Patrick Tam - The Chinese Cinema

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Patrick Tam

A collection of 7 posts

My Heart is That Eternal Rose (Patrick Tam, 1989)

My Heart is That Eternal Rose (Patrick Tam, 1989)

The following is a re-edited and slightly-modified version of the review I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of the Fantasia International Film Festival in the summer of 2023. One or two festivals ago, I can’t remember which—this time of year they all blend together, I wrote

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

The following is a re-edited and slightly-modified version of the review I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of the New York Asian Film Festival in the summer of 2023. One of the finest films of the Hong Kong New Wave, Patrick Tam’s Nomad plays at this year’

Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (Various, 2020)

The 36th Chamber

Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (Various, 2020)

It’s hard to imagine how long I’ve been talking about the film that would eventually become Septet: The Story of Hong Kong. The first time I tweeted about it appears to have been August of 2017, although that tweet is phrased as a reminder, which means I must

Final Victory (Patrick Tam, 1987)

Final Victory (Patrick Tam, 1987)

A pair of eyes stare at us from under a green bowler hat. Then Eric Tsang looking uncomfortable, also facing us. Back to the hat, now revealing the whole face under it, that of Tsui Hark: pale, bearded, and glaring. Back to Eric Tsang, scared perhaps by Tsui, perhaps by

Patrick Tam Capsule Reviews

Patrick Tam Capsule Reviews

The Sword (1980) — August 24, 2013 Patrick Tam’s feature debut is a melancholy end of the line wuxia about a swordsman who learns that running around challenging people to duels for no reason other than pride in your own hierarchical ranking tends to have unintended consequences, namely a bunch

My Heart is that Eternal Rose (Patrick Tam, 1989)

My Heart is that Eternal Rose (Patrick Tam, 1989)

A Triad love story movie that stars Kenny Bee, Joey Wong, Tony Leung, Gordon Liu, and Ng Man-tat. Directed by Patrick Tam and (partially) shot by Christopher Doyle and produced by John Sham (one of Sammo Hung's Lucky Stars). If only one of Chang Cheh’s stars like

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

This Patrick Tam film defies easy genre labeling. For much of its run, its feels like a slice of life teenage film, not unlike American Graffiti or Dazed and Confused or Metropolitan, but more in the style of later Taiwanese directors like Edward Yang or Hou Hsiao-hsien (though without their