Book Review: More Sex, Better Zen, Faster Bullets: The Encyclopedia of Hong Kong Film (2020) - by Mike Wilkins and Stefan Hammond
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critic Circle of Australia)
I rated it 8/10
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
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You hold in your hands not a book, but a stunt. A literary high-fall, performed without a net, landing in a crash of bullet casings, ghostly talismans, and shattered mahjong tiles. If the glorious, chaotic cinema of Hong Kong has a bible, this is it—as transcribed by two feverish, fanatical apostles after a long night of snake wine and Dragon Inn. As a long time Hong Kong cinema fan, writing between the lines of the many great films of the golden era, all but bring a tear or two in the midst.
Stefan Hammond and Mike Wilkins have not written a dry academic text. They have, in the grand tradition of the films they worship, “crashed together” their own previous works into a single, updated 323-page blast of pure adrenaline. The result is the definitive “gonzo” guide, an irreverent and enthusiastic romp through the territory’s hyper-kinetic cinema. Like an ironic "pistol ballet," aiming to convert the uninitiated with the sheer force of its affection and snark.
The book is meticulously engineered for the “Afflictionado”—that breed of movie lover for whom a heroic bloodshed scene is a spiritual event, and a perfectly timed slow-motion dive away from an explosion is a punchline from the gods. It meticulously details the "Golden Age" (the 1980s-90s), a period when Hong Kong didn't just make movies; it manufactured cinematic crack. The journey is comprehensive, sprinting from the death-defying slapstick of Jackie Chan, the OUATIC of Jet Li and the regal ferocity of Michelle Yeoh, into the neon-smeared, heartbroken “auteurdrome” of Wong Kar-wai, and through the fantastical, special-effects wizardry of Tsui Hark.
Where the book finds its greatest power is not in its encyclopedic listings—though they are vast—but in its peripheral vision. It is stuffed with the lore: the on-set injuries, the “Sex and Zen” AV mix up, the Triad influence, the bizarre marketing campaigns, the sheer mad-dog energy of an industry that cranked out masterpieces and schlock with equal, breakneck passion. It feels written on the set, between takes, with the smell of cordite and studio tea in the air. This tactile, first-hand quality gives it a value no Wikipedia deep-dive can match.
But what an endorsement that experience has. The volume carries a foreword by Jackie Chan (1996) and a preface by Michelle Yeoh (2000) - royalty blessing their own chronicle. Most tellingly, Hong Kong cinema fans will get to revisit each superstar actors and directors - Jet Li, Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ringo Lam, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao as the list goes on and on.
“More Sex, Better Zen, Faster Bullets” is less a book you read than one you survive. It’s messy, overwhelming, occasionally redundant, and bursting at the seams with unadulterated joy. It is the print equivalent of a Category III film: excessive, unfiltered, and not for all tastes. But for the curious newcomer or the seasoned fan, it is an essential, exhilarating guide to a cinematic world where emotion is primary, gravity is optional, and every frame screams to be alive. It also reminds us of the days of VHS, Video rental corners where the best hidden gems are discovered one cassette tape at a time. Now go buy all the DVDs and Blu Rays to accompany the book! (Neo, 2026)