Rose to fame with his brother Oxide. While they made their most famous films as a team, Danny also has a few notable solo projects to his name. Not quite the auteur Oxide is, but his oeuvre is a treasure trove for fans of contemporary HK cinema.
Movies
Bangkok Dangerous is a film that's surviving the test of time surprisingly well.
Re-cycle is a fine blend of fantasy and horror, coming from the Pang Brothers. The film starts like a typical horror film, but as the plot thickens fantasy and drama elements take the lead, while never truly overshadowing the film's horror roots. Inspired imagery, an original fantasy world and solid acting make this another stand-out Pang production.
The Storm Warriors is definitely not a masterpiece, but taking it at face value, it's an almost perfect piece of entertainment featuring some stunning art direction.
Above all Seven 2 One is true visual feast. Danny Pang, while showcasing a somewhat different style from his brother, proves he has his own set of skills to perfect in his solo projects.
In Love With The Dead is a neat little genre film that thrives on atmosphere, providing a solid dramatic base overlaid with dark and brooding sentiments.
The Pangs remaking their own breakout hit with Hollywood money. The result is a film with Nicolas Cage in the lead, while still set in Bangkok (with a title like that, what did you expect). It's a film I liked a lot when it was first released, but watching it now, it clearly lost some of its original appeal. A contract killer moves to Bangkok for his final hit. He wants out of the business, he just needs to finish one last job before he can peacefully retire. Things don't quite go as planned and when he starts to go against his own rules, he is forced to make some tough decisions along the way. The film has plenty of flair and Cage is a pretty decent lead, but the remake misses the heart of the original and the plot is more action-oriented. There are still some cool action scenes scattered throughout and it's a good film in its own right, but between the two, the original is by far the better version.Read all
One of the pivotal Asian horror films of the early 21st century. It was a landmark film for the Pangs, whose career got a big boost after releasing The Eye. I loved the film when I first watched it, but a lot has changed since, and the niche's repetitiveness somewhat devaluated its earlier highlights. Mun has been blind for most of her life, a cornea transplantation will allow her to see again. The operation goes well, but Mun soon realizes that she sees more than she is supposed to. Her new eyes allow her to see ghosts, and they try to contact Mun, hoping she can bring them relief. The scares aren't quite as tense or scary as they used to be, and the second half (which is mostly dedicated to uncovering the back story) feels a little dull and by the numbers. The Pang's visual prowess is also lacking here, the soundtrack on the other hand is still pretty effective. Not a bad film, but far from the masterpiece it used to be.Read all
One of Danny Pang's more recent efforts. While both brothers are still quite active, their films are having a much harder time reaching the West nowadays. It's a shame, because they are a talented duo and I do like most of their films. On the other hand, if you look at a film like Delusion, it's not very surprising that international interest has faded. Not that it's a bad film, but it feels like a film that should've been made a decade earlier. And even then, Danny Pang's films used to be better than Delusion. What you get is three short ghost stories, marginally connected to each other, with (by now) very predictable scares and plot twists. Performances are a bit doubty too, but nothing too off-putting. The film looks nice, Danny is a good editor and the fact that you get three films for the price of one helps with the pacing, it's just a shame that I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd all seen it before, from the same director, only better. Delusion is good filler, but a little disappointing nonetheless.Read all
Danny Pang is the next big Hong Kong director who finds himself caught in the iQiyi tap. While I generally don't mind Chinese streamer filler, established directors (especially those with a history in Hong Kong) seem to struggle more than their younger Chinese counterparts. And Break War is another fitting example. The Hong Kong police are called in to protect a wealthy businessman. At first, it seems like there's no real case, but then they get wind of a man who considers himself the savior of the common folk. Even though his intentions seem genuine, he is still committing crimes and the police can't let him continue. Some very familiar faces and a plotline that's pretty popular these days, that's what you're getting. The problem is that Danny Pang's films used to have plenty of flair, and that's exactly what's missing here. Break War plays like a mediocre Hong Kong flick from 15 years ago, which isn't all that terrible, but I expect more from him.Read all
