#126 – Infernal Affairs, (無間道), 2002, Andrew Lau & Alan Mak
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#162 – A Simple Life, (桃姐), 2011, Ann Hui
The relationship between a middle-aged man and the elderly woman, who has been the family’s helper for sixty years.
#163 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, (卧虎藏龙), 2000, Ang Lee
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman’s daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#185 – The Killer, (喋血雙雄), 1989, John Woo
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim’s sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.
#190 – 2046, 2004, Wong Kar-wai
Women enter and exit a science fiction author’s life, over the course of a few years, after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#200 – Farewell My Concubine, (霸王别姬), 1993, Chen Kaige
Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled “Farewell My Concubine” that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Doutzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo’s explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.
#236 – Happy Together, (春光乍洩), 1997, Wong Kar-wai
A couple take a trip to Argentina in search of a new beginning, but instead find themselves drifting ever further apart.
#332 – A City of Sadness, (悲情城市), 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien
Soon after Japan relinquishes control of Taiwan in 1945, the Lin brothers face hardships from the changing culture. Bar owner Wen-heung, the eldest brother, falls foul of local gangsters, Wen-sun disappears, and Wen-leung, scarred by his experiences in the war, ends up in an insane asylum. Deaf-mute photographer Wen-ching, the youngest brother, decides to make a stand and fight the Kuomintang government from China that is assuming power.
#334 – Chungking Express, (重慶森林), 1994, Wong Kar-wai
Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal server at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#468 – Pickpocket, (小武), 1998, Jia Zhangke
Little pocket thief Wu never got away from the streets like his friends did. He realises that he is alone, as his old buddy doesn’t invite him for his wedding. When he falls in love with a hooker he is forced to think about his future. Can he break with his criminal past?
Jumbo Cactuar Film Index 