''A Moment of Romance'' () is a 1990 Hong Kong action

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by Benny Chan, produced by

Johnnie To Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in ...

, and starring

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

Jacklyn Wu Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien (born 3 July 1968) is a Taiwanese actress and singer who began her career in Hong Kong. She graduated from Taipei National University of Arts. Career In 1990, Wu's acting career began. For her first acting role, Johnnie ...

and

Ng Man-tat Richard Ng Man-tat (, 2 January 1952 – 27 February 2021) was a Hong Kong actor originally from Fujian. He was a veteran actor in the Hong Kong film industry, with dozens of awards, including Best Supporting Actor at the 10th Hong Kong Fi ...

. For his performance in the film, Ng was awarded Best Supporting Actor at the

10th Hong Kong Film Awards The 10th Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1990 and took place on 21 April 1991 at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Anita Mui and Philip Chan Philip Chan may refer to: * P ...

. ''A Moment of Romance'' tells an action-packed love story between an

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

rag and a rich heiress and is considered a major classic of Hong Kong cinema. Because of the film, Andy Lau was nicknamed "Wah Dee" (華Dee), the character he portrays in the film, while the film is also one of Lau's representative works.

Plot

Wah Dee, a young triad gangster in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, is the

getaway driver A crime scene getaway is the act of :wikt:flee, fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of ...

in a jewelry store robbery. When the raid goes wrong, he takes a young woman named Jo-Jo hostage. A senior member of Wah Dee's gang, Trumpet, demands that she be killed, but Wah Dee resists and saves her. After Wah Dee is arrested, Jo-Jo refuses to identify him to the police. While Wah Dee tries to act coldly towards Jo-Jo, she expresses gratitude and affection towards him, who, on the other hand, also starts to fall in love with her. Wah Dee hides in his grandfather's home in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

to protect Jo-Jo from the triads, but she finds him and they spend time together there. After returning to Hong Kong, Jo-Jo is forced to move to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with her parents, threatening to prosecute Wah Dee for abducting her. Promising to come with them, she insists on meeting Wah Dee for the last time. A letter expressing her ''no-regret'' love for him is left in his apartment after she has taken care of a drunk Wah Dee and his flat as well. Trumpet organizes a meeting to announce his dominance over the gang after the death of their leader. A fight broke out, where brother Seven, Wah Dee's boss, is killed by Trumpet and his partners. Wah Dee escapes with the help of his friend Rambo, yet is hit from behind by Trumpet with a metal

gas tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled ...

Nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low bloo ...

ed and shocked, Wah Dee then decides to come to Jo-Jo's house and picks her up while she is on the verge of leaving. They arrive at a church to organize their own wedding with outfits stolen from a

boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

. While Jo-Jo is praying, Wah Dee secretly leaves. He then follows Trumpet as well as two others out of a

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

with a knife, attempting to kill him. With the help of Rambo, Trumpet and one of his mates is killed yet Rambo and Wah Dee also dies on the street. Meanwhile, Jo-Jo is seen running on the highway in the wedding dress looking for Wah Dee.

Cast

as Wah Dee (華Dee), an impulsive, abrasive, but honorable triad member and biker. He grew up as an orphan when his mother threw herself off a building when he was a child and was raised by his mother's three prostitute friends.(Voiced by

Bill Farmer Bill Farmer (born November 14, 1952) is an American voice actor, comedian and impressionist. He has performed the voice of the Disney character Goofy since 1987, and has also been the voice of Pluto and Horace Horsecollar since 1990. Early li ...

) *

as Jo-Jo Huen, an innocent, pure-hearted rich heiress. *

as Rambo (太保), Wah Dee's loyal friend and fellow triad member who works as a car washer.(Voiced By

Corey Burton Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transforme ...

) * Wong Kwong-leung as Trumpet (喇叭), a rival triad in Wah Dee's gang who is power-hungry to be the head of the gang. * Chu Tit-wo as Brother Seven (七哥), Wah Dee's boss and Trumpet's main rival. *

Lau Kong Lau Kong () is a Hong Kong actor who worked on the network TVB. Biography Little is known of Lau's private life, but he has been acting since 1976, when he first joined the now defunct network Commercial Television, he later joined RTV (now AT ...

as Inspector Kong (江Sir), a CID inspector who is bent on prosecuting Wah Dee. * Lam Chung as Superintendent John Chan (陳Sir), Inspector Kong's superior officer who is an old classmate of Jo Jo's mother, Shirley. * Sandra Lang as one of Wah Dee's foster mothers who often hums.(Voiced By Russi Taylor) * Anna Ng as one of Wah Dee's foster mothers. * Bonnie Wong as Lin (阿蓮), one of Wah Dee's foster mothers. * Yuen Bun as Sing (阿成), Brother Seven's underling. * Leung San as Shirley, Jo Jo's mother. * Andi Setyawan as Bob, Inspector. *

Ng Wui Ng Wui (December 3, 1913 - March 1, 1996) was a Hong Kong film director, writer and actor, best known for his films of the 1950s and 1960s.He is credited with over 200 films under his direction. Filmography Films * 1952 ''The Prodigal Son'' - ...

as Wah Dee's grandfather who lives in

.(Voiced By

Wayne Allwine Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009) was an American voice actor, sound effects editor and foley artist for The Walt Disney Company. He is best remembered as the 3rd official voice of Mickey Mouse. He is the longest-tenured ...

)

Crew

*Presenter: Wallace Chung *Planning:

Ringo Lam Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam initially went to acting school. After finding he preferred making f ...

Wong Jing Wong Jing ( born 3 May 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, Wong Jing played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema duri ...

, Ise Cheng *Action Director: Yuen Bun *Car Stunts: Bruce Law, Joe Chu *Art Director: Ringo Chueng *Costume Designer: Lee Yuk-shing, Yam Kam-jan *Assistant Director: Chu Yat-hung, Law Sai-kuen, Bosco Lam *Makeup: Wong Lai-kuen *Hair Stylist: Chan Tat-ming

Songs

Theme song

*''If the World Had Romance'' (天若有情) / ''No Regrets of Youth'' (青春無悔) **Composer: Lo Tayu **Lyricist: Lee Kin-tat , Lo Tayu **Singer: Shirley Yuen () the theme song was later used as the ending theme for the 1991 television series, '' The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountains'', sung by

Fong Fei Fei Fong Fei-Fei (), born Lim Chiu-Luan (; 20 August 1953 – 3 January 2012), was a Taiwanese singer, host and actress. As one of the biggest pop singers in Taiwan, she was known for her melodic love songs, unique personal stage style and broad voca ...

(追夢人 Literally as heroes dream.)

Insert theme

*''Gray Track'' (灰色軌跡) / ''Dark Space'' (漆黑的空間) **Composer: 黃家駒

Wong Ka Kui Koma Wong Ka Kui (; 10 June 1962 – 30 June 1993) was a Hong Kong musician, singer and songwriter. He gained fame in Asia as the leader and a co-founder of the rock band Beyond, where he was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and prima ...

**Lyricist: Gene Lau **Singer: 黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui *''Never Regretted'' (未曾後悔) / ''Short Term Gentleness'' (短暫的溫柔) **Composer: 黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui **Lyricist:

Wong Ka Keung Steve Wong Ka Keung (; born 13 November 1964) is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and the bassist for the rock band Beyond. He is also younger brother of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wong Ka Kui, who died in 1993. Life and care ...

, Gene Lau **Singer: Paul Wong *''Regardless If It's Wrong'' (是錯也再不分) / ''No Need to Understand So Much'' (不需要太懂) **Composer: 黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui **Lyricist: Paul Wong , Mike Lau **Singer: Wong Ka Keung

Awards and nominations

Sequel

A second installment, '' A Moment of Romance II'', was released in 1993 featuring a new storyline but similar themes. Benny Chan and

return as director and lead actress respectively, while

does not return as the lead actor, with

Aaron Kwok Aaron Kwok Fu-shing (born 26 October 1965) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. Active since the 1980s, Kwok is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. Dubbed the "God of Dance", Kwok's onstage dancing is influenc ...

leading the film instead. A third and final installment, ''

A Moment of Romance III ''A Moment of Romance III'' is a 1996 Hong Kong romance film directed by Johnnie To starring Andy Lau. Although the third in the series of "A Moment of Romance" films, it shares nothing in terms of characters, plot and setting with the first two ...

'', was released in 1996 with

, producer of the first two films, taking the helm as director and Lau returning as lead actor alongside lead actress Wu.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moment of Romance, A 1990 films 1990 action films 1990s gang films 1990s romance films Hong Kong action films Hong Kong gangster films Hong Kong romance films Triad films Motorcycling films 1990s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Benny Chan Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong Films set in Macau Films with screenplays by James Yuen 1990 directorial debut films 1990s Hong Kong films