Regardless of the fact that the maximum number of action films, especially those that are steeped towards martial arts, are produced in China, it was not till Johnnie To stepped into the act that Chinese movies started marshalling forwards. Born on the 22nd of April, 1955, Johnnie To Kie-Fung is a producer and film maker from Hong Kong who is not only popular in his country but also all over the world for the wide varieties of movies made by him. Even though Johnnie has made movies over a variety of genres, he is more popular in western countries especially for his crime and action movies and these movies has earned him a cult following and also lots of acclaim.
Even though most film makers change their caste from film to film, it is not the same with Johnnie, who has been loyal with his group. The movies made by To are with the same group of actors, cinematographers, and screenwriters. Basically, the movies produced by Johnnie deal with the changes of the society of Hong Kong, or themes like fate and friendship. This producer and film maker is often considered to be multifaceted due to his capability to change over genre and tones from one movie to the other. Regardless of this fact, Johnny generally has a fixed style that involves mixing social observation and subdued realism infused with stylized acting and visual elements.
Milkway Image, the production company that is based in Hong Kong is owned by Johnnie along with Ka-Fai, his frequent co-director. Johnnie began his career at the age of 18 years in the capacity of a messenger for TVB, a television studio based in Hong Kong. It is from here that he started moving forwards in his career. Shifting gears forward, Johnnie started working in the capacity of a director and executive producer on TV shows, and he started this in 1973. Even though he shot his initial theatrical feature in the year 1978, he kept on working for TV.
He has worked in the capacity of director, producer, and even producer & director of many movies. Some of them are: The Enigmatic case, Seven Years Itch, The Eight Happiness, A Moment of Romance, The Royal Scoundrel, Casino Raiders II, A Moment of Romance II, Only Fools Fall in Love, Beyond Hypothermia, The Odd One Dies, A Hero Never Dies, Where a Good Man Goes, and his latest movie that is slated for a 2010 release… Death of a Hostage! In all, Johnnie has made 10 films along with Wai Ka-Fie. The reputation that Johnny has earned overseas… something tough for a film maker based in Hong Kong, can be gauged by the fact that even reputed critics like Ignatiy Vishnevetsky praised his work.
These are the exact words that Ignatiy Vishnevetsky used to describe the work of Johnnie: “To has directed some of the best movies of the last two decades; he is more astounding than almost any other director working today. His cinema is exciting (but never tiring), intelligent (but never distanced), and, above all, emotional.” This is not the sole acclaim that this film maker from Hong Kong has received. In fact, most of his critics are amazed by the fact that Johnny has been able to make movies that are not just popular in Hong Kong, but have also been able to become commercially viable all over the world. “All about Ah-Long” which was released in 1989 and which starred Chow Yun-Fat and which went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1989, was the movie that was responsible for making Johnnie as famous as he is today.
