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.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Clearwater Bay Golf Course, Clearwater Bay

On our second visit to this golf club we see the paymasters having a nice round of golf whilst the mercenaries are being shot at in the jungle. Although not the only golf course in HK, this one is perhaps the most recognisable due to its rather splendid surrounding scenery including nearby Po Toi O and High Junk Peak (the pointy hill seen in the top picture).

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Chuk Hang

Only opened a couple of years before this film was made, the Aberdeen Tunnel is the site of one of THE most ridiculous car chase scenes I have ever had the misfortune to watch. Collins and Borgnine are pursued in their car and a fast chase ensues involving Collins driving into a partially completed tunnel. The entrance can be seen below and is actually the Wong Chuk Hang entrance of the northbound carriage. I've attached the Streetview grabs for comparison.

Brick Hill (and Ocean Park) at the back

Northbound tunnel entrance

The chase inside the tunnel was obviously made using miniatures and is a passable sequence until the filmmakers thought it would be a good idea to have Collins' character drive up the side of the tunnel wall and drive along it - defying gravity - for a rather lengthy amount of time to avoid the various works going on along the road. It's just s stupid scene it spoils this part of the film for me and I'm pretty sure Collins and Borgnine are both spinning in their graves at the thought of such a cringe-worthy bit of film making. Anyway, exiting the tunnel on the opposite side of the road i.e. the Wong Chuk Hang side of the southbound tunnel and the chase soon comes to a stop with the help of Klaus Kinski.

They eventually come to a stand still near to where the toll booths stand. You can still see the pedestrian ramp/slope at the side of the road. Although it does look like it much use these days due to the amount of foliage covering it now.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Magazine Gap Road, Mid-levels

After picking up Borgnine in the car, Collins drives down the Peak along Magazine Gap Road. It looks surprisingly green and clean compared to the modern Streetview grabs underneath.

Outside Magazine Court (#5 - 7)

The lattice wall of Magazine Court is a bit dirty these days...

In a nice bit of rare movie geographical continuity, the next shot from this scene is in fact taken just a few metres down the road where Magazine Gap Road loops back on itself at the hairpin bend where it intersects with May Road.

Look carefully in the following picture and I believe that is probably the HSBC headquarters under construction (it opened in 1985). But there is an amazingly impressive lack of skyscrapers and a clear view all the way over to the Kowloon mountains.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Lion Pavilion, The Peak

Fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport will remember this location - in fact if you've ever been to HK and visited the Peak then you will probably have been here before. It's the Lion Pavilion a few metres away from the Peak Tram terminus. In Codename: Wildgeese it seems to be some sort of outdoor restaurant terrace where Ernest Borgnine is eating when Collins comes to pick him up in his car.

 

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - The Peninsula Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui

We manage to catch a glimpse of Salisbury Road in front of the Peninsula Hotel. This is at a time after the old train station was demolished (bar the clock tower) but before the Cultural Centre was constructed.

Other things worthy of note are the old YMCA (behind the grey sign on the right, top picture) and the fact that the Peninsula Hotel had already undergone its forecourt revamp.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Peking Road is another one of those places that keeps cropping up - just follow this link to see it on several films including The Protector, Enter the Dragon, The Amsterdam Kill and many more.

It's been filmed from several angles, but the most recognisable is the one below looking west back towards Nathan Road with the Club Tasogare sign hanging over the middle. The club has long gone (replaced by Delaney's sole remaining pub) but the general feel of the road persists.

Those of you with keen eyes may also spot the half-hidden Regency Hotel (demolished and replaced by iSquare) as well as the sign for the famous Red Lips bar that was hidden up the alleyway between buildings on the left hand side.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Hong Kong Cemetery, Happy Valley

Part of the plot is that Collins' character is driven to wipe out the drug menace in the Golden Triangle because his son had been killed by drugs. In this scene, he goes to visit his grave in the Hong Kong Cemetery next to Happy Valley racecourse. In the top picture you can see the cemetery's small chapel in the background.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen

Collins goes to meet his paymasters on a boat moored in Aberdeen Harbour. Like The Protector filmed the following year, this was during a time when the Jumbo Kingdom consisted of all three of the famous 'floating' restaurants: Jumbo, Tai Pak and Sea Palace.

Pay attention to the top picture and you might just be able to see the Old Police Station on the hillside poking out from behind the high rises.

Codename: Wildgeese - Lewis Collins (1984) - Far East Finance Centre, Central

A highly recognisable Central landmark courtesy of its rather 'striking' (i.e. naff) gold coloured windows. We've seen it on this blog before where it served as the HQ of Jackie Chan's enemy (played by Roy Chiao) in The Protector. In this film it also houses the offices of one of Collins's sponsors. It's featured a couple of times from various angles so here are screencaps from both occasions. The first one taken from the vantage point of ground level along Harcourt Road.

The second time we see it, the camera looks to have been placed on  top of the roof of the neighbouring Bank of America Tower (formerly Gammon House before a corruption scandal saw it sold on). You can see that building's reflection in those lovely tasteful shiny windows.

I'm not so sure that the office that the crew used in the film is actually in the Far East Finance Centre, because given the screen shot below - showing the old Furama Hotel almost immediately adjacent - I would hazard a guess and say it was actually shot inside an office inside Bank of America tower. Comments and corrections welcome, as always.