Top 15 Best Hong Kong Films & TV Shows to Watch in 2025-2026

Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece of yearning and restraint stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung as neighbours in 1962 Hong Kong who suspect their spouses of having an affair, and begin spending time together while carefully avoiding expressing their own growing feelings. The film won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film, the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor prize for Leung, and regularly appears in critics' polls of the greatest films ever made. Available on MUBI and various streaming platforms; rated 8.1 on IMDb.

Wong Kar-wai's kinetic, free-spirited double bill of love stories set in the bustling streets and fast-food counters of Hong Kong is one of the most spontaneously made and endlessly rewatchable films in world cinema. Starring Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Faye Wong, it was shot in just over two months while Wong was preparing another film and captures an electric mid-1990s Hong Kong that no longer exists. It introduced Hong Kong cinema to an entire generation of international art-house audiences and remains one of the most loved films in the Criterion Collection.

John Woo's Hard Boiled is the pinnacle of Hong Kong gun-fu cinema and one of the most technically inventive action films ever made, featuring a stunning 35-minute single-take hospital shootout that remains one of the greatest action sequences in cinema history. Chow Yun-fat stars as Inspector Tequila, a jazz-loving detective navigating triads, undercover cops, and a jaw-dropping arsenal of set pieces. Available on various rental platforms; rated 7.8 on IMDb and considered the definitive HK action film in virtually every critical survey of the genre.

A magnificent biopic celebrating the life of Cantopop legend Anita Mui, directed by Longmond Leung and starring Louise Wong in a career-defining performance as the "Madonna of Asia" who died at just 40 years old. The film was a massive box office hit in Hong Kong and across Greater China, and served as a cultural reckoning with Mui's extraordinary and tumultuous life. It is one of the most emotionally resonant HK films of recent years and an essential introduction to Cantopop's greatest female star. Available on Netflix and Blu-ray; rated 7.5 on IMDb.

John Woo's A Better Tomorrow created the modern "heroic bloodshed" genre and turned Chow Yun-fat into a superstar, establishing the tropes — long black coats, dual-wielded pistols, themes of brotherhood and loyalty — that would define Hong Kong action cinema for a decade. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film of its year and its influence can be traced in films from The Killer to every Infernal Affairs imitator. An absolute foundational text of HK cinema history; available on various streaming and rental platforms, rated 7.5 on IMDb.

Johnnie To's Drug War is a relentlessly tense and morally complex crime thriller that marked the acclaimed director's first film set in mainland China, navigating the different legal and social realities north of the border through the story of a drug manufacturer who cooperates with the police to avoid the death penalty. It is widely considered one of To's finest achievements and one of the best crime films made anywhere in the decade. Available on various rental platforms; rated 7.4 on IMDb.

Ten Years is a landmark Hong Kong speculative anthology film featuring five short films by emerging directors imagining what Hong Kong might look like in 2025. It won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film and resonated with a generation of HK residents who saw their anxieties about the city's future identity reflected on screen. The film was banned from broadcast on the mainland and its success and controversy made it the defining local film of the 2010s. Available on selected streaming platforms; rated 7.2 on IMDb.

One of TVB's biggest drama hits of the modern era, Line Walker is a gripping undercover police thriller starring Raymond Lam, Benz Hui, and Charmaine Sheh, which became TVB's most-watched drama of 2016 and spawned a theatrical film sequel released in cinemas across Greater China. Its complex plotting around multiple undercover identities and its strong cast made it a template for the kind of prestige TV drama TVB is capable of producing when given the right material and talent. Available on TVB Anywhere.

My Dearest is a TVB drama that became one of the network's most acclaimed productions of the 2020s, winning multiple awards at the 2023 TVB Anniversary Awards and generating the kind of genuine cultural conversation among Cantonese-speaking audiences that TVB had struggled to achieve in recent years. Starring Nancy Wu in a career-best performance, it demonstrated that TVB's drama department remains capable of emotionally ambitious storytelling when matched with the right script and cast. Available on TVB Anywhere and selected streaming platforms.

Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece of yearning and restraint stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung as neighbours in 1962 Hong Kong who suspect their spouses of having an affair, and begin spending time together while carefully avoiding expressing their own growing feelings. The film won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film, the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor prize for Leung, and regularly appears in critics' polls of the greatest films ever made. Available on MUBI and various streaming platforms; rated 8.1 on IMDb.

Wong Kar-wai's kinetic, free-spirited double bill of love stories set in the bustling streets and fast-food counters of Hong Kong is one of the most spontaneously made and endlessly rewatchable films in world cinema. Starring Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Faye Wong, it was shot in just over two months while Wong was preparing another film and captures an electric mid-1990s Hong Kong that no longer exists. It introduced Hong Kong cinema to an entire generation of international art-house audiences and remains one of the most loved films in the Criterion Collection.

John Woo's Hard Boiled is the pinnacle of Hong Kong gun-fu cinema and one of the most technically inventive action films ever made, featuring a stunning 35-minute single-take hospital shootout that remains one of the greatest action sequences in cinema history. Chow Yun-fat stars as Inspector Tequila, a jazz-loving detective navigating triads, undercover cops, and a jaw-dropping arsenal of set pieces. Available on various rental platforms; rated 7.8 on IMDb and considered the definitive HK action film in virtually every critical survey of the genre.

A magnificent biopic celebrating the life of Cantopop legend Anita Mui, directed by Longmond Leung and starring Louise Wong in a career-defining performance as the "Madonna of Asia" who died at just 40 years old. The film was a massive box office hit in Hong Kong and across Greater China, and served as a cultural reckoning with Mui's extraordinary and tumultuous life. It is one of the most emotionally resonant HK films of recent years and an essential introduction to Cantopop's greatest female star. Available on Netflix and Blu-ray; rated 7.5 on IMDb.

John Woo's A Better Tomorrow created the modern "heroic bloodshed" genre and turned Chow Yun-fat into a superstar, establishing the tropes — long black coats, dual-wielded pistols, themes of brotherhood and loyalty — that would define Hong Kong action cinema for a decade. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film of its year and its influence can be traced in films from The Killer to every Infernal Affairs imitator. An absolute foundational text of HK cinema history; available on various streaming and rental platforms, rated 7.5 on IMDb.

Johnnie To's Drug War is a relentlessly tense and morally complex crime thriller that marked the acclaimed director's first film set in mainland China, navigating the different legal and social realities north of the border through the story of a drug manufacturer who cooperates with the police to avoid the death penalty. It is widely considered one of To's finest achievements and one of the best crime films made anywhere in the decade. Available on various rental platforms; rated 7.4 on IMDb.

Ten Years is a landmark Hong Kong speculative anthology film featuring five short films by emerging directors imagining what Hong Kong might look like in 2025. It won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film and resonated with a generation of HK residents who saw their anxieties about the city's future identity reflected on screen. The film was banned from broadcast on the mainland and its success and controversy made it the defining local film of the 2010s. Available on selected streaming platforms; rated 7.2 on IMDb.

One of TVB's biggest drama hits of the modern era, Line Walker is a gripping undercover police thriller starring Raymond Lam, Benz Hui, and Charmaine Sheh, which became TVB's most-watched drama of 2016 and spawned a theatrical film sequel released in cinemas across Greater China. Its complex plotting around multiple undercover identities and its strong cast made it a template for the kind of prestige TV drama TVB is capable of producing when given the right material and talent. Available on TVB Anywhere.

My Dearest is a TVB drama that became one of the network's most acclaimed productions of the 2020s, winning multiple awards at the 2023 TVB Anniversary Awards and generating the kind of genuine cultural conversation among Cantonese-speaking audiences that TVB had struggled to achieve in recent years. Starring Nancy Wu in a career-best performance, it demonstrated that TVB's drama department remains capable of emotionally ambitious storytelling when matched with the right script and cast. Available on TVB Anywhere and selected streaming platforms.