Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 08/22/2005 Hong Kong Godfather is pretty much your standard Hong Kong cops-and-robbers movie, livened up a bit by some solid fight scenes and gunplay directed by Stephen Tung. In the movie, Andy Lau plays York, a young Triad who is pushed to the head of the infamous Hung Hing group after his father is framed for murder and his brother is assassinated. York must try to clear his father's name, while keeping his hot-headed brother (Tommy Wong) from going out for revenge, all the while keeping a determined cop (Roy Cheung, in a reversal from the type of role he usually plays in Triad pictures) from throwing him in the slammer for good. There's not much of note to mention with Hong Kong Godfather. Andy Lau did tons of these types of movies in the early nineties, and there's not a whole hell of a lot to seperate this from the rest of the pack. There's double-crosses, triple-crosses, beatdowns with obscenly large knives, slow-motion shootouts and plenty of Andy trying to show some emotion (he was still in the wooden phase of his career at this point and wasn't exactly known for his versatile acting skills). Still, even though there's nothing all that great about Hong Kong Godfather, there's nothing all that bad either. If there's one thing Hong Kong film-makers can do well, it's the crime drama. But it's movies like this -- almost stunningly generic in every way -- that eventually soured local audiences and brought the "golden age" of Hong Kong movies to a screeching halt. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/12/2002 Summary: Brutal triad movie Hong Kong Godfather can pretty much be summed up by its name. It does have a reasonably interesting story, but unfortunately, is just glorifying violence instead of looking into serious gang rivalry etc. However, the a lot of the action scenes are very impressive and helps the movie not to drag as much as it might have. Rating: 3/5 (This rating is based on the year & genre, so don't think it's based as a comparison on new releases etc.)

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL A well-managed Hong Kong triad group has gotten by withboth legitimate and illegal ways of making money; when their leader, the nominal Hong Kong Godfather, is forced to flee to Macao in interest of his own safety, rival gangs sense weakness and attempt an unfriendly takeover. By attrition, York Koo (Andy Lau) finds himself their leader, and needing the help of Officer Cheung (Jacob Cheung), the fledgling head of the Anti-Triad Unit. At its best, this film has a quiet air of authority, supported by slick filmcraft and absolute seriousness in every frame. Between the standard packs of teens chasing after rivals with hatchets and one or two fair chases, there are some fascinating triad succession rites and realistic-looking ephemera that raises it, however slightly, above the typical fare -- before losing it totally in the all-out gang vs. gang vs. police fight at the end. (2.5/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 6