THE BUND did not invent Asian crime drama. The genre had been around for years before THE BUND. But THE BUND revolutionized expectations for such dramas, and created a huge vogue for them that has since never really gone away. If you think about the popularity of Asian crime drama during the past quarter century...well, much of that is attributable to the popularity of THE BUND.
And this year, in 2009, we're coming full circle. In production right now is a Hollywood picture called SHANGHAI, which will be released later this year (or perhaps next year). The movie will star Chow Yun Fat as a Hui Mun Keung-like Shanghai crime boss.
So Chow Yun Fat returns to "Hui Mun Keung" at last...for Hollywood, this time.