History Film / HongKong1941

Hong Kong 1941 is a 1984 drama movie directed by Leung Po-Chi, starring Creator/ChowYunFat, Creator/AlexMan and Cecelia Yip.

Set in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hong Kong, in 1941]], the story revolves around the forbidden love story between Wong Hak-keung (Alex Man) and Yuk-Nam (Yip), due to the differences in their societal status, and that Hong Kong is near the outbreak of war, with the Japanese forces ready to invade anytime. Additionally Hak-keung had to contend with Yip Kim-fay (Chow), a close friend who also has feelings for Yuk-Nam, who is a supporter of the local Japanese forces posted in Hong Kong.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: General Kanezawa tries attacking Kim-fay and friends with a katana, only to have Kim-fay using that katana and shoving it through Kanezawa's own midsection]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Kim-fay at the end of the movie blows up himself and a patrol-boat full of Japanese soldiers to allow Hak-keung, Nam, and the rest of the refugees fleeing Hong Kong to escape]].
* HeroicSuicide: See above.

* HopeSpot: The small boat containing Kim-fay, Hak-keung, Nam and dozens and dozens of refugees fleeing Hong Kong has made it to the middle of the South China Sea, and about to reach the nearest harbour in Thailand. But they are not entirely out of the woods yet, when suddenly a patrol-boat full of Japanese soldiers shows up. [[spoiler: It takes a HeroicSacrifice from Kim-fay to ensure their escape isn't in vain]].

* StarCrossedLovers: : Hak-keung and Nam, besides their differences in social status, as she is the daughter of a wealthy rice merchant while he's merely a laborer and warehouse worker; they also have to contend that they may not live long enough to be with each other as war is about to break out. [[spoiler: They eventually did escape from Hong Kong into South East Asia, thanks to Kim-fay's HeroicSacrifice]].

* PineappleSurprise: When the boat of refugees gets detained by a Japanese patrol-boat in the middle of the South China Sea, with the JApanese soldiers ready to massacre everyone on board, Kim-fay tells the Japanese he's a defector and wished to speak to the Japanese captain... before [[spoiler: revealing he had a potato masher grenade, obtained during his stint as a Japanese collaborator, hidden in his shirt the moment he's on the Japanese boat, its pin already removed]]. The subsequent explosion [[spoiler: with Kim-fay right in its middle]] destroys the Japanese patrol boat allowing the refugees to escape.

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Chow Yun-fat notably won the 22nd Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor for his performance in this film, which allows him to be spotted by John Woo for his next big breakthrough, ''Film/ABetterTomorrow''. After this film, Chow and Man will later co-star in the ''Film/RIchAndFamous''/''Film/TragicHero'' duology, where they would ironically play enemies instead.

* FakeDefector: Kim-fay pretends to be joining Chairman Liu into supporting the Japanese, in exchange for a position of power when the Japanese forces inevitably takes over Hong Kong. [[spoiler: It turns out he's actually faking it, when Kim-fay stealthily assasinates Chairman Liu, saves Hak-keung from a painful torture, and quickly made plans to help Hak-keung and Nam flee the city]].

* FramingDevice: The movie begins with an older Nam narating her personal story of the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong in 1941, four decades ago, and what happened between her and her FireForgedFriends which allows their escape from Hong Kong before outberak of war possible.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Kim-fay at the end of the movie blows up himself and a patrolboat full of Japanese soldiers to allow Hak-keung, Nam, and the rest of the refugees fleeing Hong Kong to escape]].

* HopeSpot: The small boat containing Kim-fay, Hak-keung, Nam and dozens and dozens of refugees fleeing Hong Kong has made it to the middle of the South China Sea, and about to reach the nearest harbour in Thailand. But they are not entirely out of the woods yet, when suddenly a patrolboat full of Japanese soldiers shows up. [[spoiler: It takes a HeroicSacrifice from Kim-fay to ensure their escape isn't in vain]].

* PineappleSurprise: When the boat of refugees gets detained by a Japanese patrolboat in the middle of the South China Sea, with the JApanese soldiers ready to massacre everyone on board, Kim-fay tells the Japanese he's a defector and wished to speak to the Japanese captain... before [[spoiler: revealing he had a potato masher grenade, obtained during his stint as a Japanese collaborator, hidden in his shirt the moment he's on the Japanese boat, its pin already removed]]. The subsequent explosion [[spoiler: with Kim-fay right in its middle]] destroys the Japanese patrol boat allowing the refugees to escape.

* StarCrossedLovers: : Hak-keung and Nam, besides their differences in social status, as she is the daughter of a wealthy rice merchant while he's merely a labourer and warehouse worker; they also have to contend that they may not live long enough to be with each other as war is about to break out. [[spoiler: They eventually did escape from Hong Kong into South East Asia, thanks to Kim-fay's HeroicSacrifice]].
* TragicDream: Hak-keung, Kim-fay and Nam wants to leave their neighbourhoods in rural Hong Kong ever since they were children, to explore the world outside and make it big beyond their dreams. But the Japanese invasion into Hong Kong happens as they were adults.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Kim-fay at the end of the movie blows up himself and a patrolboat full of Japanese soldiers to allow Hak-keung, Nam, and the rest of the refugees fleeing Hong Kong to escape]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Kim-fay at the end of the movie blows up himself and a patrolboat full of Japanese soldiers to allow Hak-keung, Nam, and the rest of the refugees fleeing Hong Kong to escape]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Kim-fay at the end of the movie blows up himself and a patrolboat full of Japanese soldiers to allow Hak-keung, Nam, and the rest of the refugees fleeing Hong Kong to escape]].