The Big Heat (1988 film) - Misplaced Pages

1988 Hong Kong film

The Big Heat

Film poster

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

城市特警

Simplified Chinese

城市特警

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Chéng Shì Tè Jǐng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Sing4 Si2 Dak6 Ging2

Directed by

Johnnie To
Andrew Kam

Screenplay by

Produced by

Starring

Cinematography

Edited by

David Wu

Music by

David Wu

Production
companies

Cinema City
Film Workshop

Distributed by

Cinema City

Release date

22 September 1988 (1988-09-22)

Running time

96 minutes

Country

Hong Kong

Language

Cantonese

Box office

HK $4.076 million

The Big Heat (城市特警) is a 1988 Hong Kong action film starring Waise Lee and Joey Wong.

Cast

Waise Lee as Chief Inspector John Wong
Joey Wong as Ada
Matthew Wong as Inspector Kwok-Keung Lun
Philip Kwok as Detective Ah Kam

Production

Johnnie To stated that "Tsui had lots of ideas , changing the script all the time, but three days later he would come up with something totally different." To went on to describe that the violence in the film originated from Hark's suggestions, and that it was "a very difficult project". To noted that he was brought in after another director was unable to satisfy Tsui Hark. To also stated that he did not complete the film, but that Tsui Hark completed it with Ching Siu-tung shooting some scenes.

Release

The Big Heat was released in Hong Kong on 22 September 1988. It was described by Lisa Morton as a "minor box office disappointment", grossing HK$4.076 million and being the 94th highest-grossing film in Hong Kong in 1988.

Reception

Johnnie To reflected on the film in the late 1990s, stating that "it's good at places, but it was chaotic".

References

^ "The Big Heat". Hong Kong Film Archive. Retrieved 3 March 2017. Search "城市特警" under "Film Title"
^ Morton 2001, p. 159.
^ Teo 2007, p. 220.

Bibliography

Morton, Lisa (2001). The Cinema of Tsui Hark. McFarland. ISBN 0786444606.
Teo, Stephen (2007). Director in Action: Johnnie To and the Hong Kong Action Film. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789622098398.

External links

v t e Films directed by Johnnie To
Films	Happy Ghost III (1986) The Eighth Happiness (1988) All About Ah-Long (1989) The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon (1990) Casino Raiders II (1991) Justice, My Foot! (1992) The Bare-Footed Kid (1993) The Heroic Trio (1993) The Mad Monk (1993) A Moment of Romance III (1996) Lifeline (1997) A Hero Never Dies (1998) Running Out of Time (1999) The Mission (1999) PTU (2003) Breaking News (2004) Throw Down (2004) Yesterday Once More (2004) Election (2005) Election 2 (2006) Exiled (2006) Linger (2008) Sparrow (2008) Vengeance (2009) Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011) Life Without Principle (2011) Romancing in Thin Air (2012) Drug War (2012) Blind Detective (2013) Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014) Office (2015) Three (2016) Chasing Dream (2019)
Films with Wai Ka-fai	Needing You... (2000) Wu yen (2001) Love on a Diet (2001) Fulltime Killer (2001) Fat Choi Spirit (2002) My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (2002) Love for All Seasons (2003) Turn Left, Turn Right (2003) Running on Karma (2003) Mad Detective (2007)
Co-director	The Big Heat (1988) The Royal Scoundrel (1991) Executioners (1993) Running Out of Time 2 (2001) Triangle (2007) Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020)
See also	Milkyway Image Filmography Awards and honors Tactical Unit series

v t e Works by Gordon Chan
Films directed	18 Golden Destroyers (1985) The Yuppie Fantasia (1989) Brief Encounter in Shinjuku (1990, also writer) Fight Back to School (1991, also writer) Inspector Pink Dragon (1991) Fight Back to School II (1992, also writer) Gameboy Kids (1992, also writer) King of Beggars (1992, also writer) The Long and Winding Road (1994, also writer) The Final Option (1994, also writer) Fist of Legend (1994, also writer) Thunderbolt (1995, also writer) First Option (1996, also writer) Armageddon (1997, also writer and producer) Beast Cops (1998, also writer and producer) 2000 AD (2000, also writer) Okinawa Rendez-vous (2000, also writer and producer) Cat and Mouse (2003, also writer) The Medallion (2003, also writer) A-1 Headline (2004, also writer and producer) Kung Fu Master (2005) Mr. 3 Minutes (2006, also producer) Painted Skin (2008, also writer and producer) The King of Fighters (2010) Mural (2011, also writer and producer) The Four (2012, also writer and producer) The Four II (2013) The Four III (2014) The Treasure (2017) God of War (2017)
Films produced	The Vineyard (1989) Neverending Summer (1992) 1001 Nights (1995) Cause We Are So Young (1997) Option Zero (1997) Hitman (1998) When I Look Upon the Stars (1999) Heroes in Love (2001) Funeral March (2001) Every Dog Has His Date (2001) Time 4 Hope (2002) Curse of Lola (2005) Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010, also writer) Coming Back (2011, also writer) Manhunt (2017, also writer)
Films written only	Behind the Yellow Line (1984) Dragons Forever (1988) Double Fattiness (1988) Heart to Hearts (1988) The Big Heat (1988) Diary of a Small Man (1989) The Cat (1991) Hard Boiled (1992) She Starts the Fire (1992) The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994) Daisy (2006) Undercover Hidden Dragon (2006)

v t e Films by Tsui Hark
Films directed	The Butterfly Murders (1979) We're Going to Eat You (1980, also writer) Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980, also writer) All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution (1981) Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) Shanghai Blues (1984, also produced) Aces Go Places 3 (1984) Working Class (1985, also produced) Peking Opera Blues (1986, also produced) A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon (1989, also produced) Once Upon a Time in China (1991, also writer and produced) King of Chess (1991, uncredited, also produced) Once Upon a Time in China II (1992, also writer and produced) The Master (1992, also produced) Green Snake (1993, also writer and produced) Once Upon a Time in China III (1993, also writer and produced) The Lovers (1994, also writer and produced) Once Upon a Time in China V (1994, also writer and produced) The Blade (1995, also writer and produced) The Chinese Feast (1995, also writer and produced) Love in the Time of Twilight (1995, also writer and produced) Tristar (1996, also writer and produced) Double Team (1997) Knock Off (1998) Time and Tide (2000, also writer and produced) The Legend of Zu (2001, also writer and produced) Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002, also produced) Seven Swords (2005, also writer and produced) Missing (2008, also writer and produced) All About Women (2008, also writer and produced) Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010, also produced) Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011, also writer and produced) Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013, also writer and produced) The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014, also writer) Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017, also writer and produced) Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018, also produced)
Films written	A Better Tomorrow II (1987; also produced) A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991, also produced) Swordsman II (1992, also produced) New Dragon Gate Inn (1992, also produced) The Wicked City (1992; also produced) The East Is Red (1993; also produced) Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993; also produced) The Magic Crane (1993, also produced) Iron Monkey (1993; also produced) Black Mask (1996; also produced) The Era of Vampires (2002, also produced) Sword Master (2016; also produced) The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017)
Films produced only	A Better Tomorrow (1986) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) The Big Heat (1988) I Love Maria (1988) The Killer (1989) A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1990) The Swordsman (1990) A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990) Shanghai Grand (1996) Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997) The Climbers (2019)
Collaborating director	The Banquet (1991) Twin Dragons (1992) Triangle (2007) Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020) The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) The Battle at Lake Changjin II (2022)

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