Author of this article: Li Xiaotian
Hong Kong's "Four Heavenly Kings" are peerless.
The king of heaven went to war, and there was no grass.
In the Hong Kong music scene, there are obviously many talents. But since there are the "Four Heavenly Kings", the result is that everyone else has become supporting roles. Before them, there was only one Xu Guanjie in front of them; After them, there was barely one Eason Chan.
And then, there is no then.
However, here is not to talk about their status in the music industry, only about acting skills.
And the acting is dynamic, ten years ago and ten years later, it is different. In another ten years, it may be different again.
Ten years ago, in the 2010s, you asked me how to rank the acting skills of the "Four Heavenly Kings", and it must be:
Andy Lau> Fucheng Kwok> Jacky Cheung > Liming
Ten years ago, in the 2000s, the ranking of the four kings of acting at that time was:
Jacky Cheung> Andy Lau> Kwok Fucheng > Liming
Ten years ago, back to the 1990s, the acting ranking of the four kings at that time was like this:
Liming> Jacky Cheung> Andy Lau> Kwok Fucheng
However, now, in the 2020s, this question is thrown out again, and it becomes:
Aaron Kwok > Andy Lau> Jacky Cheung > Liming
Let's start with the 1990s.
In the Hong Kong music scene around 1990, Hui Guanjie was old, and the figure at that time was Alan Tam VS Leslie Cheung, "two kings fighting for hegemony", and the scenery was unique for a while.
However, both of them suddenly became tired. Alan Tam retired from Hong Kong, Leslie Cheung fully retired, and there was a vacuum in the prosperous Hong Kong music scene, which is really strange.
Someone has to fill the place. It just so happened that in 1990 dawn fired. Moreover, Andy Lau, who is also an idol school, is also popular. The two became the new "Gemini".
And Jacky Cheung relied on his good singing skills, inserted a bar horizontally, and used hard power to rank alongside the two idols, and the limelight did not fall behind. Thus, they became the "Three Musketeers".
But soon after, in 1991, Kwok danced a cheerful dance, first catching fire from Taiwan and then bringing the limelight back to Hong Kong. The four great battles, the four heavenly kings began to form a scale.
At the end of the year, Hong Kong's "father of concerts" Cheung Yiu-wing (another term is Fong Yiuhua) simply referred to the four most popular male pop singers of the time as the "Four Kings", which were widely accepted by the public. This call has never stopped and has been used to this day.
30 years later, the whole of Hong Kong is still the world of the "Four Heavenly Kings". After them, only Eason Chan was able to keep up with them and get a piece of the pie. In addition, no one can truly become a king-level superstar.
You say they are old, but they sing and you act, first crossover, and finally transform, all of them have inserted a foot in the film and television industry, and they have actually succeeded. As a result, the "four heavenly kings" of successful transformation continued to be popular.
In terms of acting skills alone, in fact, except for Jacky Cheung who has some talent, the acting level of the others is not superb, and there is a clear gap between Chow Yun-fat, Leung Ka Fai, Tony Leung, Liu Qingyun and others.
However, we do not cross borders, and this article will discuss things on a case-by-case basis, and the scope of discussion is only within the four heavenly kings.
Dreaming back to the 1990s, when it was Dawn that first touched film television and was rewarded with it. First of all, 1989's "Tianya Song Girl", then 1990's "Man on the Edge", and 1993's "Yuan Zhenxia" three high-scoring serials, let Dawn, who played the male number one, directly stand firm and verify his acting skills.
During that time, Liming was in contact with first-class directors, such as Liu Zhenwei's "Urban Love" in 1994, Wong Kar-wai's "Fallen Angel" in 1995, Wang Jing's "God of Gamblers 3: The Young God of Gamblers" in 1996, Chen Kexin's "Sweet Honey" in 1996, Xu Anhua's "Half Life" in 1997, "True Hero" in 1998, Zhang Wanting's "City of Glass" in 1998, all of these works are excellent works with a score of 7 or more, There are also classics such as "Sweet Honey". At that time, the dawn fully showed his charm as a mature big boy in these films, with miserable eyes, melancholy face, calm and calm, and good temperament.
In the 1990s, "Double Monday" was still popular, Hong Kong films were still at their peak, and it was not easy for Liming to gain a foothold in this period and show his acting skills. Of course, at that time, he fought with Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, and Leung Ka-fai in his acting skills, and naturally he was not at the same level, and he suffered a lot of losses. Therefore, although Dawn did not win many awards at that time, it is undeniable that among the "four heavenly kings" of that era, the most acting skill is undoubtedly him.
As for the most talented Jacky Cheung, at that time, he was more favored by the Academy Awards than Liming. In the 1990s, the singer had already won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1989 for "Carmen in Mong Kok", and won the Golden Horse Best Actor in 1990 with "Smiling Rivers and Lakes". For two consecutive years, two cities and two cities, naturally has a great future. This is not over, in 1991, Jacky Cheung won two nominations for "Smiling Rivers and Lakes" and "Qiannu Ghost 2", and then in 1995 he was nominated for the Academy Award for "Very Detective". In the same year, he was nominated for the Golden Horse male partner with "Die Hard".
Therefore, if the nomination and winning of the award alone, it is undoubtedly Jacky Cheung is better. However, on closer examination, these roles of the singer are somewhat homogenized, and obviously more of a ticket-playing nature, although the singer is very open, but singing is his main business, acting is just play. In this case, Jacky Cheung's play ticket and Liming's full dedication inevitably make Liming more advantageous.
There is also Andy Lau, who was supported by big directors such as Zhang Che before he sang, and he was also nominated for some Academy Awards at this stage. However, who dares to say that Andy Lau in the 1990s has acting skills, it is simply unreasonable. The mud can't support the wall, it's Hua Zi at that time.
As for Kwok Fucheng, he also only knows how to play cool, and he doesn't even know which direction the doorway of acting is open. However, the villain can also be regarded as owning a series of "Fengyun", which is enough for him to show.
Therefore, the ranking of the acting skills of the "Four Heavenly Kings" in the 1990s is:
Liming> Jacky Cheung> Andy Lau> Kwok Fucheng.
Among them, Dawn is on par with Jacky Cheung, Dawn is slightly ahead, and Jacky Cheung is slightly behind half a position because he is not here. Compared with Andy Lau and Kwok Fucheng of the latter two, the first two are more than a big cut. Andy Lau uses first-class resources, and there are several good works, but the movie is famous, if you change to an actor with more acting skills, it may be better, and the good people are not good, which is his portrayal. Kwok Fucheng is still his dance king.
Time came to the 2000s. The fall of Hong Kong films is in a straight line, and it has plummeted. And with this process was the fall of dawn.
Throughout the decade of the 2000s, at the beginning of 2003, there was still "Three Changes" at dawn, which can be called a classic. After that, it's like a leather ball that suddenly deflated, and it doesn't do anything. The conversion is so fast that people can't understand it at all.
Also in 2003's "Infernal Affairs 3", it is obviously a rescue work, obviously you can take advantage of this fire, but Dawn messed it up himself, and the state is obviously not very integrated with other characters, and Tony Leung and Andy Lau do not match, which seems redundant. The same is true of 2005's "Seven Swords", in which Dawn's role, compared with other actors, is obviously old, pale, and unsupportable. "Mei Lanfang" in 2008 is obviously a tailor-made work for him, but it is too formal, the role is pale and weak, but it is not as wonderful as Wang Xueqi and Yu Shaoqun as supporting roles. This was almost his last chance for redemption, but he didn't seize it. In 2009's "October Siege", he has been reduced to a supporting role, although the performance is acceptable, but it is only acceptable, and it does not add too many points to him. After that, there is no back. Dawn, as an actor, seems to be gradually forgotten.
Once there is no pressure from dawn, then the king of acting skills of the "Four Heavenly Kings" naturally belongs to the singer Jacky Cheung in this decade.
In fact, in the past ten years, Jacky Cheung has also slowed down his pace, still taking singing as his main business, acting in movies is only a side job, and the rate of film production has decreased significantly. But even so, he has shown superb acting strength in several excellent works such as "Man Forty" in 2002, "Golden Rooster 2" in 2003, "If Love" in 2005, and even in "October Siege" with only a few shots.
It is a pity that Jacky Cheung did not focus his work on acting, otherwise his achievements would undoubtedly be very great.
In this decade, Andy Lau began his own catch-up. In terms of acting talent, he does not have anything, but in terms of hard work, Andy Lau is undoubtedly a model worker. Although he still hasn't put down the shelf of the idol school, he has begun to sculpt his acting skills. So, in this decade, Andy Lau's efforts began to be realized.
In 2000, "Dark War" allowed Andy Lau to win the first Academy Award. Although his performance in the film is far inferior to Liu Qingyun, he is a positive character and takes advantage. Although the award this time is not convincing enough, it is more or less proof that there is a prize than no prize. At least let Andy Lau himself begin to face himself squarely.
In 2001, Andy Lau performed his life's masterpiece "A Hu". Speaking of Andy Lau's masterpiece, everyone seems to be unable to remember, this "A Hu" can be said to be his masterpiece. Although he did not win the award, there is a deep brand of Andy Lau on his image.
2002's "Skinny Men and Women", which also made Andy Lau nominated for the Academy Award. However, it is quite interesting that Du Qifeng, an old slippery head, whenever he wants to shoot films showing his acting skills, he will find Ren Dahua and Liu Qingyun to cooperate, and when he wants to make money easily, he will find Andy Lau and Zheng Xiuwen to cooperate. This shows that in the eyes of Lao Du, Andy Lau has no acting skills and is just a tool for making money. Wong Kar-wai, too, has not used him since he worked with Andy Lau once. In the eyes of these directors, Andy Lau has no acting skills.
But the talent in the Hong Kong film industry has withered, and there are no newcomers emerging, and there are always a few faces acting around. For Andy Lau, there are enough opportunities, as long as he is willing to specialize, he will always emerge. Thus, the Academy Awards opened the door to him.
In 2004, "Big Guy" ("Big Man Has Big Wisdom") was considered to have completed a real transformation for Andy Lau, and it was also the first time that the public really saw his efforts. Can't help but say "Oh, not bad".
It was also from then on that Andy Lau really let go of the idol baggage and began to show some acting strength. Later, "Disciple" and "Cast Name" all had gray-faced images displayed on the big screen.
However, Andy Lau's real transformation will not be fully realized until "Sister Peach" in the 2010s. In this decade of the 2000s, Jacky Cheung, who did not act or act, was the one with the best acting skills among the "Four Heavenly Kings".
As for Kwok Fucheng, the former dance king can no longer dance, he also began to have pressure, and also began to accelerate the transformation, seeking transformation. 2005's "Three Forks" and 2006's "Father and Son" began to make people shine, and with these two works, he also connected two cities in Jinma, which was also a recognition of him, which made him start to catch up.
In terms of film genre, Kwok Fucheng has also begun to explore, constantly looking for a way out, such as the sports-themed "Judo Dragon and Tiger List", the police and bandit films "Three Forks", "C+ Detective", "Charge", the family film "Father and Son", the costume film "Silver Empire" and "Wind and Cloud 2", the fantasy theme "The City Guard", and even the rural theme "The Favorite", Guo Tianwang is also constantly upgrading in this exploration, waiting for him will be extraordinary returns. However, it is clear that now is not the time.
But in any case, Andy Lau and Kwok Fucheng's efforts allowed them to complete the corner overtaking for Dawn.
Therefore, the four kings acting rankings in the 2000s are:
Jacky Cheung> Andy Lau> Kwok Fucheng > Liming.
This ranking can also best reflect the most authentic acting state of the four heavenly kings, and it is also the most direct presentation of their talent and efforts, and it is also a recognized ranking.
However, things change, not set in stone.
Fast forward to the 2010s. Dawn has completely fallen, and can only be mixed in "Fire Dragon Showdown", "The Legend of Hongmen Banquet", "The Dynasty's Woman Yang Guifei", "Disappearing Lover", "Uninvited Guest" These unknown films have been played blindly, and there is not even a sense of existence. It has to be said that it is probably the biggest news that he and Fan Bingbing engaged Ma Zhen in "The Woman of the Dynasty, Yang Guifei". A generation of heavenly kings, reduced to this, whined and wailed.
As for the singer Jacky Cheung, he still focuses his career on singing, and his investment in acting in movies is far from enough, although there are films such as "Full Moon Hennessy" and "Dark Paradise" that have been nominated for the Academy Award, and also starred in films such as "Equator", but they basically have no impact, which has led to his acting skills not being fully utilized. What a pity!
You know, Jacky Cheung is the one with the highest acting talent among the "Four Heavenly Kings", but it is a pity that he himself is not invested, which really fails Cangtian's love.
If you don't advance, you will retreat. While Jacky Cheung and Liming continue to regress, Andy Lau and Kwok Fucheng have begun to truly complete their transformation, and it is time to truly show their strength.
First of all, Andy Lau, after being honed by films such as "Big Guy", "Disciple" and "Cast Name" in the 2000s, finally waited for "Sister Peach" in 2011.
And this is a film that allows Andy Lau to completely complete his transformation. In this film, Andy Lau washed away the lead, completely faded the burden of idols, and devoted himself to the role. Films such as "Big Guy" and "Cast Name" still have the embarrassment of trying too hard to act well but not acting well.
"Sister Peach" really turned Andy Lau into an acting school. After that, Andy Lau in "Orphaned" and "Rescue Mr. Wu", and then presented his acting skills, already had a feeling of lifting weight. Andy Lau's acting skills were only truly released at this time, and it can be regarded as truly becoming an acting school.
By this year's "The Wandering Earth 2", Andy Lau was in it, and even had a feeling of old drama. The feeling of acting hard with strength in the past has disappeared, and the feeling of exerting too much force has also disappeared.
As for Kwok Fucheng, in 2012's "Chills" and "Floating City Tycoon", he has begun to show his state, and his acting skills are not first-class, but he has obviously entered the state of the character. 2013's "All People Witness" and 2014's "Journey to the West: The Great Trouble in the Heavenly Palace" have some regression, and there is still some feeling of forcibly playing handsome and cool.
However, in 2015's "Stepping on Blood to Find Mei", he finally waited for the role he dreamed of all his life, won the Academy Award actor in one fell swoop, and suddenly achieved fission. Yes, not metamorphosis, but fission.
Since then, after "Journey to the West: The Great Trouble in the Heavenly Palace", in the sequel "Journey to the West: Three Dozen White Bone Spirits" and "Journey to the West: Daughter's Country", Guo Tianwang has also changed significantly for the better after transforming from the original Bull Demon King to the Monkey King. And in the future, "Matchless" and "Mai Roader" further burst out his acting skills, and his state is getting better and better.
Therefore, in the decade of the 2010s, generally speaking, the acting ranking of the four heavenly kings is:
Andy Lau> Fucheng Kwok> Jacky Cheung > Liming.
If you break it down, after 2015, in fact, Kwok Fucheng is in a significantly better state, and there is a trend of coming later.
A few years have passed, and now, if you evaluate the acting state of the four heavenly kings, it is obvious that Dawn has completely fallen behind, and it is negligible to be a fellow traveler.
Jacky Cheung belongs to the one that everyone is willing to wait, as long as he wants to return, as long as he wants to act, he will give people a surprise. For the god of song, let's continue to wait.
For the showdown between Andy Lau and Kwok Fucheng, the form is more unfavorable for Hua Tsai.
After all, in terms of talent, Andy Lau has no talent at all, all he has is hard work, and he still has thick and thin hair after a long period of grinding. However, acting is a profession that depends on talent after all, and if you don't have it, then the ceiling is always easily visible. Kwok Fucheng's talent, although not much, is still better than Andy Lau.
Therefore, although Andy Lau's performance is quite good now, he obviously belongs to the kind of lack of stamina. His performance still depends on his efforts and restraint, and once he relaxes, he will immediately collapse. Looking at his list of unreleased works, there are long queues, which is too much. The result of more than a year of movie release is that it is impossible to sink down and refine, and crotch pulling is inevitable. And the cruelty of the market is that it will not tolerate your mistakes, pull the crotch, and the next attendance will be directly reflected. Jackie Chan is a very obvious example.
Therefore, Andy Lau, now and in the future, is a pinch. After all, the ceiling of talent is there, and if you want to break through further, it is no longer possible, depending on when it will collapse. What's more, from time to time, he still unconsciously plays cool, shows himself timidly, and pulls his acting skills.
As for Kwok Fucheng, in the selection of films, it is obvious that he cares more about his feathers and will not act in any film. Moreover, in terms of talent, Kwok Fucheng seems to be a little better than Andy Lau.
In this way, the advantages and disadvantages are very obvious.
Now, and for some time to come, the acting ranking of the "Four Heavenly Kings" is:
Aaron Kwok > Andy Lau> Jacky Cheung > Liming
As for the next ten years, it depends on whether Jacky Cheung can break out and see if he can cross Guo Liu and the two again and take back the first position that originally belongs to him. Then wait and see.
What do you think of the above ranking?
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