Directed by Ann Hui • 1996 • Hong Kong
Starring Michelle Yeoh, Sammo Hung, Richard Ng

A unique look behind the curtain of Hong Kong action cinema, THE STUNT WOMAN (a.k.a. AH KAM) casts Michelle Yeoh in a fascinatingly quasi-autobiographical role as Ah Kam, a young martial artist from mainland China who arrives in Hong Kong looking to break into the film industry. There, she finds work and camaraderie as part of a stunt crew headed by Chief Tung (Sammo Hung)—but the risks of her job soon prove to be nothing compared to the real-life danger posed by Hong Kong’s criminal underworld. Blending an absorbing character study with a revealing glimpse of the mechanics of moviemaking in 1990s Hong Kong (in case you ever wondered how that gravity-defying wire work was done), director Ann Hui creates a potent dramatic showcase for the always magnetic Yeoh.