A lot (well, okay, some) people have asked me asking "What are some good movies to start out with?" I always find this question hard to answer, because one man's trash is another man's treasure. Even mostly loved HK people like John Woo and Jackie Chan have their detractors. I'm not questioning any of that -- one of the wonderful things about movies (and why, I think, so many people enjoy them) is that there's something for almost everyone. HK cinema is no exception. Even though my tastes fall pretty solidly in the crime drama/action (aka heroic bloodshed) genre, there's a whole another world (or rather, worlds) in HK cinema, from comedy to horror to romance. If you don't find this list to your liking, try lurking around the alt.asian-movies newsgroup or chat rooms. People are usually only too happy to share their likes and dislikes with you.
The following is a list of films that have recieved ratings of 8 and above (out of 10) on this site -- clicking on a name will take you to a full review. Please remember that even though I have tried to narrow the films to a single genre, many Hong Kong movies mix up genres and as such are a bit hard to define in that way. I have listed alternate titles (usually dubbed versions) for some of the movies; of course, I would recommend getting the original version.
Old-School Kung Fu / Wu Xia / Heroic Bloodshed / Action / Girls-with-Guns / Martial Arts / Drama / Horror / Comedy / Cat III/Exploitation / Romance / Top Five Gunfights / Top Five Fight Scenes
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Old-School Kung Fu
36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka "Shaolin Master Killer")
Crippled Avengers (aka "Return of the Five Deadly Venoms", "Mortal Combat")
Dreadnaught
Enter the Dragon
The Five Deadly Venoms
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Wu Xia (swordsplay)
The Blade
The Bride with White Hair
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Kung Fu Cult Master (aka "Kung Fu Colt Master", "Lord of the Wu-Tang")
Dragon Inn
The Storm Riders
Swordsman II
Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain
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Heroic Bloodshed (cops & robbers action/drama)
A Better Tomorrow
A Better Tomorrow 2
The Club
Crime Story
Face/Off
Full Alert
Full Contact
Hard-Boiled
The Killer
The Mission
My Heart is That Eternal Rose
Organized Crime & Triad Bureau
Prison on Fire
School on Fire
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Action
Black Mask
Heroes Shed No Tears
High Risk (aka "Meltdown")
The Matrix
Police Story (aka "Jackie Chan's Police Force")
Police Story 2
Tiger on the Beat
Tomorrow Never Dies
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Girls-with-Guns (female-oriented action)
Angel (aka "Midnight Angel")
Angel Terminators II
Enter the Eagles (aka "And Now You Are Dead")
The Heroic Trio
In the Line of Duty III (aka "Yes! Madam 2", "Force of the Dragon")
Police Story 3: Supercop (aka "Supercop")
Righting Wrongs (aka "Above the Law")
Royal Warriors (aka "In the Line of Duty")
She Shoots Straight
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Martial Arts
Dragons Forever
Drunken Master II (aka "Legend of Drunken Master")
Fist of Legend
Iron Monkey
The New Legend of Shaolin
Once Upon a Time in China
Once Upon a Time in China 2
Once Upon a Time in China III
Pedicab Driver
Project A
Project A Part 2
Rumble in the Bronx
Story of Ricky (aka "Riki-Oh")
Tai Chi Master (aka "Twin Warriors")
Wheels on Meals
Wing Chun
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Drama
Beast Cops
Bullet in the Head
God of Gamblers
God of Gamblers Returns
A Hero Never Dies
Lifeline
Peace Hotel
Peking Opera Blues
Too Many Ways to Be Number One
Young and Dangerous 2
Young and Dangerous: The Prequel
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Horror
Bio-Zombie
A Chinese Ghost Story
Mr. Vampire
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Comedy
Aces Go Places
The God of Cookery
Once a Thief
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Cat III/exploitation
Ebola Syndrome
Naked Killer
Run and Kill
Taxi Hunter
Underground Banker
The Untold Story
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Romance
All About Ah-Long
Chungking Express
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