R.I.P. Shing Fui-on: A HK Movie Legend passed away.

Today I read the very sad news on tinlunlau's blog that Hong Kong movie legend Shing Fui-on has passed away on August 27th 2009 at the young age of 54. My deepest condolences and well-wishes to his family. Rest in peace.

The first film I remember watching with Shing Fui-on's appearance was John Woo's The Killer. I first watched the movie in 1995 and I was only 11 years old. My older brother brought home the video tape and even though I was very young I understood the film and just loved the shoot-outs. Shing Fui-on's screen presence had an intimidating impact on me back then and still has today whenever I watch the movie. Anyone who has seen the film will agree with me that he brilliantly portrayed the ruthless gangster boss who just wouldn't catch a bullet by Chow Yun-fat or Danny Lee during the final shoot-out.

I subsequently saw him in God of Gamblers. Here he played yet another mob boss who Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau play against in a gambling den. Even though it is a serious situation on paper it was a hilariously funny scene and Shing Fui-on was as responsible for the scene's success in being funny as it was the film's leading actors'.

One of my favourite scenes in HK movie history features Shing Fui-on. It is the beginning of Herman Yau's Ebola Syndrome. Here the character of Anthony Wong (Hard Boiled, Infernal Affairs, Exiled) has sex with a woman who happens to be the wife of a gang boss played by, you guessed it, Shing Fui-on. The scene starts to become hilarious as Shing Fui-on and his men catch the two in the act. The way he punishes Anthony Wong's character is just legendary. Check it out if you haven't seen it.

He has appeared in over 200 films and his performances were so memorable that whenever he showed up on the screen filmfans from all over the world would go, "Hey, that's the bad guy from The Killer."