Hafen der Düfte - Veronica Ferres (2013) - View across Wanchai - Day v Night

This film has many nice shots of the Hong Kong harbour and skyline. Here's one that took some time because it shows the view across Wanchai, with the Hopewell Centre on the left, from day through to night. The film crew obviously liked this view because it's used in three or four places throughout the film. The first view shows us a relative close up of the Hopewell Centre. The last two images are from a time lapse sequence that changes from night back to day with a much wider angle but, looking at the relative positions of the various buildings, it was shot from the exact same location: Stubbs Road Lookout. 

If you want to see how much the view has changed over the years then look back at my Forced Vengeance post that showed views from the same place from circa 1982.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Adam Baldwin (2000) - View from Bowen Road

Another transition sequence, this one is over Wanchai from Bowen Road. This is a panning shot that begins by looking across to the Sun Hung Kai Centre (top image - tallest building left hand side) and pans right, passing the cylindrical Hopewell Centre, and ending on Camelot Heights on Kennedy Road below. This should give you a good idea of where the camera was located (i.e. somewhere close to the latter).

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).

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Stubbs Road Lookout, Wanchai

In a shot supposed to be part of the cemetery, we get a glimpse of the HK skyline from the vantage point of Stubbs Road Lookout.

The film finished with a nice unspoilt view across the skyline from the same place. Starting from the area around Happy Valley and finishing pointing back to the sunset towards the Hopewell Centre.

Forced Vengeance - Chuck Norris (1982) - Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

I must admit, it took me a long time to like Chuck Norris. In my young eyes he was always the overly hirsute ugly dude who fights Bruce Lee at the end of Way of the Dragon and star of many a below-par film and series back in the US. However, after a recent re-familiarisation with Forced Vengeance (well, and a re-viewing of Firewalker with Lou Gosset Jr), I've seen him in a new light and actually think he is a pretty good actor after all.

Anyway, in 1982, Chuck came back to Hong Kong to star in a film about him as an-ex paratrooper who helps looks after the business dealings of a casino owner in HK. Cue lots of pretty good locales, many of which I have yet to see being used in other foreign-produced movies.

But what better way to kick it off than with a rather excellent early 80's panorama of the harbour shown during the opening credits.

Click on the picture for a better view, but in case you wanted them, the constituent shots are below.

The cylindrical Hopewell Centre on the right 

 Views over Wanchai District

 Looking towards Kowloon Peninsula

 The black building is the Sun Hung Kai Centre (built 1980)

The last picture shows us looking over towards Kowloon Peak on the right and Lion Rock on the left. Bottom of the screen is the AIA building on Stubbs Road. Speaking of Stubbs Road, if I was a betting man (which I'm not, by the way) I would put my money on this scene being shot from the Stubbs Road lookout.