Future Hunters - Robert Patrick (1986) - Mody Road, Kowloon

It appears that the pair will be staying at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile because our final location for this film sees the taxi driving across Mody Road from Bristol Avenue, and into the aforementioned hotel. This is where the Hong Kong sojourn ends because the next scene involves Patrick and Bruce Le going to a pagoda to meet Silverfox (Hwang Jang Lee) but those scenes appear to have been shot in Manila.

Future Hunters - Robert Patrick (1986) - Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

After being picked up from the airport, the guys catch a cab to their hotel and the next location sees them driving along Salisbury Road with both the Coliseum and the (now demolished) International Mail Centre.

Future Hunters - Robert Patrick (1986) - Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon

It's come to that time again when I have to start scraping the very bottom of the barrel and figured one of the worst films I've ever seen is probably due an outing on the blog. Granted, the film was 'supposedly' written by J.Lee Thompson (the man who directed classics such as Ice Cold in Alex, The Guns of Navarone, Cape Fear, and was kicked out of Hong Kong with Gregory Peck in 1969 as they were trying to make The Chairman) and stars Robert Patrick and Richard Norton (neither a stranger to making films in Hong Kong - Patrick was featured previously here in Hong Kong '97 and Richard Norton (R.I.P) has a long pedigree in Hong Kong film and also had a brief cameo in Forced Vengeance) but it doesn't change the fact that the film is a big bag (and 100 mins) o' shite.

Anyway, the plot involves Richard Norton being transferred into the future (I think) with the tip of the spear that killed Christ, and his need to get the artifact to a Professor Hightower (although it doesn't explain how he knows him) before the Nazis do. Patrick and his girlfriend fly to Hong Kong in search of Hightower but then end up having to go to the Philippines where they run away from Nazis, stumble across a tribe of pygmies, partake in some extreme low-budget special effects and then..well, I can't remember because I got bored. Its one highlight is a brief cameo from Korean superkicker, Hwang Jang Lee.

The screen caps here are fairly low quality because I haven't been able to secure a physical copy of the film and ended up taking the screencaps from a version uploaded to DailyMotion.com (see link here), so if anyone knows of a proper release, please let me know so I can do my bit and pay for it.

So, the Hong Kong scenes start with the usual arrival at Kai Tak where the pair are met by Patrick's local friend, played by Bruce Le.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Magazine Island, Aberdeen

A final post for this film - at least until I can sort out a few elusive locations - and a nice image of a junk sailing past Magazine Island at the western entrance to Aberdeen Harbour. The name stems from the fact that there is a building on the island that was once used by the British military for storing explosives. It looks as though film camera was located on the harbour's western breakwater. The chimney's at the back are the HK Electric power station over on Lamma Island.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Ap Lei Chau Praya Road, Ap Lei Chau

One of the final scenes of the movie was filmed in a once seldom visited corner of Ap Lei Chau (the island that makes up the southern side of Aberdeen Harbour) that was once the sole domain of various boat maintenance shed. The boat sheds are still around but they now have to share their space with a brand spanking new residential development called 'Larvotto'.

Of course, the opposite side of Aberdeen Harbour has also seen significant development, especially of late. Unfortunately you can no longer see it because of another large development at the far end of the road on the hillock next to the Ap Lei Chau bridge. It's called Sham Wan Towers (named after the common name for the eastern end of the harbour) and can be seen at the end of the road in the Streetview image below.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

The tiled pillars in the background here are the ones that hold up the Mid-levels escalator where it crosses Lyndhurst Terrace at the junction with Cochrane/Gage Streets. Nothing seems to have changed much here other than the usual cycle of opening and closing of various establishments but those of who who have read my Chinese Box posts will know that one of the old blocks at the corner of Cochrane St (i.e. this spot) has since been replaced.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

An easy place to spot here thanks to the SOGO sign at the back. Of all the Japanese department stores that were once in HK, SOGO still survives in two locations. This one is the longer established and more famous because it's right slap bang in the middle of the Causeway Bay shopping district.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Nathan Road, Kwun Chung

I really should have covered this place at the same time as the earlier Tai Lin post, but didn't realise it was the same location until now. Just after the shoot out on Lockhart Road, Patrick's character (he's called Reginald Cameron in the film) does a runner to escape and soon after leaving the scene at Marsh Road finds himself running down Nathan Road just past the junction with Jordan Road. Once again a great example of movie land taking liberties with geography. The fact that this is right next to the other quick shot earlier of the Tai Lin sign makes me think this must have been filmed at the same time.

Just a note about names. Many people incorrectly refer to this area as Jordan because of the MTR station nearby. The station is actually named after Jordan Road and there isn't actually any official location in Kowloon called Jordan. The area is still referred to on maps as Kwun Chung.

Anyway, check out the massive Fairwood (大快活) neon sign that used to stick out of New Lucky House. The curved building at the back is National Court on the south side of Jordan Road.

Sadly, that huge piece of pulsating neon has long since gone (in fact almost all the the neon along this strip is no longer there). Fairwood actually went through a rebranding in 2003 and the logo has been changed from the scary clown face to a sort of  splodgy jumping man. New Lucky House these days hosts various small backpacker hostels and a bodybuilding gym. Here's a rough approximation of the film angle.

Anyway, he then runs across the road to get picked up by his buddies in the car.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Marsh Road, Wanchai

Just after the shootout, Patrick's character makes a run for it and is picked up by his buddies on Marsh Road just a few yards away from the gunfight on Lockhart Road.

The sad story about this scene for me is the fact that the Tung Tak Pawnshop that stood on the corner of Marsh and Hennessy - and its columns can be seen on the right of several shots below - has only just recently been demolished. The sad thing is it was only one of four remaining curved corner shophouses left in the whole territory.

It looks like this small section of Marsh Road (between Hennessy and Lockhart) was a three-lane road back in 1993/4 but these days the pavement has been expanded and narrowed it to two lanes. Here's the Streetview.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Lockhart Road, Wanchai

The street shootout with the hooded gangsters took place on Lockhart Road in Wanchai. The Gala Association sign in the background was on the front of the Wah Fat Mansion at 405-419 Lockhart Road but seems to have disappeared now. Luckily it was captured by Streetview before it was removed, otherwise identifying this spot would have been significantly harder. The Canal Road flyover (seen in the gloom of the background) helped a little bit in narrowing down the rough area.

Wandering down the street - as I did recently - reveals that the doorway used by Patrick to shield himself from being shot was the seemingly unchanged entrance to Caine Mansion at 384-388 Lockhart Road.

Look closely and you can see the sign inside the door is still there.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Plantation Road, The Peak

Just prior to a major gun battle with some local gangsters we see the film's main characters (played by Robert Patrick, the awesome Brion James and Tim Thomerson) driving a land rover along a small tree lined lane towards their house on the Peak. The subsequent gun battle that takes place was probably filmed in the Philippines (it's listed in the credits as another filming location) because there is a not-so-subtle switch in the vehicle's registration plate and the location background doesn't look like HK anyway. However, the lead up is most definitely in HK, it's Plantation Road just below the Lion Pavilion at the Peak and the following pan across to the house features what looks to be #25 & #26 Lugard Road.

Plantation Road

Houses (#25 & #26) on Lugard Road

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - The Peak, Hong Kong

A brief glimpse of a stone lion on the far left of the first picture tells us that this shot was filmed from the Lion Pavilion. The 1993 skyline looks, superficially, the same as it does today but those familiar with HK buildings will know there has been a whole bunch of skyscrapers added in the meantime, such as: the Cheung Kong Centre, the 2 IFC, the ICC, the K11 building over in TST and many more. Oh, the haze has got worse...

For those who prefer a more cohesive view, here is a merge courtesy of autostitch.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan

Another quicky along the tram line, this time a little further up towards Western Market before the tram line veers sharply right onto Connaught Road. The giveaway here is the dead end in the background where the road terminates in front of Hongway Garden (the white building at the back) and turns into the much narrower New Market St. It looks as though the camera was probably positioned somewhere between the junctions with Hillier St and Cleverly St because the latter (and the Eton Building that sits on its west corner) can be seen on the left of the shot.

  

This is the best angle I can get from Streetview taken further forward next to the aforementioned junction with Cleverly Street.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Des Voeux Road Central, Central

Although the tram is blocking the left hand side of our view in the following screencap, there is still enough information to locate this quick scene as the junction between Chater Road and Des Voeux Road in Central. Streetview reveals that the south side of the road (we're looking west here) seems to have remained unchanged in the last twenty or so years.

Oops! I just found a couple of extra grabs from the same place but looking south towards the Entertainment Building where the film's main company, Sherwood Industries, is based. Here they are...

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Chater Road, Central

Well, the view from Chater Road rather than Chater Road itself. We can see The HSBC HQ, one of the MTR exits, The Mandarin Hotel in the background before finally stopping right next to the entrance to the Hong Kong Club.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - May Ming Building, Nathan Road

Here's a sad reminder of the recent past: a local electronics retail chain called Tai Lin (泰林) that went bust a few years ago. The outlet at 310 - 312 Nathan Road (in the May Ming Building) might not have been its flagship store (or perhaps it was, I don't know?) but it was perhaps the best known due to the huge neon sign stuck to the outside. Here it is in the film.

I haven't been past recently to notice whether or not the ground floor premises are still empty...they certainly were a year or two back when I last past the place. The 2010 Streetview shows pretty much how it looked the last time I was there (and was paying attention). The sign still on display.