Sunday, September 1, 3:30 p.m. | In this Hong Kong buddy cop action classic in the tradition of LETHAL WEAPON, Chow Yun-Fat stars as a clownish, womanizing sergeant more interested in flashy shirts than fighting crime, until he's paired with a serious rookie (Conan Lee) to bust a cocaine ring. As they attempt to uncover the criminal masterminds, the heroic duo is led to a final showdown involving shotguns-on-clotheslines and flying chainsaws, one of the most astonishing sequences in the celebrated history of Hong Kong action movies. David Bordwell considered TIGER ON BEAT a personal favorite, and he devoted a chapter to director Lau Kar Leung’s films in his essential book, Planet Hong Kong. Of the movie’s spectacular finale, David wrote: “Such flagrantly loopy combat is quite exciting, even exhilarating….artificially shaped grace can be tremendously arousing. Don’t forget how people get carried away watching dancing, acrobatics, or basketball.” (Jim Healy, Director of Programming, UW Cinematheque) 35mm print courtesy Academy Film Archive.

Awards & Nominations

Nominee - Best Action Choreography, Hong Kong Film Award

Remembering David Bordwell: David Bordwell (1947–2024), a beloved film scholar, passed away earlier this year at the age of 76. Bordwell’s impact and legacy is widespread: film curators and critics, cinephiles and casual viewers have been shaped, educated, and invigorated by Bordwell’s perspectives. With this series, we invited friends and colleagues of Bordwell’s to select a film that was special to him, in the hopes that, through these titles, we can pay tribute to his enthusiasm for cinema through our own. Read more

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu