At The Movies: Hong Kong Cinema Quiz!

How much do you know about Hong Kong cinema?

01. Which film, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, is the inspiration behind Martin Scorsese’s The Departed?

A. Hardboiled

B. Infernal Affairs

C. PTU

02. In Wong Kar-wai’s Chunking Express, what food does Cop 223 obsess over after his break-up?

A. Canned pineapples

B. Strawberry ice cream

C. Instant noodles

03. In Infernal Affairs, why does Lau Kin-ming panic when a phone rings during a police meeting?

A. He could be exposed as a police mole

B. He could be exposed as a triad mole

C. A bomb might be about to go off

04. In Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, why does Mr Chow move to Singapore?

A. To start a new life as a journalist

B. To start a new life with Mrs Chan

C. To care for his ageing parents

05. Which stunt sequence in Police Story is one of Jackie Chan’s most iconic?

A. He slides down a pole covered in Christmas lights

B. He falls from a clock tower

C. He jumps onto a moving hovercraft

06. In Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer, what makes the brothers so good on the field?

A. They were trained in the UK

B. They are superheroes

C. They use kung-fu techniques

07. What does Ip Man refuse to do during the Japanese occupation?

A. Join the Japanese army

B. Teach martial arts for money

C. Beg for food

08. In John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow, why is Ho sent to prison?

A. He is framed by his brother

B. He is betrayed during a counterfeiting deal

C. He steals money from his boss

09. What secret do the landlords of Pigsty Alley hide in Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle?

A. They are wanted criminals

B. They have zero fighting ability

C. They are retired kung-fu masters

10. In Stanley Kwan’s Rouge, why does Fleur’s ghost return to Hong Kong?

A. To find out why her lover broke their suicide pact

B. To relive her childhood

C. To relive her happiest night with her lover

11. In Peter Chan’s Comrades: Almost a Love Story, where do Li Xiang-Jun and Li Qiao meet years later?

A. London

B. Shanghai

C. New York City

12. In Johnnie To’s Election, what tradition determines who becomes the next chairman of the Wo Shing Society?

A. A fight between the two strongest candidates

B. Possession of a wooden dragon-head baton

C. The elder triads cast a vote

13. In Stanley Tong’s Rumble in the Bronx, why does Keung get into a conflict with the local gang?

A. The gang kidnaps one of his family members

B. The gang vandalises his uncle’s fiancée’s supermarket

C. He refuses to join the gang

14. In Ann Hui’s A Simple Life, what happens to Ah Tao after she has a stroke?

A. She goes back to work as a full-time maid

B. She returns to her village in mainland China

C. Her former employer becomes her primary caregiver

15. What challenge does Wong Fei-hung face when he falls for the ‘13th Aunt’ in Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China?

A. She belongs to a rival martial arts school

B. She is his relative (by naming convention, not by blood)

C. She is already engaged to another master

16. In Ching Siu-tung’s: A Chinese Ghost Story, why does Ning Caichen fall in love with Nie Xiaoqian?

A. She shows him genuine ‘human’ kindness

B. She is a reincarnation of his best friend

C. She transforms physically as one of his past lovers

17. In Herman Yau’s The Untold Story, who is Wong Chi-hang’s first victim?

A. Mr Tsui

B. Mrs Tsui

C. The Tsui’s eldest son

18. In Mabel Cheung’s An Autumn Tale, what is Cher shocked to discover about her boyfriend Vincent?

A. He’s been cheating on her

B. He’s joined the triads

C. He’s her half-brother

19. What medical condition does Bing’s mother suffer from in Jessey Tsang’s Big Blue Lake?

A. Diabetes

B. Atrial fibrillation

C. Dementia

20. In Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After where do the minibus passengers wake up?

A. Kowloon

B. Central

C. Macau

Answers:

1. B

2. A

3. B

4. A

5. A

6. C

7. B

8. B

9. C

10. A

11. C

12. C

13. B

14. C

15. B

16. A

17. A

18. A

19. C

20. A