The Chinese Cinema

Inspired by Sean Gilman's essential list ranking the Chinese-language films he's seen.

A version without the color-coding.

1. A One and a Two... (2000, Edward Yang)
2. A Touch of Zen (1971, King Hu)
3. In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai)
4. A Brighter Summer Day (1991, Edward Yang)
5. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003, Tsai Ming-liang)
6. Chungking Express (1994, Wong Kar-wai)
7. Platform (2000, Jia Zhangke)
8. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)
9. Oxhide II (2009, Liu Jiayin)
10. Dragon Inn (1967, King Hu)
11. Stray Dogs (2013, Tsai Ming-liang)
12. Mountains May Depart (2015, Jia Zhangke)
13. The Love Eterne (1963, Li Han-hsiang)
14. Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996, Peter Chan)
15. A City of Sadness (1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
16. The Killer (1989, John Woo)
17. Dirty Ho (1979, Lau Kar-leung)
18. Peking Opera Blues (1986, Tsui Hark)
19. Millennium Mambo (2001, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
20. Days of Being Wild (1990, Wong Kar-wai)
21. Mahjong (1996, Edward Yang)
22. Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To)
23. The Assassin (2015, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
24. Shanghai Blues (1984, Tsui Hark)
25. Spring in a Small Town (1948, Fei Mu)
26. Hard-Boiled (1992, John Woo)
27. The Hole (1998, Tsai Ming-liang)
28. Ashes of Time (1994, Wong Kar-wai)
29. Terrorizers (1986, Edward Yang)
30. Pedicab Driver (1989, Sammo Hung)
31. 2046 (2004, Wong Kar-wai)
32. Taipei Story (1985, Edward Yang)
33. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978, Lau Kar-leung)
34. A Confucian Confusion (1994, Edward Yang)
35. Legend of the Mountain (1979, King Hu)
36. Election 2 (2006, Johnnie To)
37. PTU (2003, Johnnie To)
38. Caught by the Tides (2024, Jia Zhangke)
39. Flowers of Shanghai (1998, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
40. Once Upon a Time in China (1991, Tsui Hark)
41. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011, Johnnie To)
42. Café Lumière (2003, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
43. Wheels on Meals (1984, Sammo Hung)
44. Throw Down (2004, Johnnie To)
45. Kung Fu Hustle (2004, Stephen Chow)
46. Happy Together (1997, Wong Kar-wai)
47. The River (1997, Tsai Ming-liang)
48. Rouge (1987, Stanley Kwan)
49. Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018, Bi Gan)
50. That Day, on the Beach (1983, Edward Yang)
51. Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014, Johnnie To)
52. Romancing in Thin Air (2012, Johnnie To)
53. In the Heat of the Sun (1994, Jiang Wen)
54. My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (2002, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
55. Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (2008, Zhang Yimou)
56. The Fate of Lee Khan (1973, King Hu)
57. Bullet in the Head (1990, John Woo)
58. The Grandmaster (2013, Wong Kar-wai)
59. Still Life (2006, Jia Zhangke)
60. Green Snake (1993, Tsui Hark)
61. Made in Hong Kong (1997, Fruit Chan)
62. Durian Durian (2000, Fruit Chan)
63. Drug War (2012, Johnnie To)
64. Youth (Homecoming) (2024, Wang Bing)
65. What Time Is It There? (2001, Tsai Ming-liang)
66. Police Story (1985, Jackie Chan)
67. Nomad (1982, Patrick Tam)
68. Vive L'Amour (1994, Tsai Ming-liang)
69. Oxhide (2005, Liu Jiayin)
70. Youth (Hard Times) (2024, Wang Bing)
71. Eastern Condors (1987, Sammo Hung)
72. Too Many Ways to Be No. 1 (1997, Wai Ka-fai)
73. The Hand (2004, Wong Kar-wai)
74. Disorder (2009, Huang Weikai)
75. Ash Is Purest White (2018, Jia Zhangke)
76. SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015, Soi Cheang)
77. Exiled (2006, Johnnie To)
78. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992, Tsui Hark)
79. Running on Karma (2003, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
80. Present.Perfect. (2019, Zhu Shengze)
81. Days (2020, Tsai Ming-liang)
82. An Elephant Sitting Still (2018, Hu Bo)
83. Drunken Master II (1994, Lau Kar-leung)
84. Full Contact (1992, Ringo Lam)
85. Long Arm of the Law (1984, Johnny Mak)
86. Fallen Angels (1995, Wong Kar-wai)
87. Daughter of the Nile (1987, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
88. My Young Auntie (1981, Lau Kar-leung)
89. Kaili Blues (2015, Bi Gan)
90. The Longest Summer (1998, Fruit Chan)
91. Dangerous Encounters–1st Kind (1980, Tsui Hark)
92. Afternoon (2015, Tsai Ming-liang)
93. The Wayward Cloud (2005, Tsai Ming-liang)
94. No No Sleep (2015, Tsai Ming-liang)
95. Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002, Jeffrey Lau)
96. Raining in the Mountain (1979, King Hu)
97. Youth (Spring) (2023, Wang Bing)
98. Accident (2009, Soi Cheang)
99. Love in a Puff (2010, Pang Ho-cheung)
100. A New Old Play (2021, Qiu Jiongjiong)
101. Golden Swallow (1968, Chang Cheh)
102. Boat People (1982, Ann Hui)
103. The World (2004, Jia Zhangke)
104. Limbo (2021, Soi Cheang)
105. 24 City (2008, Jia Zhangke)
106. The Shadowless Tower (2023, Zhang Lu)
107. A Touch of Sin (2013, Jia Zhangke)
108. Sons of the Good Earth (1965, King Hu)
109. Face/Off (1997, John Woo)
110. Hero (2002, Zhang Yimou)
111. The Valiant Ones (1975, King Hu)
112. Viva Erotica (1996, Derek Yee & Lo Chi-leung)
113. A Short Story (2022, Bi Gan)
114. A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces (2021, Zhu Shengze)
115. School on Fire (1988, Ringo Lam)
116. As Tears Go By (1988, Wong Kar-wai)
117. The Hedonists (2016, Jia Zhangke)
118. I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006, Tsai Ming-liang)
119. Drunken Master (1978, Yuen Woo-ping)
120. One-Armed Swordsman (1967, Chang Cheh)
121. The Midnight After (2014, Fruit Chan)
122. The Goddess (1934, Wu Yonggang)
123. Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
124. The Mission (1999, Johnnie To)
125. Man in Black (2023, Wang Bing)
126. Wing Chun (1994, Yuen Woo-ping)
127. Little Cheung (1999, Fruit Chan)
128. Journey to the West (2014, Tsai Ming-liang)
129. To Live (1994, Zhang Yimou)
130. Blind Detective (2013, Johnnie To)
131. Unknown Pleasures (2002, Jia Zhangke)
132. Face (2009, Tsai Ming-liang)
133. Come Drink With Me (1966, King Hu)
134. Xiao Wu (1997, Jia Zhangke)
135. Cry Me a River (2008, Jia Zhangke)
136. City on Fire (1987, Ringo Lam)
137. The Story of Sue San (1964, King Hu)
138. Rebels of the Neon God (1992, Tsai Ming-liang)
139. Love on a Diet (2001, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
140. Expectations (1982, Edward Yang)
141. Shaolin Soccer (2001, Stephen Chow)
142. Walker (2012, Tsai Ming-liang)
143. My Blueberry Nights (2007, Wong Kar-wai)
144. Where (2022, Tsai Ming-liang)
145. The Skywalk Is Gone (2002, Tsai Ming-liang)
146. A Better Tomorrow (1986, John Woo)
147. Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (2020, Jia Zhangke)
148. A Hero Never Dies (1998, Johnnie To)
149. Stonewalling (2022, Huang Ji & Otsuka Ryuji)
150. The Odd One Dies (1997, Patrick Yau and Johnnie To)
151. The Follow (2001, Wong Kar-wai)
152. Secret Goldfish (2016, Bi Gan)
153. In Public (2001, Jia Zhangke)
154. Raise the Red Lantern (1991, Zhang Yimou)
155. Election (2005, Johnnie To)
156. House of Flying Daggers (2004, Zhang Yimou)
157. Office (2015, Johnnie To)
158. I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016, Feng Xiaogong)
159. The Wild Goose Lake (2019, Diao Yinan)
160. Chasing Dream (2019, Johnnie To)
161. Mad Fate (2023, Soi Cheang)
162. Useless (2007, Jia Zhangke)
163. Perhaps Love (2005, Peter Chan)
164. An Autumn's Tale (1987, Mabel Cheung)
165. Kuei-mei, a Woman (1985, Chang Yi)
166. Breaking News (2004, Johnnie To)
167. The Calming (2020, Song Fang)
168. Better Days (2019, Derek Tsang)
169. Motorway (2012, Soi Cheang)
170. Ripples of Life (2021, Wei Shujun)
171. Tai-Chi Master (1993, Yuen Woo-ping)
172. Where Do You Stand, Tsai Ming-liang? (2022, Tsai Ming-liang)
173. Visit (2020, Jia Zhangke)
174. I Wish I Knew (2010, Jia Zhangke)
175. 607 (2010, Liu Jiayin)
176. Return to Dust (2022, Li Ruijun)
177. Knock Off (1998, Tsui Hark)
178. A Family Tour (2018, Ying Liang)
179. Another Year (2016, Zhu Shengze)
180. Virgin Blue (2021, Niu Xiaoyu)
181. In Our Time (1982, Tao Te-chen/Edward Yang/Ko I-chen/Chang Yi)
182. Striding Into the Wind (2020, Wei Shujun)
183. Never Rest/Unrest (2020, Tiffany Sia)
184. Your Face (2018, Tsai Ming-liang)
185. Stranger Eyes (2024, Yeo Siew Hua)
186. The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019, Herman Yau)
187. Mr. Nice Guy (1997, Sammo Hung)
188. A Better Tomorrow II (1987, John Woo)
189. Full River Red (2023, Zhang Yimou)
190. Double Team (1997, Tsui Hark)
191. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987, Ching Siu-tung)
192. Ju Dou (1990, Zhang Yimou)
193. Daughter and Son (2022, Cheng Yu)
194. The Great Buddha+ (2017, Huang Hsin-yao)
195. Infernal Affairs (2002, Andrew Lau & Alan Mak)
196. SPL: Paradox (2017, Wilson Yip)
197. Red Sorghum (1988, Zhang Yimou)
198. Police Story 2 (1988, Jackie Chan)
199. Lust, Caution (2007, Ang Lee)
200. Man in the Well (2016, Hu Bo)
201. Only the River Flows (2023, Wei Shujun)
202. The Poet and Singer (2012, Bi Gan)
203. Dong (2006, Jia Zhangke)
204. Three (2016, Johnnie To)
205. Will You Look at Me (2022, Huang Shuli)
206. Absence (2023, Wu Lang)
207. Singing in the Wilderness (2021, Chen Dongnan)
208. Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (Yuen Woo-ping)
209. The Mermaid (2016, Stephen Chow)
210. A Marble Travelogue (2021, Sean Wang)
211. re-engraved (2024, Lei Lei)
212. Xiao Shan Going Home (1995, Jia Zhangke)
213. Mission: Impossible II (2000, John Woo)
214. Life Without Principle (2011, Johnnie To)
215. Cliff Walkers (2021, Zhang Yimou)
216. Out of Jungle (2023, Jia Zhangke)
217. Is There a Pine on the Mountain (2022, Liu Chongyan)
218. The Wedding Banquet (1993, Ang Lee)
219. Turn Left, Turn Right (2003, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
220. Somewhere (2022, Li Jiahe)
221. Red Cliff (2008, John Woo)
222. Red Cliff Part II (2009, John Woo)
223. Dear Ex (2018, Mag Hsu & Hsu Chih-yen)
224. The Eight Hundred (2020, Guan Hu)
225. The Great Wall (2016, Zhang Yimou)
226. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006, Zhang Yimou)
227. The Story of Qiu Ju (1992, Zhang Yimou)
228. The Mountains Sing (2021, Yang Xiao)
229. SPL (2005, Wilson Yip)
230. The Fadings (2022, You Wenhu)
231. This Woman (2023, Alan Zhang)
232. Warriors of Future (2022, Ng Yuen-fai)
233. Helios (2015, Longman Leung & Sunny Luk)
234. China PK Queen (2021, Wei Xiaogang)
235. A Taste of Killing and Romance (1994, Veronica Chan)
236. Pushing Hands (1991, Ang Lee)
237. Children's Corner (2021, Guan Haotian)
238. Be Concerned (2021, Li Jia)
239. Enter the Dragon (1973, Robert Clouse)
240. Ip Man (2008, Wilson Yip)
241. Shower (1997, Zhang Yang)
242. The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost (2021, Lei Qinyuan)
243. Ip Man 2 (2010, Wilson Yip)
244. Cape No. 7 (2008, Wei Te-Sheng)
245. Secret (2007, Jay Chou)
246. Flash Point (2007, Wilson Yip)
247. Happy Times (2000, Zhang Yimou)
248. The Road Home (1999, Zhang Yimou)
249. Hao Hao Wan Wan (2022, Em Yue)
250. The Soul (2021, Cheng Wei-hao)
251. One Second (2020, Zhang Yimou)
252. Outside the Glass Jar (2023, Zhang Xitong)
253. Olympic (2022, Zhu Xin)
254. De Closin Night (2022, Zhu Shicong)
255. Gong Shou Dao (2017, Wen Zhang)
256. Shadow (2018, Zhang Yimou)
257. The Bucket (2019, Jia Zhangke)
258. In the Morning of La Petite Mort (2021, Wang Yu-lin)
259. Home Sweet Home (2021, Leste Chen)
260. The Way of the Dragon (1972, Bruce Lee)
261. A City Called Macau (2019, Li Shaohong)
262. People's Republic of Desire (2018, Wu Hao)
263. The Woman From Myanmar (2022, Wang Xiuyue)
264. Forever Young (2018, Li Fangfang)
265. Game of Death (1978, Robert Clouse)