable on the various buildings that can be seen but suffice to say most have already been replaced. I think the only survivors are the PICO Tower (newly built and on the other side of the Luk Kwok Hotel) and the Malaysia Building - the gold-coloured building in the background. Can anyone remember what the white building was on the right hand side?