''To Be Number One'' () is a 1991 Hong Kong

gangster film A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The ...

directed by Poon Man-kit, and produced by

Stephen Shiu Stephen Shiu (born 22 July 1949) is a Taiwan-based Hong Kong media personality, businessperson, film producer, screenwriter, news presenter, and pundit. He founded Hong Kong Reporter in 2004, an internet radio station focused on live talk rad ...

. The film is based on the rise and fall of a real-life gangster

Ng Sik-ho Ng Sik-ho (, 1930 – September 8, 1991), also known as "Crippled Ho" or "Limpy Ho" () was a prominent Hong Kong drug lord and triad boss. Biography Ng, born in 1930, was of Teochew origin. Ng earned his nickname of "Crippled Ho" or "Limpy Ho" ...

, who is portrayed in the film by

Ray Lui Ray Lui Leung-wai ( vi, Lữ Lương Vỹ, born 22 December 1956) is a Hong Kong actor. Born in Chợ Lớn, Saigon, Vietnam, he traces his ancestry to Lianjiang, Guangdong. He is best known for his role as "Ting Lik" in the 1980 Hong Kong te ...

. ''To Be Number One'' was a critical and box office success, grossing HK$38,703,363 at the Hong Kong box office and winning the

Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to the films which is considered the best of the year. History The award was established at the 1st Hong Kong Film Awards (1982) and the first winner and the ...

at the

11th Hong Kong Film Awards The 11th Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1991 and took place on 5 April 1992 at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Philip Chan and Lawrence Cheng Lawrence Cheng Tan-shu ...

. In 2017, the film was remade as '' Chasing the Dragon''.

Plot

The protagonist Ho begins the story as a poor Teochew refugee from Communist China, and leads his men to become pawns of the corrupt policeman Fat Kwan to control the drug trade. After Ho establishes himself, Fat Kwan turns against him, cripples him and kills many of his men, but Ho keeps rising and eliminates all his enemies. However Ho is blinded by his growing power, and his empire ends with the establishment of ICAC.

Cast and roles

as Crippled Ho *

Lawrence Ng Lawrence Ng Kai-wah (, ; born 19 May 1964) is a popular TV actor in Hong Kong. His more famous works include the television series '' Healing Hands'' and the films '' Fate Twisters'' and '' Sex and Zen''. Ng's older brother is former Charlie ...

as Ming *

Waise Lee Waise Lee Chi-hung (born 19 December 1959) is a Hong Kong film and television actor best known for playing the roles of villains and antagonists in various films. Biography Lee graduated from TVB's Artist Training Academy in 1982 and was from th ...

as Man *

Kent Cheng Kent Cheng Jak-si (born 22 May 1951) is a Hong Kong film and television actor. He is a two time recipient of the best actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Biography Cheng was born in a poor family in Hong Kong.Interview of Be my Guest, TVB, ...

as Fat Kwan * Cecilia Yip as Tse Yuen-yin * Amy Yip as May *

Kenneth Tsang Kenneth Tsang Kong (; 5 October 1934 – 27 April 2022) was a Hong Kong actor. Tsang's career spanned 50 years and included a variety of acting roles. Tsang won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015. Early ...

as Chief Inspector Tiger Lui *

Elvis Tsui Elvis Tsui Kam-kong (born October 12, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and artist. Tsui is primarily known for his roles in erotic films and martial arts films, where he's more often cast as villains. Some of the famous characters he has portrayed repe ...

as Dummy * Tommy Wong as Loud Hung * Dickens Chan as Big Sha * Frankie Chan as Little Hak *

Lo Lieh Wang Lap Tat (June 29, 1939 – November 2, 2002), better known by his stage name Lo Lieh, was an Indonesian-born Hong Kong film actor and martial artist. Lo was perhaps best known as Chao Chih-Hao in the 1972 martial arts film '' King Boxer ...

as Boss Tin *

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 ...

as Gold Teeth Ping * Lau Shun as Boss Fung *

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 ATV ...

as Chief Inspector Lung * Lily Ng as Man's wife * Elvina Kong as Lui's deranged mistress *

Chin Tsi-ang Chin Tsi-Ang (February 22, 1909 – October 15, 2007), also romanized as Qian Siying, was one of the earliest martial arts actors of Chinese cinema and its first female star. She debuted in ''South China Dream'' (南华梦, Nanhua Meng) in 1925 ...

as Ming's mother * Wong Chi-keung as Fat restaurant boss * Koo Wai-jan as Restaurateur boss' wife * Victor Hon as Boss Kwong * Dion Lam as Tin's bodyguard *

Chung Fat Chung Fat was born on (December 2nd, 1953) and is a native of Guangdong, He is also a Hong Kong film actor, choreographer, producer and director. He primarily stars in jiangshi fictions and martial art movies . Performing experience Chung Fat, ...

as Fat * Lui tat as Opium den worker * Wai Ching as Lui's assistant * Jameson Lam as Ping's gangster * Lee Ying-kit * * Wong Kam-tong as Policeman interrogating Ho * Mark Houghton as OSCG officer * Tam Wai-man as Kwan's thug * Leung Sam as Barber * Fong Li as Chiang * Wong Chung-kui as Kun * Ng Kwok-fai as Unlucky gangster * Ho Wing-cheung as Tin's bodyguard * Chang Sing-kwong as Fat's thug * Choi Hin-cheung * Chan Hon-man

Awards and nominations

External links

*
HK cinemagic entry
{{Italic title 1991 films 1990s crime films 1990s biographical films Hong Kong crime films Hong Kong biographical films Triad films Best Film HKFA Golden Harvest films 1990s Cantonese-language films Films about the illegal drug trade Films set in the 1960s Hong Kong gangster films Films set in the 1970s Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong Films directed by Poon Man-kit 1990s Hong Kong films