Angel Force - Moon Lee (1991) - Kong Pui Street, Shatin

We stay in the same general area for this next shot which was taken on Kong Pui Street with Apex Garden on the left, the red-trimmed Lai Shing Garden mid-distance and part of Sha Kok Estate in the far background.

Angel Force - Moon Lee (1991) - Yuen Chau Kok Road, Shatin

Next up is Angel Force, a 1991 film starring Moon Lee as a cop who gets involved in an overseas operation to bring down an international arms dealer (played by Wang Lung Wei). Most of the film appears to have been shot in Thailand, but it's bookended by HK-shot scenes. The first of which is a parking garage fight with Shing Fui-on, for which the hunt for the location still goes on.

Anyway, after that scene, on the way back to base, the police cars drive along Yuen Chau Kok Road in Shatin next to the Regal Riverside Hotel. You can see the corner of the hotel on the far right in the second image (after the cars have passed the camera). At the back of he first image is the Lek Yuen Estate across the river, and up the hill is Greenwood Terrace.

The next few image were shot further up the road with the Prince of Wales Hospital in the far distance.

Karate from Shaolin Temple - Kazuma Kenji (1976) - KCR Railtrack, Shatin

I can't give a specific location for these following screencaps but will say that the first one was obviously taken at the northern end of Shatin due to the proximity of the slopes of Ma On Shan on the right handside. Train enthusiasts may be more interested in the engine number here - 57. Marcus Wong of Checkerboardhill notes that this was one of 3 engines bought in 1961. Apparently it was damaged in 2009 and eventually scrapped in 2014. As you can see in the images below, this was before the system was double-tracked (circa 1979) and electrified (1983).

In the film, Wu and his sister are following the gang and their boss onboard the train, but at some point the pursuit turns into a car chase.

Bruce Lee fans may recognise Fung Ngai as the gang boss.

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Chik Wan Street,Tai Wai

Wai (David Chiang) needs to deliver his fish to a restaurant, but he's late because he stopped off at the cemetery. By the time he arrives at his destination the fish are a bit worse for wear and the restaurant owner (played by Bill Tung) doesn't want them anymore. This scene was filmed at a well-known restaurant in Tai Wai that looks to still be operating. The restaurant is called 新強記 and many years ago was famous for its roast goose and had a big neon sign on the roof which read "新強記燒鵝大王" (basically saying "roast goose king"). You can see the sign in the first image below. That massive bright sign could be seen from the KCR train as it trundled into Tai Wai from Kowloon and at night was like a  beacon letting you know the train had exited the tunnel.

I don't remember ever eating here, although I have been inside to use the toilets (I used to pass by every day for a few years when taking my kids to school up the road) and the stench in there was enough to put me off ever wanting to try the food. I'm sure they have since cleaned up ther act (and toilets).

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Hung Mui Kuk Road,Tai Wai

On their way to the restaurant, the truck passes under the KCR railway track at Tai Wai. These days the buildings in the background haven't changed, but the area immediately around the railway bridge is virtually unrecognisable following the redevelopment of Tai Wai station.

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Tai Chung Kiu Road, Shatin

Following the boss's funeral (the location of this is causing me problems because I thought it was Wo Hop Shek but am having difficulty matching the terrain - watch this space), Wai (David Chiang) is late for a delivery to one of his restaurant customers. The highway driving scene, as he weaves his truck in and out of traffic on the way to the restaurant was filmed on the northbound section of Tai Chung Kiu Road. In the far background you can see the Chun Shek Estate.

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Shatin Town Hall

The venue where the gang is watching Cantonese opera with the big boss is Shatin Town Hall. It's still a popular venue for opera performances even today. At the end of this scene, the boss and his entourage walk down the steps in front of the building before he gets into his ill-fated limousine.

Black Mask - Jet Li (1996) - Kiu Ha Road, Shatin

Following their escape from the hospital, the scene where Yeuk Lan turns on Chui Chik and stabs him was filmed under the Tate's Cairn Highway on the aptly named Kiu Ha Road (which literally means "under the bridge road").

Royal Warriors - Michelle Yeoh (1986) - Lok Shun Path, Fo Tan

We stay in Shatin District but cross the river now as some more car jumping action takes place on Lok Shun Path. This is Fo Tan, so could possibly have been filmed around the same time as this scene. The highrises in the background belong to the newly constructed Jubilee Garden development. In the last image below you can see the low rise structure of the Shatin Racecourse stands with Ma On Shan in the background. I don't think you could jump a truck down here now, it's a bit crowded.

Royal Warriors - Michelle Yeoh (1986) - Yuen Shun Circuit, Sha Tin

A place quite familiar to me here as I did my motorcycle test around this area. This is Yuen Shun Circuit in Shatin, not far from the previous post's location. The building at the end is Chiaphua Industries Building which is still around.The whole area is now a built up industrial estate. This is where all the cars go flying. The last image shows the view looking back the other way towards the highrises of Yue Tin Court.

Royal Warriors - Michelle Yeoh (1986) - Chap Wai Kon Street, Sha Tin

After College Road, the cars are speeding along Chap Wai Kon Street in Shatin. The place is almost unrecognisable today with all the development that has gone on since the 1980s, however, there is an odd shaped building in the background that is recognisable and its part of Yow Kam Yuen College. You can't see it from the road these days because the Tuen Ma Line (former Ma On Shan Line) is blocking the view.

Story of Ricky - Louis Fan Siu-wong (1991) - Shatin Park, Shatin

The flashback scene that tells the story of Ricky's girlfriend's abduction was partly shot in the southern section of Shatin Park. Some of it still looks quite similar despite the passage of over 30 years.

Le Monocle Rit Jaune - Paul Meurisse (1964) - Chik Chuen Wai, Tai Wai

Also known as Tai Wai Village, Chik Chuen Wai (積存圍) is the original walled village on which Tai Wai is founded. It's such an obscure location for a foreign movie because it is hidden away, even today with all the subsequent development. Anyway, in the film the characters are still in Macau and are trying to get back to Hong Kong but are ambushed in the village by gun-wielding gangsters. You can see the aftermath in the final image. Surprisngly, or not, quite a few of the buildings on screen are still around as is the village gateway seen in the second image.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Shatin Floating Restaurant

This is only the second time this location has appeared on the blog (the first time was for the French film Le Monocle Rit Jaune - although that was at the original location near Lok Lo Ha). The restaurant was originally opened in 1963 and moved several times before finally closing in 1984. In 1977, the restaurant had reached its final mooring point around where the Lek Yuen Estate now stands. This image on Gwulo shows it moored in that final location, as the reclamation carried on in front - which corresponds with where the Shatin Jockey Club Swimming Pool now stands. The restaurant lasted until 1984. I have no idea what happened to the structure but it was replaced by a concrete version that sits in the river next to the City One estate. 

My Son A-Chang - Bruce Lee (1950) - Tai Wai Railway Bridge

My Son A-Chang (aka The Kid or 細路祥) was one of Bruce Lee's early childhood films, one of around 20 that he featured in during his childhood in Hong Kong.

It's been more than a decade since I last watched this, but I do remember these stills are from the very end of the film as A-Chang (Bruce) and his family head off into the sunset along the old KCR railtracks. I've got quite good at this stuff in the intervening years so I can now tell you with 100% confidence that I know exactly where the filming spot is/was. This was the rail bridge crossing in Tai Wai where the track crosses, what was, a small river but is now part of the much larger concreted nullah.

Surprisingly, the rail track hasn't moved much since the film was shot (at least not at this location) so the point where the rail bridge now crosses the waterway is basically the same place it crossed over in the images below. What has changed significantly of course is the surrounding area, that is basically unrecognisable. In most of the images below the low wall of the railway bridge can be seen next to the actors.
 

Walking towards the bridge. View looking NE towards Ma On Shan

SW end of the bridge looking back towards the gap between Beacon Hill and Lion Rock

Looking north, the flat area above now contains a small industrial estate

This image clearly shows the old river before redevelopment turned it into a nullah

The flat area behind is now the main area of Tai Wai

The final view looking NE from the bridge as they bid farewell

Once again the Google Maps marker gremlins don't seem to want to let me put a pin on the place where it needs to go, so in case it doesn't get rectified here is a nice view of the current version of the bridge, as viewed from the neighbouring road bridge.

Love in Hong Kong - Pauline Teutscher (1983) - Yucca De Lac, Shatin

Here's a first for this blog. The Yucca de Lac restaurant was a very popular eatery throughout the 1960s and beyond, and featured in several local Cantonese films over the years, but this is the first time I've seen it in a foreign movie production.

Located on a hillside opposite the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the place was famous for its huge outdoor terrace with quite spectacular views over Shatin Hoi. This was long before the reclamation that filled up the sea and replaced it with...erm...the Shatin sewage treatment works. This place sadly closed just prior to my permanent move to Hong Kong and so I never got the chance to visit (when I came on holidays, I had no idea of its existence). Sometime in the mid 00s the owner sold up and the land was bought by a property developer who managed to squeeze 21 luxury townhouses onto the former terrace site. The sloped driveway up to the new development though is the same driveway used to access the restaurant when it was in business and the new development is called "De Yucca"

I believe the company behind the brand had already opened up a short-lived branch in California and have recently - just last year in 2022 - opened a new HK branch on the Peak. But honestly, I think 90% of the original place's appeal must have been the large al fresco dining terrace and the views it afforded, something I doubt can be replicated in the new branch, even if it is at the Peak.

The Confidence Man JP: The Movie - Masami Nagasawa (2019) - Shatin Racecourse, Shatin

The gang plan to make contact with their target at the races, so off we go to the Hong Kong Jockey Club's racecourse at Shatin. Although in the film it is known as the "Lo Fu Jockey Club".

The Killer - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Shui Chuen O, Shatin

Following the shootout in the parking garage, the subsequent car chase takes place around some deserted land. This was filmed in an area in the hills on the east side of the Shatin valley. At the time it was empty land, however, more recently the Shui Chuen O Estate has been constructed and completely fills this area now.

Prince of Wales Hospital on the right