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IMDbPro

Johnnie To(I)

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Johnnie To
Trailer for Three
Play trailer1:02
Three (2016)
3 Videos
12 Photos
With over thirty directing and producing credits to his name, Johnnie To enjoyed international breakthroughs with Election (2005), Election 2 (2006) (aka "Triad Election") and Exiled (2006); those films enjoyed multiple international film festival appearances and were separately sold to more than 21 foreign territories (including theatrical distributions in France and USA).

Stretching from the height of the Hong Kong New Wave right up to today, über-filmmaker Johnnie To could be considered an institution in the former British colony. Johnnie To's Milky Way production company, which he formed in partnership with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-fai in 1996, has become the de facto hallmark of quality filmmaking in Hong Kong since the Handover in 1997. His filmography is an eclectic collection of films from almost every genre and featuring almost every major Hong Kong film star, including classic films from the late Eighties and early Nineties including Heroic Trio (1993) & All About Ah-Long (1989), some ultra-cool crime-noir productions during the late Nineties; The Longest Night, Expect the Unexpected, and The Mission. Romances; Loving You (1995) & Needing You (2000). As well as a number of crowd-pleasing comedies; Wu Yen (2001) and Love on a Diet (2001).

Unfortunately, the 'Jerry Bruckheimer of Hong Kong' has been in a creative and financial lull since 2001. In addition to facing diminishing box office returns stemming from the overall decline of the Hong Kong film industry, some of To's recent efforts have performed disappointingly, such as Fat Choi Spirit (2002), Full-Time Killer (2001), and Running Out of Time 2 (2001).

However, in 2003, the veteran filmmaker was back in fine form with the release of PTU (2003), a crime-noir thriller, and Running on Karma (2003), about a body builder/exotic dancer with special visions that helps a cop track a vicious killer. These were both award winners at the Hong Kong Film Awards that year. These were followed closely by Breaking News (2004) & Throw Down (2004), then Election (2005) and follow-up Election 2 (2006), the award nominated companion piece.
BornApril 22, 1955
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornApril 22, 1955
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 43 wins & 78 nominations

Photos12

Johnnie To in Mad Detective (2007)
Johnnie To
Johnnie To
Johnnie To
Johnnie To
Wallace Chung, Louis Koo, Johnnie To, Nai-Hoi Yau, and Wei Zhao in Three (2016)
Louis Koo and Johnnie To in Three (2016)
Johnnie To and Wei Zhao in Three (2016)
Wallace Chung, Louis Koo, Suet Lam, Johnnie To, Michael Tse, Wei Zhao, Hoi-Pang Lo, Kathy Wu, and Adrian Wong in Three (2016)
Johnnie To and Wei Zhao in Three (2016)
Louis Koo, Johnnie To, and Wei Zhao in Three (2016)

Known for

Election (2005)
Election
7.1
  • Director
  • 2005
Drug War (2012)
Drug War
7.0
  • Director
  • 2012
Mad Detective (2007)
Mad Detective
7.1
  • Director
  • 2007
Exiled (2006)
Exiled
7.2
  • Director
  • 2006

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020)
    Septet: The Story of Hong Kong
    • Director (segment Bonanza)
    • 2020
  • Jacky Heung and Keru Wang in Chasing Dream (2019)
    Chasing Dream
    • Director
    • 2019
  • Three (2016)
    Three
    • Director
    • 2016
  • Chow Yun-Fat in Office (2015)
    Office
    • Director
    • 2015
  • Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014)
    Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2
    • Director
    • 2014
  • Blind Detective (2013)
    Blind Detective
    • Director
    • 2013
  • Drug War (2012)
    Drug War
    • Director
    • 2012
  • Sammi Cheng and Louis Koo in Romancing in Thin Air (2012)
    Romancing in Thin Air
    • Director
    • 2012
  • Life Without Principle (2011)
    Life Without Principle
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011)
    Don't Go Breaking My Heart
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Johnny Hallyday, Ka-Tung Lam, Suet Lam, and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong in Vengeance (2009)
    Vengeance
    • Director
    • 2009
  • Sparrow (2008)
    Sparrow
    • Director
    • 2008
  • Linger (2008)
    Linger
    • Director
    • 2008
  • Mad Detective (2007)
    Mad Detective
    • Director
    • 2007
  • Triangle (2007)
    Triangle
    • Director
    • 2007

Producer

  • Mad Fate (2023)
    Mad Fate
    • producer
    • 2023
  • Ming'on (2023)
    Ming'on
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020)
    Septet: The Story of Hong Kong
    • producer
    • 2020
  • Jacky Heung and Keru Wang in Chasing Dream (2019)
    Chasing Dream
    • producer
    • 2019
  • Be with You (2017)
    Be with You
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Three (2016)
    Three
    • producer
    • 2016
  • Jordan Chan, Ka-Tung Lam, and Richie Jen in Trivisa (2016)
    Trivisa
    • producer
    • 2016
  • Chow Yun-Fat in Office (2015)
    Office
    • co-executive producer
    • producer (produced by)
    • 2015
  • Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014)
    Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2
    • producer
    • 2014
  • Blind Detective (2013)
    Blind Detective
    • producer
    • 2013
  • Jacky Cheung in A Complicated Story (2013)
    A Complicated Story
    • executive producer
    • 2013
  • Drug War (2012)
    Drug War
    • producer
    • 2012
  • Motorway (2012)
    Motorway
    • producer
    • 2012
  • Sammi Cheng and Louis Koo in Romancing in Thin Air (2012)
    Romancing in Thin Air
    • producer
    • 2012
  • Life Without Principle (2011)
    Life Without Principle
    • producer
    • 2011

Writer

  • Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020)
    Septet: The Story of Hong Kong
    • Writer (segment Bonanza)
    • 2020
  • Tomorrow (1995)
    Tomorrow
    • story
    • TV Movie
    • 1995
  • The Story of My Son (1990)
    The Story of My Son
    • Writer
    • 1990
  • The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1985)
    The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain
    • screenplay
    • TV Series
    • 1985
  • The Wild Bunch (1982)
    The Wild Bunch
    • Writer
    • TV Series
    • 1982
  • Chin wong chi wong
    • Writer
    • TV Series
    • 1980
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos3

Vengeance: U.S. Trailer
Trailer 1:56
Vengeance: U.S. Trailer
Three
Trailer 1:02
Three
Office
Trailer 0:39
Office

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Qifeng Du
  • Born
    • April 22, 1955
    • Hong Kong
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Alain Delon is his favorite actor.
  • Quotes
    I don't like to follow any "trends" - I just want to do what I want to do. I don't care about the currents. Back in 1996, I really didn't think going to Hollywood would be a wise step for me - so I didn't leave the country. I have kept the same way of thinking up until now.
  • Trademarks
      Frequently casts Simon Yam (9 films together as director and actor as of 2007).
  • Nickname
    • To Sir

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