A Chinese Ghost Story

A Chinese Ghost Story

1987

Director: Ching Siu-Tung

Stars: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Ng Ma

A down-on-his-luck tax collector (Cheung), trying to find a place to stay, goes into an old church. During the night, he meets a beautiful woman (Wong) who holds a deadly secret -- she's actually a ghost who feeds off the souls of men. Pursued both by a wily old ghost hunter and some treacherous demons, will the romance survive?

One of the most popular HK movies of all time, A Chinese Ghost Story is a blend of action, romance, comedy and musical. Those new to HK cinema may be off put by the rapid genre changing, but anyone who likes movies in general should be pleased by the stunning visuals of the film. Even if you are not a huge fan of wu xia ("fantasy swordplay/romance") films, A Chinese Ghost Story is so striking that you should still had a good time watching it. While it does fall into some of the cliché trappings of the genre (such as the mandatory musical flashback), most of the movie (particularly the final sequence in Hell) is quite inventive and fun to watch.

RATING: 8.25

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