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Time Out
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Step into the shadowy world of undercover agents at this summer exhibition
Among Hong Kong's fantastic films, a popular recurring theme is that of the undercover agent. After all, who can forget Chow Yun-fat's world-weary cop in City on Fire, or Tony Leung and Andy Lau's globally famous cross-undercover enemy duo in Infernal Affairs? This summer, Tai Kwun is running a special exhibition that explores this cinematic genre, the duality of light and darkness in these characters, and what makes them so appealing to Hong Kong audiences. Co-curated by film director Sunny Chan Wing-san and China studies assistant professor Kristof Van den Troost from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 'Undercover Underworld' recreates scenes from classic crime films, showing the process of covert operations from beginning undercover missions to eventually finding difficulties in re-entering society. Four decades' worth of covert police operations in Hong Kong films are represented in this show, including Alex Cheung's Man on the Brink (1981), Ringo Lam's City on Fire (1987), John Woo's Hard Boiled (1992), Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's Infernal Affairs (2002), Benny Chan's The White Storm (2013), and more. See recreations of beloved scenes from this movie genre, such as the iconic tea house shoot out in Hard Boiled, the psychiatrist's office in Infernal Affairs, a gun fight in a hideout in City on Fire, and most dramatically, a disastrous car chase breaking the fourth wall, where visitors can either play a role on set or pose from the director's chair behind the camera. Hear from exclusive video interviews with award-winning filmmakers and actors who have worked on undercover films, such as Louis Koo, Tsui Hark, Alan Mak, Alex Cheung, and more, along with some behind-the-scenes snippets from their movies. They delve into how Hong Kong's cinematic reputation has much to owe to our undercover agents, both real and fictional, as they struggle between justice and evil. And if you're thinking those heightened, tense emotions are just movie magic, you'd be wrong. This exhibition also features interviews with former undercover agents in real life, psychologists, and other professionals, who are able to contrast and balance true experiences with how undercover living is fictionalised. 'Undercover Underworld' will run until October 5, in the Police Headquarters Block of Tai Kwun. Tickets cost $25, with concessions available and free entry for children aged four and below. Ticketholders will also be able to unlock a limited-time secret cocktail menu at 001, the speakeasy-style bar.
Buzz Feed
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
11 Blockbusters Inspired By Lesser-Known Movies
A great movie can do many things. Movies can push you toward a career path, they can help heal you emotionally, and sometimes, movies inspire filmmakers to make other movies. And as a certified Person Who Likes Watching Movies, that truly is the ideal outcome for me. They say that there are no original ideas anymore, and I certainly don't think that's a bad thing. But you might be surprised to hear which of your favorite blockbuster hits took inspiration from movies you might not have seen. And if you haven't encountered them yet, you have worlds waiting for you to enjoy. So, I've rounded up 11 times some of your favorite filmmakers cited the direct inspirations for their work. Let's dive in, shall we? The Dark Knight, 2008 / Heat, 1995 Starting out strong with one of the most beloved action movies from the 2000s, which was inspired by possibly the best heist movie of all time, The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has spoken multiple times about being inspired by Michael Mann's classic. While the movie has a ton of recognizable references, the most notable is probably the opening scene, which shows Joker running a bank robbery followed by a shootout on the street, just like in Heat. And if the similarities between the sequences weren't enough, William Fichtner plays the mob's banker in both movies. Reservoir Dogs, 1992 / City on Fire, 1987 The precursor to Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's diamond heist is iconic for so many scenes, a number of which were directly inspired by shots in Ringo Lam's '80s Hong Kong action flick. When asked about the similarities between the two films, Quentin confirmed that he had been inspired quite a bit. Remember the Mexican standoff at the end of Reservoir Dogs? You can find that scene in City on Fire as well. The Shape of Water, 2017 / Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954 Not only was the 1954 monster movie Guillermo del Toro's inspiration behind The Shape of Water, it was also his main motivation for making the movie in the first place — namely, due to his dissatisfaction with the ending. At 6 years old, mind you! Guillermo said that while watching Creature from the Black Lagoon, he fully expected the protagonist to end up with the creature, romantic-styles. He was so disappointed that they didn't, that he made his own movie to heal his heart. The Magnificent Seven, 1960 / Seven Samurai, 1954 This is my official plea for you to familiarize yourself with Akira Kurosawa if you aren't already a Letterboxd user. If you love this classic Western, you'll love the samurai epic it's based on. John Sturges's The Magnificent Seven is a full remake of the Japanese original, changing the setting and swapping samurai for gunslingers, but the two movies share the same fighting spirit. Midsommar, 2019 / The Wicker Man, 1973 Director Ari Aster spoke about the influence that the 1973 folk horror classic had on his follow-up to Hereditary, but it might not be in the way you expect. While the two films share similar premises (outsiders encountering a sacrificial pagan/folk festival), Ari said that Midsommar leads the viewer to expect The Wicker Man's ending, but ultimately the film goes in a different direction. Watch both, and you'll totally know what he's talking about. The Favourite, 2018 / Amadeus, 1984 While Yorgos Lanthimos cited multiple movies when speaking about the inspiration behind The Favourite, one is the 1984 film Amadeus, which follows the life of Mozart through the perspective of his rival, Salieri. Yorgos said that as a regency period film, it was 'inspiring for trying to do something different with the genre.' And if you've seen both, you'll notice the similarity between the grandeur and emotional theatrics. The Matrix, 1999 / Ghost in the Shell, 1995 While Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell has inspired a ton of stuff in Hollywood, one of the most notable is definitely The Matrix. The Wachowski sisters, who directed the film, reportedly approached producer Joel Silver with a copy of Ghost in the Shell and said, 'We want to do this for real.' The similarities can be seen in some of The Matrix's most iconic sequences, such as the green text, which appears in the opening for Ghost in the Shell. Luca, 2021 / Porco Rosso, 1992 While Luca's director, Enrico Casarosa, has cited multiple Studio Ghibli films as influences for his adorable sea-monster tale, viewers might spot that the town in the movie, Portorosso, is a direct play on words from the Ghibli film Porco Rosso, which is also set in Italy. While the two movies definitely differ in narrative styles, they share themes about nature, and both feature non-human protagonists interacting with their human counterparts. The Hateful Eight, 2015 / The Thing, 1982 John Carpenter's The Thing was reportedly required viewing on the set of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, and if that doesn't scream homage, I don't know what does. Quentin described the similarities between the two movies and highlighted that they were both 'studies of paranoia' and described the feeling of paranoia in The Thing as 'so thick and so bottled up in that shelter that it bounced on the walls until it had nowhere else to go but through the fourth wall and into the audience,' which was what he aimed to replicate. Chicken Run, 2000 / The Great Escape, 1963 Boy oh boy, was I scared of this movie as a kid. This and Flushed Away. Regardless, this Aardman feature is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the classic war movie, The Great Escape. If you have the guts to rewatch it as an adult, you'll notice the similarities — the American newcomer who helps a bunch of Brits escape being the overarching theme. The wildest part is that the chicken coop is, well, Auschwitz. Which isn't really a sentence you expect to write. Avatar, 2009 / Princess Mononoke, 1997 If you love James Cameron's Avatar and you haven't ever encountered Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, I'm about to change your life. While the two are visually completely different, they share themes of preservation of the natural world, warrior societies, and a ton more. James has cited the influence of this and another Ghibli film, saying that life on Pandora was partially inspired by Princess Mononoke and the floating islands in Castle in the Sky. Which is another one you need to watch. And that's all! Let me know if you've spotted similarities between any of your favorite movies.
