Moving Chinese Film Past Bruce Lee

As far as Roberta Chow is concerned, the days of Kung Fu fighting are gone. If only the rest of American movie-goers knew this, her job would be much easier, she said.

As spokeswoman for Rim Film Distributors Inc., Chow often runs into the misconception that the movies her company imports from Hong Kong are all badly dubbed martial-arts films.

With Festival Hong Kong, a film series playing at the AMC Pine Square 16 in Long Beach, Chow is hoping that the image of Chinese movies will change.

“Production values are much better now,” Chow said. “And we’re exploring all the genres, not just fighting movies. There are beautiful movies coming out of Hong Kong that are appreciated for having a very refreshing point of view.”

Of course, fighting is still important in the movies chosen for Festival Hong Kong, Chow said, but the plots involve more characters. Subtlety is a new element.

Showing today are two films by up-and-coming director John Woo, maker of “A Bullet in the Head.” The Woo films are “A Better Tomorrow,” a 1986 feature that has been compared to “Lethal Weapon,” and a popular 1992 feature, “Hard Boiled,” about a policeman’s obsession with arresting a major weapons dealer.

“Hard Boiled” explores a policeman’s relationship to crime and how one officer deals with a partner who is on a mobster’s payroll. But it also includes a shooting chase scene in a hospital where, Chow said, more than 500 people are mowed down, including many patients--some with babies in their arms.

Monday and Tuesday, the festival features “Once Upon a Time in China, Part II” and “Swordsman II,” period pieces featuring legendary characters who, of course, fight many bad guys on their way to glory.

“Once Upon a Time” follows Wong Fey-Hong--a legendary 19th-Century herbalist, surgeon and martial-arts expert who some argue actually existed--as he fights a religious sect during a period of political turmoil in China. The lead character in “Swordsman II” fights wizards on his quest for the sacred scrolls. Both movies star popular Chinese actors Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan.

The final two days of the festival, Wednesday and Thursday, offer Chinese reflections on two American films, “Blade Runner” and “Rain Man.” The 1991 film, “Savior of the Soul ‘91,” which was remade in 1992, follows three mercenaries though a futuristic city. Like “Blade Runner,” the future appears wet and Byzantine. The twist here is a love triangle and poisonous spells put on romantic heroines.

“The God of Gamblers,” made in 1989, offers a “Rain Man” scenario, in which an expert gambler has taken a fall off a cliff, developed amnesia and become the tool of a hustler. The film, directed by Wong Jiang, set off a rush of gambling movies in China, much like the original Kung Fu movies heralded an age of celluloid martial arts.

Information and show times: (310) 435-1335.