Ranking every Hong Kong film released in 2019, from worst to best – was this the year the industry hit rock bottom?

• Unflinching in his criticism, unstinting in his praise, film editor Edmund Lee looks back over the year's releases from old hands and new talent
• Louis Koo was everywhere, as usual, Fruit Chan was back, Simon Yam impressed, Sammi Cheng had two top-10 films, and as for Derek Tsang …

Hong Kong cinema, like the city it once inspired and in which it prospered, may have hit rock bottom in 2019.

On the one hand, in a creative industry where most of the heavy hitters are pro-Beijing businessmen who won't gamble on their earnings at the Chinese box office, major productions rarely take artistic risks.

One only need to look at how veteran Hong Kong filmmakers have applied their skills to making patriotic fluff ( The Climbers , The Captain ), awkwardly played up the role of Chinese law enforcement ( P Storm , Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch ), or attacked white supremacy in America ( Ip Man 4: The Finale ), to know where their hearts are.

On the other hand, the anti-government protests in Hong Kong have, not surprisingly, led to delays in releasing locally made films " and not just because cinemas temporarily shut down at the height of the social unrest.

Vocal opponents of the protests have been made personae non gratae on their home turf. A Hong Kong release was never on the cards for Tony Leung Ka-fai's directorial debut, Midnight Diner, after he attended a pro-police rally. Yonfan scrapped the release of his Venice Film Festival award winner, No. 7 Cherry Lane, after he called out protesters for taking away the freedom of others to use public transport in the city.

But political correctness cuts both ways. Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung's Better Days was robbed of a Berlin festival premiere and a shot at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards in a year in which China's censors went into overdrive ahead of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic. Meanwhile, the cinematic release of The Attorney, an upcoming film exploring issues of justice, is in doubt.

Amid the doom and gloom, one silver lining is that we should be seeing quite a few more Hong Kong films opening in 2020.

Indeed, judging by several upcoming local films that audiences got a glimpse of at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, the emergence of new talent that the Post first noted in 2017 looks to be gathering pace.

Here is our nearly complete list of Hong Kong films released in the past 12 months, ranked from worst to best.

37. Binding Souls

Nothing makes sense in this half-hearted attempt at a haunted house mystery. The second film of director Chan Pang-chun " whose so-so debut, the exorcism horror Daughter (2015), now looks quite a gem by comparison " Binding Souls is that rare movie which fails to convince in every aspect, from its characters' behaviour to its shockingly sparse assembly of ghosts. Read the full review

36. Undercover Punch and Gun

Playing like an amateur filmmaker's valiant but misguided attempt to realise a much grander vision, this slapdash action thriller does occasionally entertain with its modestly staged action scenes. What dooms it is … everything else. Putting aside a story that barely makes sense, it features surreal lines of dialogue such as, "You know I've been a Weibo follower of yours? But no more!" Read the full review

35. Walk with Me

Part mistaken-identity psychodrama, part rape-revenge fantasy, and part haunted-doll thriller with one of those ghostly little kids always hanging around in the back, this atmospheric horror film by Malaysian filmmaker Ryon Lee is so confused about its own mythology that even its plot twists appear to contradict each other towards the end. Read the full review

34. Kung Fu Monster

This tale by Andrew Lau Wai-keung, set in Ming dynasty China, is a confused mix of creature feature and wuxia martial arts parody that delivers neither genre thrills nor any discernible historical perspective. Even with a talented ensemble cast that includes Zhou Dongyu, the film quickly grows tiresome with its witless dialogue and repetitive slapstick. Read the full review

33. Invincible Dragon

Preposterous doesn't begin to describe Fruit Chan Gor's big-budget crime thriller, which had been hyped for its fight scenes between rising action star Max Zhang Jin and Brazilian mixed martial artist Anderson Silva before anyone got to find out how incoherent it really is. And don't get me started on the magical final twist that has deservedly drawn widespread ridicule. Read the full review

32. Till We Meet Again

Steven Ma Chun-wai's semi-autobiographical film relies heavily on the audience's susceptibility. Some will see it as a dreadfully boring and relentlessly cloying depiction of mental illness, without much of a plot or any character development. Others will appreciate the film for capturing the chaotic thought processes of someone deep in grief. I lean towards the former. Read the full review

31. The Fatal Raid

What does justice mean? It's a question mulled over, but answered in the most superficial manner, in this melodramatic story of revenge and redemption. Even if it is full of bombast and nonsense, fans of Hong Kong cinema should be happy that Patrick Tam Yiu-man and Michael Tong Man-lung, as well as 1990s girl-with-gun veteran Jade Leung Chang, get to impress in meaty roles. Read the full review

30. P Storm

No prior knowledge of the crime thriller series " nor of how Hong Kong's police and prisons operate " is required to watch David Lam Tak-luk's latest crime-busting fantasy. The screenplay by Ho Man-lung ( L Storm ) and series scriptwriter Wong Ho-wa is laughably detached from reality. Still, while this film is utterly silly, at least it's not boring, and for that the director deserves credit. Read the full review

29. Dearest Anita, …

The legacy of the late Canto-pop diva Anita Mui Yim-fong lives on with this unabashed love-in of a movie. While it is peppered with clumsy plot turns and melodramatic acting, Dearest Anita does show a seldom explored side to Hong Kong's celebrity culture. The genuine emotions behind the making of the film partly offset its deeply flawed execution. Read the full review

28. A Lifetime Treasure

The intention is laudable but the scripting is more than a little lackadaisical for this comedy-drama directed and co-written by Andrew Lam Man-chung. He gives himself licence to indulge his not entirely admirable brand of nonsensical humour, but also tries to convey a message about the importance of treasuring old people. Read the full review

27. The Climbers

Released in the week the Communist Party celebrated the 70th anniversary of its taking power, Daniel Lee Yan-kong's heavily fictionalised account of the Chinese Mount Everest expeditions in 1960 and 1975 is a nationalistic spectacle. It's a thrilling film when it focuses on the pure adrenaline of holding one's ground in a vicious snowstorm; less so with its melodrama. Read the full review

26. A Journey of Happiness

A Hong Kong family learns to love each other all over again through an eventful road trip across Malaysia in this sweet-natured comedy. Scripted by Ryon Lee and so many supporting writers that you wonder how they settled for a story this haphazard, Malaysian filmmaker J.Y. Teng's mildly diverting effort just about delivers on its premise. Read the full review

25. Guilt by Design

If you have been wondering whether a filmmaker would find the courage to address the dangers to rule of law in Hong Kong and the perceived erosion of judicial authority, along comes just such a film. It's a pity, then, that Guilt by Design does so in such an unimaginative way, via a bogus take on the city's legal system that's larded with a farcical plot line involving hypnotherapy. Read the full review

24. Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch

For anyone who cherishes the care and attention that 2017's Chasing the Dragon put into bringing the real-life drug lord Crippled Ho to life, this half-hearted attempt to revive another criminal, the notorious "Big Spender" Cheung Tze-keung, is bound to disappoint. It promises to be an exciting true crime story but stops short of offering anything outside the perfunctory. Read the full review

23. Bodies at Rest

Light on humour yet heavy on illogical behaviour, this single-location hostage drama by Renny Harlin is a satisfactory, if forgettable, rehash of one of those generic Hollywood action films that have gone out of fashion. Nick Cheung Ka-fai is supposed to have everyman appeal but plays his part in far too cool-headed fashion, his serene presence at odds with the violence around him. Read the full review

22. Deception of the Novelist

An unhappy marriage goes straight to hell in this sexy thriller, an ambitiously scripted yet ultimately unconvincing film by Christopher Sun Lap-key. The story never quite convinces because of its laboured twists and turns; the suspected murder at its centre is investigated using the flimsiest methods. Fun while it lasts " even if it doesn't hold up upon further inspection. Read the full review

21. Three Husbands

Fruit Chan's heavily allegorical sex comedy is also his most confrontational work to date. Yet while the maverick Hong Kong filmmaker may have wanted to channel his frustration with the prevailing political climate into this story, one of absurdist humour that is in extremely bad taste, it is hard to justify the exploitative show to which he subjects his lead actress. Read the full review

20. Missbehavior

The quirks of human relationships provide the punchlines for many of the jokes in Pang Ho-cheung's first Chinese New Year comedy. Shot in only 14 days and with significant improvisation on set, it is a scattershot comedy-drama that recalls the episodic nature of his earlier films, such as Vulgaria. Missbehavior is, however, not nearly as funny (or vulgar). Read the full review

19. The Captain

After a string of lucrative but critically maligned films, Andrew Lau returns to form in this air-disaster movie. It should come as no surprise to disaster movie fans that the scenes of mid-air crisis in The Captain are far more captivating than those on the ground, where every shot and line of dialogue is cheesy, cliched and dragged out for effect. Read the full review

18. A Home with a View

The latest Hong Kong film to derive dark humour from the city's housing woes, this adaptation of a play by comedian Cheung Tat-ming is an average farce elevated by its bleak yet resonant premise. It is a conceptually interesting film that at times fails to get its points across amid a sea of dialogue and constant mood changes. Read the full review

17. Lion Rock

The inspirational true story of Lai Chi-wai, an elite Hong Kong rock climber who was left a paraplegic following a traffic accident in 2011, forms the basis of this oddly whimsical tale of love and resilience. The pleasure of Nick Leung Kwok-pun's tonally uneven and narratively fragmented film arrives in scattered moments of warmth and humour. Read the full review

16. Ip Man 4: The Finale

Donnie Yen Ji-dan gives a memorably solemn performance in this final instalment of the martial arts series. The rather contrived story follows an ailing Ip as he takes a trip to San Francisco and ends up in hand-to-hand combat with a racist US Army sergeant. Despite having the weakest narrative of the four films, it does a decent job of providing closure for Yen's beloved character. Read the full review

15. Integrity

Alan Mak Siu-fai's convoluted anti-corruption drama has the conviction to engage its viewers solely with intricate plotting, rather than the usual action overload. For all its patient scripting, atmospheric build-up and efforts to appear contemporary, however, Mak fails to deliver a credible knockout punch when he finally tries to wrap up the story's many loose ends. Read the full review

14. The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes " The Greatest Jail Breaker

Breaking the law and maintaining the moral high ground are the themes at the heart of this animated feature, which will keep children engaged while offering food for thought for the grown-ups. Billed as a "100 per cent Hong Kong-made" production, it vividly reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuthing adventures in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals. Read the full review

13. Missing

At long last a Hong Kong chiller that doesn't solely count on inconsequential jump scares to maintain audience interest. This atmospheric feature debut by director Ronnie Chau is that rare local attempt at horror filmmaking that has enough confidence in its story that it doesn't resort to genre cliches. This is an encouraging debut " no more but no less. Read the full review

12. Little Q

The life of a guide dog forms the main narrative of Little Q, but animal-lovers who see it should thank Simon Yam Tat-wah for giving such a dignified performance as the animal's conflicted master for much of its lifespan. With a lesser actor in the lead, this well-intentioned, if somewhat laboured, drama could easily have been sloppily sentimental. Read the full review

11. The Lady Improper

Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan, one of Hong Kong's most admired indie filmmakers of the past decade, makes her home city commercial feature debut with The Lady Improper. The film is a refreshingly gentle, though occasionally awkward, drama about a woman's belated sexual liberation with the help of a good man and some suggestive food-preparation sessions. Read the full review

10. The White Storm 2: Drug Lords

Under the direction of the reliable Herman Yau Lai-to, this sequel in name only replicates the original film's exhilarating action and outrageous body count, even if it makes a mess of the theme of brotherhood that gave substance to the melodramatic core of the first film. This is a thoroughly thrilling, if also unabashedly superficial, popcorn movie. Read the full review

9. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!

This musical comedy marks the directing debut of Wong Cho-lam, and there couldn't have been a more fitting project for him to showcase his talent. By transposing the musical numbers to an eclectic range of locations throughout Hong Kong, Wong has come up with a fairly faithful adaptation of the off-Broadway musical hit which nevertheless has a distinctly local feel. Read the full review

8. We Are Legends

Based loosely on the story of real-life mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Xiong Dixin, Daniel Chan Yee-heng's boxing drama is predictable yet entertaining. Its characters are likeable and it pays attention to the gritty detail of the sport. Even the relatively inexperienced cast acquit themselves well given the physical demands of their roles. Read the full review

7. The New King of Comedy

Hong Kong film-goers are likely to find nothing in Stephen Chow Sing-chi's latest Chinese production to allay their fears that his revered brand of wacky Cantonese humour is now all but history. Having said that, this underdog comedy-drama based on the core idea from his 1999 film King of Comedy is arguably Chow's best outing since he switched his focus to directing. Read the full review

6. A Witness out of the Blue

Fung Chih-chiang's fourth feature is another of his narrative experiments. Part murder mystery, part police thriller and part Freudian psychodrama, it twists the premise of a crime procedural into something resembling a surprise. The writer-director keeps his eyes firmly on the characters and their stories, ensuring a thoroughly entertaining experience for viewers. Read the full review

5. G Affairs

Less an involving story than a plethora of ideas and criticisms delivered with striking art-house pretension, this brooding feature debut by director Lee Cheuk-pan is the most stylistically accomplished effort yet by the city's new generation of filmmakers, who are venting their frustration and anger in the wake of the "umbrella movement" protests in 2014. Read the full review

4. Still Human

Anthony Wong Chau-sang channels the frustration of his recent career into a down-on-his-luck character in this low-key and sensitive domestic drama. The heart-warming story of a disabled middle-aged man and his young Filipino maid is that rare gem of a film which takes a distinctly Hong Kong scenario and turns it into a gently comical drama with universal appeal. Read the full review

3. Line Walker 2

Fans of Hong Kong action films are in for a very pleasant surprise with this sequel to Jazz Boon's undercover policeman thriller Line Walker (2016). Boon's follow-up effort mixes intrigue surrounding its protagonists' shifting identities and loyalties with a reprise of the "blood brothers" theme typical of Hong Kong cinema's "heroic bloodshed" genre. The result is engrossing. Read the full review

2. Better Days

Had Better Days been released in any other year, it would have been seen as a far bigger endorsement of the talent of its director, the emerging Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung. Zhou Dongyu's heart-wrenching performance will leave you hurting. The gritty reality of bullying the film depicts leaves a lasting impression on audiences. Read the full review

1. Fagara

A Hong Kong woman rediscovers the value of family ties after her father's death in this exquisite and quietly poignant drama. Produced by Ann Hui On-wah, Fagara marks the astonishingly assured return to feature directing of former prodigy Heiward Mak Hei-yan, while also featuring the best role in years for Canto-pop superstar Sammi Cheng Sau-man. Read the full review

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