Anti-Corruption - Bill Lake (1975) - Old Wanchai Police Station, Jaffe Road

The old Wanchai Police Station has ceased to be a functioning station for quite some time now (and it remains the only one I have ever been inside - unlike a lot of other HKers of late who have not had much choice in the matter). Anyway, if it looks a bit different to my usual images of the building, it's because this is the rear of the building on Jaffe Road. This is still part of the film's rather lengthy preamble.

Strangers - John Simm (2018) - Jaffe Road, Wanchai

After a hard day's sleuthing, David and Jonah are heading home along Jaffe Road before stopping at the junction with Luard Road and deciding to go and share a beer and do some male bonding.

Cracker: White Ghost - Robbie Coltrane (1996) - Cannon Street, Causeway Bay

We were previously around this location for Night Watch and I can only guess that it was a favoured location for the HK-based production crew who were involved in both films. Anyway, this is the junction with Jaffe Road. There is a reasonable Streetview comparison at the bottom.

Rush Hour 2 - Jackie Chan (2001) - Marsh Road, Wanchai

The junction between Marsh Road and Jaffe Road features quite a bit because it's where we first encounter Ricky Tan and his entourage. The scenes supposedly outside the sauna were filmed on Jaffe Road but we also see Carter walking down Marsh Road when he accidentally stumbles across the same location later on. The top picture shows us Jaffe Road looking east towards Marsh Road with the latter's road ramp. The same ramp behind Carter as he walks north towards the junction with Jaffe.

The last picture above is looking in the other direction down Jaffe Road and you can see the Canal Road flyover at the far end. There's been a significant amount of redevelopment in this small section of Jaffe Road, most recently with the completion of the Mira Moon Hotel on the corner south east corner of the junction - next to where Carter is standing in the picture below.

Detonator II: Night Watch - Pierce Brosnan (1995) - Cannon Street, Causeway Bay

Part of the motorbike chase that occurs towards the end of the film was shot along Cannon Street.

These top two pictures show the part of the street near to the junction with Gloucester Road (see the bus in the top picture driving along Gloucester Rd). There is then another shot as the motorbike turns on to Jaffe Road (see below). As you can see from the following Streetview, not much has changed here at all, although the more observant may be able to see Hennessy Centre at the back. This has since been replaced by Hysan Place.

Kill a Dragon - Jack Palance (1967) - Tonnochy Road, Wanchai

Jack Palance's character has a girlfriend who works at "The World of Suzie Wong Ltd" nightclub - in fact a real place that was situated on the corner of Tonnochy and Jaffe Roads. The truck is Leyland FG, apparently.

Anyway, Palance decides to pay her a visit at the bar and finds her trussed up by the baddies, but before we get there we catch some great late 60's glimpses of the area.

Red truck...er...I mean, a Leyland FG

 Yes, it was a real bar.

Gilman Motors next door along Jaffe Road

Now, Doug Price, possibly the world's expert on Wanchai girly bars and sometime poster on this blog, has a great little map from one of his many matchbook/bar card pictures on FLICKR that show a nice map of this place: https://www.flickr.com/photos/58451159@N00/13232118423/

Note that Gilman Motors is also marked on the map, but if you see the comment I also put on the picture I mention that AA Hall can still be seen in the signage. AA Hall was the name of this bars precursor and I guess the new management either couldn't be bothered or weren't able to remove the previous bar name.

The change that has undergone this whole area is, as expected, huge. The girly bars as well as general drinking establishments are still to be found, but the whole character of the area has changed and all these older buildings have been replaced. Check out the modern view of Tonnochy Road courtesy of Streetview.

And here is the view of the space once occupied by the bar and Gilman Motors next door. Note that the Gilman Motors place is now a Volvo showroom, it's more than feasible that the same company that owned Gilmans also owns the local Volvo franchise - that tends to be how things work here in HK.

By the way, does anyone know why Jaffe Road was blocked off in the screencaps? I am guessing it may have been a temporary precaution related to the proximity of Wanchai Police Station and the 1967 communist riots in HK.

I Spy (TV Series) - Robert Culp (1965) - Lockhart Road, Wanchai

Strictly speaking we are talking about the block on the northern corner of where Lockhart joins with Luard Road. Again, I have Thomas Ngan to thank for this rather excellent bit of spotting.

The scene involves Cosby and Culp moving across the rooftop of a block of shophouses in Danny was a Million Laughs. Not surprisingly, the block has largely been redeveloped but afew of the columned shophouses can still be found. The closest I can do is provide you with a shot of the same corner from street level as well as a quick piccie of the remaining shophouses I mentioned earlier.

Here are the screen caps.

Believe it or not there is still plenty of illegal rooftop occupation going on in HK, largely thanks to its ridiculously expensive real estate. But anyway, this particular set of illegal occupancies have long gone. At the far left is the gap in the buildings that forms Jaffe Road. I suspect the block was redeveloped piecemeal because the various current building dates are not uniform (plus the fact that a small portion of the old block still exists). For example, the Yen Men Building at 98-108 Jaffe Road was built in 1984, the corner block (89 Lockhart Rd) was replaced by the Wanchai Central Building in 1997, Beverly House (93 - 107 Lockhart Rd) was built in 1984, Hing Bong Mansion (107-11 Lockhart Rd) was built in 1985, One Capital Place (corner of Luard and Jaffe) was built in 1991. Such is the way of private development in HK. If it was the Govt doing this they would just get the U.R.A to completely eradicate the whole block and several streets (in the same way a nuclear bomb would) and then build a high end mall.

Anyhow, Thomas also found a comparative street level picture (courtesy of Doug) that shows us what was written on those signs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58451159@N00/7190016127

So we know that the corner building that we can see in the bottom of the top screen grab housed the "Mini Nightclub" (yes, either a night club for cars or midgets, can't decide which one yet), the partially obscured "Canadian Club" sign can also be seen a can the "United Night Club" which was almost completely obscured in our I Spy screen grab and was making me guess Red or Ted when I should have been thinking in terms of longer words.

Anyway, here is the modern Streetview, looking at the same corner that housed the "Mini Nightclub" all those years ago.

And finally, here is what I believe to be the sole remnant of that old block - situated at 109 - 111 Lockhart Road.