My Wife is a Gangster 3 - Shu Qi (2006) - Times Square

Much of the middle of the film solely focuses on South Korea. But back in Hong Kong, we see a brief scene as the rival triad boss (played by Ken Lo - Jackie Chan's former long suffering real-life bodyguard) orders his assassins to go to South Korea to track down Aryoung and kill her.

The view from the window was taken from the north facing side of Times Square. It's not the first time a South Korean co-production has used an office in this building for a scene (see Beyond Hypothermia).

My Wife is a Gangster 3 - Shu Qi (2006) - Victoria Harbour

I haven't had a foreign production for a while given the bounty that is available on the Shaw/Celestial Youtube channel, so here is My Wife is a Gangster 3 (Korean: 조폭 마누라 3). This is a South Korea/Hong Kong co-production starring Shu Qi as the rebellious daughter of a Hong Kong triad boss (played by Ti Lung). During a "gong-sau" (a triad meeting between rival groups) she is pressurised into performing a sword routine for the rival boss and her performance is marred by the rival gang members throwing broken glass for her to stand on. She seemingly takes revenge on the boss and has to leave Hong Kong for South Korea to escape further recrimination. It's here where she is looked after by her father's Korean gang associates and the film is basically a comedy based on the apparent lack of communication between both sides as assassins head to South Korea to try and kill her.

The film opens with some nice night time shots around the harbour.

 

Percival Street - Now and Then

One more from the Times Square vicinity as I compare Percival Street from 1956 to 2026 - a nice round 70 year difference. The older images are from Flight to Hong Kong and the camera is located on Percival Street looking up Matheson Street (in the initial image) and then moving slightly left to look up Percival Street (lower images).

In the older, top image you can see the relatively empty space to the right of the tram which is where the old tram depot was located. Today's view shows how the Times Square development now occupies it. Although the roads and surrounding buildings occupy the same spaces they did 70 years ago.

Moving the camera slightly to the left and we are now looking south along Percival Street. The buildings that occupy the block between Percival and Matheson Streets are not the same ones from 70 years ago but, as is often the case with buildings in Hong Kong, the footprint remains the same even if the modern buildings are much taller. Actually, the building that currently occupies that angled corner plot in the foreground is called Percival House and it was constructed in 1959, so the earlier building seen in the older image didn't have long to go before it was replaced.

There are two buildings that can be "just about" seen in both images, however, the angle is a bit too acute to make out any great detail. In the upper image, if you go from the left and follow the Lee Theatre building until the vertical signage, the next two blocks belong to buildings that are currently still intact: 87- 89 Percival Street. In my modern comparison snap below they are the two blocks with the red vertical sign in front of them. They were built in 1954 and so weren't that old when Flight to Hong Kong was filmed.

Matheson Street - Now and Then

Following on from my Times Square post, here is a comparison from the back of the development courtesy of Bloodfight (1989). The top two images show a 1989 v 2026 comparison of the view from Matheson Street looking up Sharp Street East (to the east).

I also took a quick picture from the same place that used to be a noodle shop but is now some clothes/fashion store. As you can see, most of the former open space of the tram depot (and the view to Russell Street behind it) is now obscured by the Times Square building.

Times Square - Now and Then

I was in Causeway Bay the other day and took the opportunity to take some comparison snaps at Times Square. For those who don't know the history of the site, it was previously the location of the expansive Sharp Street Tram Depot where the Hong Kong Tramway kept most of its rolling stock. Hong Kong Tramways was taken over by local developer, Wharf Holdings, in 1974 and following the creation of two new depot sites at the other side of the island, Wharf was able to free up the Sharp Street site for redevelopment. It closed permanently in 1989 and Times Square was subsequently constructed and opened in 1994.

The screen shots below are from Lara Croft Tomb raider: Cradle of Life (2003) and Je l'amais (2011). There have been quite a few films shot inside the office part of the development as well, but obviously that's off limits for me.

As you'll see from the more recent images, even since it was built there have been some changes to the place including the addition of mid-atrium escalators and the removal of the external lifts.

The external lifts we see in Je l'amais are no longer there. Initially I thought the whole thing had been removed, but on closer inspection it looks as though the whole wall was simply enclosed in the rather more heavy duty version of boxing. You can see in the modern image that the wall is no longer flush with the corner which suggest to me the lifts, or at least the infrastructure, are still there but just covered up. Perhaps they are still servicable and used by staff? Feel free to comment if you know.

Je l'amais (2009)

View as of June 2026.

Inside, the mall area has changed significalty. The walkways have been remodelled and there are now escalators criss-crossing the atrium.

Looking up towards the roof of the mall area and the film obviously took some artistic license with the view. First, it's not a glass ceiling because above the mall section is the rest of the office tower, and secondly, obviously the 2IFC tower that we can see in the film is a couple of miles away in Central. I was a bit dizzy looking up when I took the modern comparison so I couldn't quite match the same orientation...

I'll finish with a quick shot of the MTR entrance which is probably the least changed part of the whole area.

The Taxi Driver - David Chiang (1975) - The Hong Kong Macau Ferry Wharf

The head robber and girlfriend make an attempt to flee Hong Kong for Macau via the ferry terminal. So it's all hands on deck as the fleets of taxi drivers descend upon the place to help prove that Chen is innocent.

Hong Kong 73 - Yueh Hua (1974) - Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

The last location from this film is Hollywood Road in front of Man Mo Temple as Chan's father returns home from work and learns that his neighbour has committed suicide by jumping off a building. He was a stock broker and suffered a huge loss when he mistakenly bought fake shares. It's one of the weirder subplots for a "comedy" but I guess satire comes in manay forms. Anyway, the scene shows a red minibus driving along Hollywood Road and stopping outside the temple where Mr Chan alights.

Hong Kong 73 - Yueh Hua (1974) - Statue Square, Central

While Chan's dad and his buddy are walking around town they come across what looks to be a share certificate, only to realise it is fake. Sadly, this is another of the issues that apparently faced investors in the early 1970s. This takes place in Statue Square as you can tell by the concrete canopy. The place is currently undergoing some "renovation" due to the nearby Central Yards development. Who knows what it will look like afterwards. Watch this space.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - The Peak Cafe

Following another attempt on her life, Tian-li goes to the Peak cafe to make a call to the man she believes is pulling all the strings. The sequence starts with a view to the north, looking over Victoria Harbour, before panning south to focus on the Peak Cafe. The scene then moves to the cafe garden where Tian-li makes her call. As you can see from the images, the Peak Cafe hasn't changed very much since then.

The opening shot shows a nice view of Victoria Harbour

The camera turns anti-clockwise and we catch a brief glimpse west

The Peak Cafe. Upper tram terminus building on the right

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - View of the Harbour

Tian-li's friend, Huang, lives in an apartment bought by her sugar daddy boyfriend, who also happens to be the guy tasked to kill Tain-li. In one scene as she is driving home with her friends we see some in-car point of view shots looking over the harbour from the Peak area. Sadly they're a bit blurry, but it's a nice view.

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.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Stanley Prison

Chan Shen plays Shi Yun Pu, the recently released prisoner who is now the target of the criminal gang because he is about to testify against them in court. He is released from Stanley prison and is given a couple of police officers for protection. It looks as though the film makers used the real prison interior -  confirmed when the actors walk towards the main front wall through a courtyard area (image 6). The courtyard is still around according the GoogleEarth, but the surrounding buildings have been expanded to encroach on it a bit over the years.

Chan Shen may be familiar to anyone who has seen Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, as he plays Soo Da Chen (sounds like a made up name) and was the subject of the long foot chase in the middle of the film that starts off in Tsim Sha Tsui and ends on Hollywood Road in front of Man Mo Temple. He died at a very young age of 44 when he suffered a heart attack in the showers of the Shaw Dormitories at Movietown.

This courtyard still exists but the surrounding buildings have grown

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Queen's Pier, Central

This is one of the locations that Yung and Kwok's adoptive father goes to when he arrives back in Hong Kong from Malacca. Yung is having him followed by one of his goons so he knows whether or not his dad is on his side or Kwok's. My understanding is that the old structure - removed when reclamation started back in 2007 (after a delay due to the growing awareness of heritage protection in HK). The pier structure is supposed to be restored back to its original, although now landlocked, location in front of CIty Hall, but I haven't been there for a while so can't confirm whether or not it has been done. I'll confirm later.

Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Stanley Military Cemetery

Tragic Hero is the sequel to Rich and Famous that was, for some reason, released before the movie it was supposed to follow. I understand that both movies were filmed at the same time in 1986 but a decision was made to release the second movie first, and so Rich and Famous became a prequel instead.

The movie follows the continuing saga of two adopted brothers, Yung (Alex Man) and Kwok (Andy Lau) and their old triad boss, Chai (Chow Yun Fat). Rich and Famous shows the rise of Yung as an unhinged wannabe gangster, whereas this movie has him established as one of the head guys within a rival triad run by Boss Chu (Ko Chun Hsiung).

I should mention, in case you haven't read the posts for the other film, that this movie came to my attention following a post on Gwulo where someone had posted an image of Tsing Bik Villa (aka Green Jade) - a mansion that featured extensively in Kill a Dragon. In the image it was painted blue and blown up for a movie production and then subsequently demolished for redevelopment. The film involved was finally identified (with the help of regular commentor, Rodney) as this one and you can now see for yourself because it is still currently available on Youtube (until it isn't).

The film begins with a funeral scene for another one of the triads bosses where everyone attends to show their respects. This was filmed at Stanley Military Cemetery, no attempts made to hide its name or the distinctive shape of the Commonwealth military grave stones.