Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Junction of Johnston and Luard Roads, Wanchai

A result of a recent rewatch is this post. To be honest, I'm not sure why I didn't post it first time around (back in 2012!) so I guess it was just missed.

This is where Rizzo wanders to whilst looking for an address. He asks a pedicab driver for directions but then reluctantly accepts a ride. As far as I am aware, Hong Kong never had pedicabs, only rickshaws, but I could by wrong. Pedicabs were used in Macau though. They also appear to be a thing in London these days, replete with full volume music being blasted into your ears as you travel (can you tell I don't like them?).

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Another one from Flatfoot in Hong Kong that I have just found. It was seen during the chase sequence between Rizzo (Bud Spencer) and Barella (Al Lettieri). It's a quick shot of the stone steps next to the Mariner's Club at the end of Middle Road. I had originally posted a Streevtiew shot of the same place, but this whole block has been redeveloped in the past few years due to the demolition of the old Mariner's Club. The original 60's era club building has been replaced by a modern day skyscraper of which the club now occupies a few floors (no doubt this was part of the redevelopment deal). So I shall give you this link to the historical Streetview for comparison. I believe the steps are still there but they won't be looking quite how they used to since the rebuild.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Lung Yu Restaurant, Jordan Road

One of the benefits of going back every so often to look at films I covered when I first starting blogging here is that sometimes I see places that I now recognise. Case in point is this brief shot of the Lung Yu Restaurant from Flatfoot in Hong Kong starring Bud Spencer. We don't get to see much other than the dragon effigy above the main doors but it's still fairly recognisable. You can compare it to the shots I posted when it appeared in I Spy and Heisser Hafen Hongkong and Ein Sarg aus Hongkong.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Repulse Bay...again

As Rizzo is chased out of the casino by a bunch of Chinese hoodlums, he makes a break for it across some nearby boats and dives into the water. However, there are two things to note, the first is that it's Bud's (slimmer proportioned) stuntman that does the leap down onto the boat. Second is that this was obviously shot back in Repulse Bay. I suspect the waters of the inner harbour in Macau were slightly too gross for anyone to want to jump into (maybe too busy as well), so there is a quick edit point to the shot below as Rizzo makes his escape.

Actually, this is one of my favourite scenes from the film because we get to see Bud (real name Carlo Pedersoli) in his element. Remember that before his film career, Pedersoli was an elite Olympic swimmer and water polo player and you get a brief glimpse of his enjoyment of the aquatic environment as he takes on the Chinese guys under the water.

You can see by the small islets in the background that this scene was filmed very close to the Tin Hau  shrine, so I wonder if it was filmed during/at the same time.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Casino Macau Palace, Macau

Rizzo follows Chang Li into one of Macau's former foremost landmarks (I've featured it loads on the blog over the years), the floating Casino Macau Palace. I later found out that the first version of this casino was the original Sea Palace Restaurant, towed over from Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong. This larger wooden structure was version 2 that replaced the original (year unknown but sometime in the mid to late 1960s).

The casino was moored on the Rua Das Lorchas around the section where it intersects with Av. De Almeida Ribeiro but was decommissioned sometimes in the 90's, after which I'm not sure what happened to it. Judging from the photos above it was quite nicely built.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - St Paul's Ruins, Macau

Chaplin's mysterious character, apparently called "Chang Li" is driven down the hill past the famous church facade and Rizzo follows close behind in a taxi.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Avenida Da Republica, Macau

Now we move the action over to Macau and one of our first shots is taken from the praya overlooking the channel between the Macau Peninsular and (what was) Taipa Island and the bridge linking the two: Ponte Governador Nobre De Carvalho.

These days the view is now obscured by the reclamation that has created the Sai Van Lake and the Macau Tower but everything else has stayed put including the low wall with its drain holes which can be seen in the top shot.

Of course at the end of this bridge on the peninsular side is the famous, original, Lisboa Hotel and casino and here we see it through the driver's windscreen (just to the left of the dude's head).

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Kau Yi Chau, Western Harbour

Foiled at the ferry terminal, Flatfoot follows Chaplin to Macau by commandeering a helicopter (hence the last picture in the previous post). On his way we are treated to a view of what I assume is an American Aircraft carrier, junk boats in Aberdeen Harbour and finally a rather nice shot of Kau Yi Chau island - which lies about halfway between Hong Kong Island and Lantau.

Regular readers of my blog may also realise that Kau Yi Chau also goes by another name: Han's Island. It was the island used by Warner Bros featured on a B&W composite photo supposedly of aforementioned criminal mastermind's island fortress (the composite had King Yin Lei and the Palm Villa tennis courts superimposed). In Flatfoot in Hong Kong we see it 'au naturel' - as the green hilled, uninhabited island that it is.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Hong Kong Macau Ferry Pier, Sheung Wan

Here's a place we've seen before - it featured on the previous year's effort starring Roger Moore. In this sequence we see Rizzo following Chaplin's mysterious character to Macau and therefore catch glimpses of the old ferry terminal and the car park in front that have long since been replaced by the Shun Tak Centre. We also get a quick glimpse at one of the old ferries called the "Nam Shan".

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - H.M.S Tamar, Hong Kong

No, not a ship, just a very famous military base named after a ship. The famous waterside military base was taken over by the PLA in 1997 (of course) and the iconic blocky mushroom-like building was renamed to the "Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building".

Another recent change is that it's no longer prime waterfront property, but like many other previous waterside location has now been moved slightly inland (relatively speaking) thanks to the Central to Wanchai reclamation project that now has the new Govt HQ sitting on it.

In 1975 it's not so much the Tamar site that is interesting (which it is of course) but rather what can or cannot be seen in the background. In the case of the snap below we can see the hillside behind and what used to be Victoria Barracks. This view is now completely blocked by Pacific Place and the barracks themselves have been replaced by Hong Kong Park. Some of the old barrack buildings remain, but not the ones you can see here on the hillside at the back.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Chater Road, Central

We are suddenly spirited back to Hong Kong-side as Rizzo and the Japanese boy walk along Chater Road with the old Hong Kong Club building behind them, as well as the Cenotaph, City Hall and the Supreme Court Building. Rizzo sits the kid down on the side of one of the Statue Square pools.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Macpherson Playground, Mongkok

At one point the heroes go to a sumo wrestling fight (in Hong Kong!?) before getting shot at and then Rizzo storms out of the arena and pops out of Macpherson playground onto Nelson Street. Things around here have changed a lot but look at the background and you can still see one of the old buildings there.

When I originally posted this location (back in 2012), I wasn't sure if the interior scenes were shot at the Macpherson stadium, but it turns out they were, so for this update (2025) I have also included shots from the Sumo arena. It was demolished/rebuilt smaller in 2008 to partially make way for a residential building, but the outdoor pitch is still there. If you look at the image on the right of this Wiki entry, you can see the curved roof of the old stadium.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Hyatt Regency, Tsim Sha Tsui

With Nancy's demise and a little boy in their care, the guys head back to their hotel, which appears to be the old Hyatt Regency (formerly The President Hotel) on the block between Lock Road and Nathan Road. In the first image we are looking north up Lock Road with the hotel's car ramp on the right hand side. The hotel was demolished in 2006 and replaced by iSquare (a.k.a "Eye Sore").

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Tin Hau Temple, Repulse Bay

Our intrepid duo, Barella and Rizzo, now a team, follow a clue to a house next to a beach. Where are we now? The colourful Tin Hau shrine at the southern end of Repulse Bay beach. Here we find Nancy Sit playing a Japanese lady (or as I like to call her Nancy Zit because of the large mole on her forehead). For those who don't know, the ornate building here is not a temple but the club house of the Hong Kong Life Guard association.

The interior does appear to be the actual location, although I still have yet to go here to confirm.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Barker Road, The Peak

After Rizzo has hijacked a car to help him chase his quarry, we see a shot of them driving up a small road and under a bridge that is part of the tram track.

Barella alights at the Barker Road stop, not realising Rizzo anticipated his movements once again.
The Barker Road station has been seen in quite a few productions covered on this blog.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - MacDonnell Road, Midlevels

Part of the aforementioned chase also takes place in and around various parts of the Peak Tram system. The first bit we see if the bridge over the tram track along MacDonnell Road in the Central Mid-levels area. Of course the tram still plows the same path it has done since day one but the surrounding areas have seen inevitable change and redevelopment.

What's changed? Well, the bridge is still there and it looks as though the same concrete balustrades are in place today although the bridge has had some sort of platform added on the higher side - perhaps to prevent people falling directly on the track? The bridge sides are quite low and it would be fairly easy for someone to be stupid enough and lean over and lose their balance. Here is the contemporary Streetview version. The residential building seen in the last image has since been replaced by a modern one called "Silvercrest".