Danny lee

[Stalmeister]

What Danny Lee movies are actually worth watching?
I've read good things about Law Enforcer but some titles have no reviews anywhere such as No Compromise.
I'd appreciate any info

[Sydneyguy]

The only movie that comes to mind is ASIAN CONNECTION
There are probably some more the ones i have watched are just averaged

[Mike Thomason]

If you want to see some of his earlier stuff, I'm probably not the best guy to ask, but of what I have seen...

Inframan - worth looking at as a kid's film/superhero flick
Bruce Lee & I - a decent Lee impression from Lee, subject matter a tad sleazy though
Oily Maniac - many ppl hate this, it's an okay exploiter though
Mighty Peking Man - Lee's good value, story's very Kong-ish
The Call Girls - sleazy subject, but Lee's good value again

Of the eighties and onwards...

Law With Two Phases - exceptional, an award winner and a must see
Cops Of The Town - so-so thriller, rather starkly violent though
The Law Enforcer - good crime thriller, and again...starkly violent
City On Fire - another must see, Lee's quite good in this
Tragic Hero/Rich & Famous - Lee cameos with him doing his usual copper schtick
Road Warriors - good motorcycle cop drama, don't expect ballistic action
No Compromise - another good thriller, that is very violent
Final Justice - Lee paired with an early (serious) Stephen Chow, violent so-so thriller
Thank You, Sir - good police training drama with then new Nick Cheung
The Killer - you should know this one
Just Heroes - Lee's in good form in this, film's a bit of a mish-mash though
Tiger On The Beat 2 - Another tough action turn from Lee, albeit with dumb comedy enmasse
Red Shield - decent crime thriller, and Lee's paired with Bryan Leung Kar Yan; a bit flat in spots
Night Rider - Lee's usual policeman role, Simon Yam is modestly engaging
Dr Lam - the old chestnut; Lee's role is an extended cameo
Sword Stained With Royal Blood - a convulted wuxia with Lee in a leading role
Orgamised Crime & Triad Bureau - much like many of his latter period police procedurals; good of its kind
Asian Connection - real good, Lee's good and the Taipei locations are great
City Cop - follow-up to Law With Two Phases, a personal fave

Much of his output after this is DTV rubbish, brought about by his racking up some BIG debts to investors due to some of his ill-advised investments of the time; gun-for-hire roles brought about by the need to repay his debts. But after that period, came two gems...

Shark Busters - great revisionist police flick (all the team strapped for cash); good and very funny in parts
Heat Team - Lee's is an extended cameo that pokes fun at his usual police roles

Hope this helps,
Michael

[Sydneyguy]

The KILLER and TIGER on the BEAT 2 are good films to watch with Danny Lee in them

for a older movie, ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS, though has other top names to the movie, Danny Lee actually plays a big part of the movie.

Like i said before though, ASIAN CONNECTION, is my favourite Danny LEe movie!!

[Taijikid]

I'm a new poster, although I have lurked for several years. I've kept quiet 'til now because the knowledge displayed by the regulars is a bit overwhelming, but here's my two-cents worth on a few of Danny Lee's films.

He had many early roles in Shaw Brothers movies, but two that stand out for me are Inframan and Battle Wizard. I saw Inframan at 3 in the morning at a sci-fi movie marathon, and the commotion made by those of us who stayed awake woke the rest of the audience out of a deep slumber. In a review years ago Roger Ebert said that he thinks of that movie at least once a month. Watch it if you want to smile. Battle Wizard is a crazy kung fu fantasy with two strong female leads, one of whom I remember enjoying as Wong Yue's companion in Spiritual Boxer.

Shanghai 13 should be seen for its incredible action, especially the fight at the end where a pipe-smoking Ti Lung takes out the baddies with a pole. Danny has a great short role as a midnight sniper nattily dressed in white.

Danny is the lead in Just Heroes, which I pooh-poohed at first, like many others; but I have found that it gets better with each viewing. It needs a good DVD release.

Final Justice features Stephen Chow in a great dramatic turn. I believe his work there earned him a HKFA.

I found No Compromise memorable for it's emphasis on family, with both the "good" couple of Danny Lee/Do Do Cheng and the "bad" couple of Pauline Wong/Lam Wai giving touching performances.

Organized Crime and Triad Bureau is one of my all-time favorite modern action films. Danny is very convincing in his role as a driven cop, and Anthony Wong paints a complex portrait of the gang head. But Cecilia Yip owns the movie as the good girl gone wrong for love of her man. See it.

I agree with White Dragon and Sydneyguy on Asian Connection. A great car chase scene and an exciting climax frame a story of three dedicated cops, two older ones from HK and Taiwan and a young turk from HK. I just wish that Jean Wang had been given more to do than serve tea and look good.

Case of the Cold Fish is one of the funniest HK movies in my library. The two Michaels (Chow and Wong) play off each other beautifully. Danny has only a cameo, so maybe it's not really a Danny movie. But it's still one of my favorites.

*****
Spoiler ahead--

Untold Story III is very different in tone from the infamous first film. The portrayal of the young men whose money problems inadvertently lead to murder is outstanding. When they get their comeuppance at the end of the movie, I was crying a little.

*****

Curiously, I just re-watched Shark Busters last night. It has little action, but it's chock full of sympathy for the sorry plight of Hong Kong police saddled with debt due (apparently) to mismanagement of the economy by unpopular politicians. An over-the-top performance by Lam Suet and a quirky turn by heavy-turned-good guy Fung Hark On make this one sparkle for me. Go Herman Yau!

Thanks for the opportunity to chime in, guys.

Vicki

[Brian Thibodeau]

Wow. It's refreshing to hear all the recommendations of ASIAN CONNECTION. That, by far, is one of my top ten Hong Kong films of all time, even if it isn't set largely in Hong Kong. Just a great story all around, something you don't always get in these kinds of movies.

I'd also second the recommendations of Danny's other 1995 efforts CASE OF THE COLD FISH, CITY COP and the excellent Cat. III thriller TWIST with Simon Yam. I was fortunate to see all of these within a few weeks of each other, and their strengths caused me to wonder what happened to Lee's career in the year's that followed. Thanks to Mike's backgrounder, i guess I now know. Too bad he started showing his age in those years as well. Interesting that these movies featured many of the same cast members, including Michael Chow, Shing Fui-on, Parkman Wong, Emily Kwan and others. Perhaps Lee saw the value of reusing an strong ensemble cast.

Doesn't seem like he's been in anything since HEAT TEAM, either. Has he retired?


By the way, thanks for sharing your thoughts, Vicki!

[Mikestar*]

Definitely Organised Crime & Triad Bureau (OCTB). Danny Lee plays THE archetypal HK cop dissolusioned with a lumbering and bureacratic police force.

[ororama]

Blue Lightning grabs you from its opening scene. As he did in The Law With Two Phases, Danny plays a cop who has screwed up his life and has to struggle to redeem himself. Tony Leung Ka Fai also gives a strong performance and the story holds your interest. The kid playing his son overacts, but that's really the only negative aspect of this movie.