Hong Kong 1941

Although they’re a rare commodity these days, the recipe for creating a movie star still seems to be casting the right actor in the right role at the right time. Whether it’s science, sorcery, or luck, you can watch it happen in real time in Hong Kong 1941 (1984), with Chow Yun-Fat at the center of a love triangle during the city’s Japanese occupation.

The film follows three friends as they navigate personal dreams, political oppression, and rising romantic tensions. Chow plays Fei, an almost mystical drifter who allows himself to be recruited by the Japanese in order to aid the revolution from within. But his first challenge is rescuing his best friend, Keung (Alex Man), who’s been kidnapped by local collaborators. Meanwhile, Keung’s fiancée, Nam (Cecilia Yip), is torn by her own feelings—unsure which of the two men she’s truly in love with.

Director Po-Chih Leong keeps things relatively intimate for a wartime film, focusing less on battlefront spectacle and more on street-level fear and quiet resilience. And unlike many Hong Kong dramas that lean too heavily into melodrama, Hong Kong 1941 actually earns its emotions. There’s no manufactured nostalgia or sadness—just the melancholy erasure of former lives and a desperate hope for what comes next.

Yet for all the narrative distractions, the camera always circles back to Chow Yun-Fat, whose screen presence and effortless charisma make him stand out like a Technicolor figure in a black-and-white world. From soft, romantic moments to a Deer Hunter-inspired standoff involving firecrackers, Hong Kong 1941 proves he could do it all—and makes a compelling case that this was the moment his superstardom began.

Eureka’s limited-edition Blu-ray marks the first time the film has been available outside Asia. It pairs a beautiful 4K restoration with a new commentary track, video essay, critical appreciation, and fresh interviews with director Po-Chih Leong—plus archival conversations with Chow Yun-Fat, Cecilia Yip, and Paul Chun. A collector’s booklet and slipcase round out the package, making it a long-overdue that fans didn’t even know they were missing.

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