Jack Kao’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Jack Kao has 10 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1980s through the 2010s.
Recurring themes

The Awakener
2018
Thriller · Action

Domino
2005
Action · Crime

Mesrine: Killer Instinct
2008
Drama · Action

Merantau
2009
Action · Drama

Man on Fire
2004
Action · Drama

A Bittersweet Life
2005
Action · Drama

Prison Break: The Final Break
2009
Action · Drama

Los Bandoleros
2009
Action · Drama
Assassins, scammers, gangsters, cops, a washed-up bicycle racer, and a body continually cross paths; usually with negative outcomes.
Dir. Ning Hao · With Huang Bo, Jiu Kong, Morris Rong Xiang

The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror," the Kuomintang government's anti-communist political repression that was wrought on the Taiwanese people from 1947-1987.
Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien · With Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Hsin Shu-Fen, Chan Chung-Yung

In 2011, Vicky looks back on her life a decade earlier, recalling her turbulent relationship with her controlling boyfriend Hao Hao and her growing connection to a compassionate gangster amid the neon haze of Taipei's nightlife.
Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien · With Shu Qi, Jack Kao, Duan Chun-hao

A streetwise young man becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash. He befriends a disillusioned mercenary determined to begin life anew. They find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt, but their partnership ultimately can't last.
Dir. Tsui Hark · With Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung, Wu Bai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang

Fai, once a world champion in boxing, escapes to Macau from the loan sharks and unexpectedly encounters Qi, a young chap who is determined to win a boxing match. Fai becomes Qi's mentor and rediscovers his passion to fight not only in the ring but for his life and the cares.
Dir. Dante Lam Chiu-yin · With Nick Cheung Ka-Fai, Eddie Peng Yu-Yan, Mei Ting

At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.
Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien · With Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada, Carina Lau

Someone in a prison run by a corrupt warden fakes the deaths of convicts to later use them as expendable assassins. A police officer is sent into the prison to gather evidence of the corruption.
Dir. Kevin Chu · With Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Jackie Chan

A former Judo champion is given the chance to redeem himself after he befriends a competitor and an aspiring singer.
Dir. Johnnie To · With Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing, Cherrie Ying Choi-Yi

A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet.
Dir. Derek Yee Tung-Sing · With Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu
It's the end of the century at a corner of the city in a building riddled with crime - Everyone in the building has turned into zombies. After Jenny's boyfriend is killed in a zombie attack, she faces the challenge of surviving in the face of adversity. In order to stay alive, she struggles with Andy to flee danger.
Dir. Joe Chien Jen-Hao · With Andy On Chi-Kit, Jessica Cambensy, Jack Kao
Top Collaborators
Directors with 2+ shared titles, ranked by frequency