Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of A Haunting in Venice, we’re counting down our favorite Michelle Yeoh movies! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
In 2006, Memoirs of a Geisha brought home the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design, among a host of other nominations for its impressive visuals. And that is exactly where this film shines: richly embellished costuming nestled in striking locations. Japanese gardens packed with bridges, water features, and chains of cherry blossoms dripping off the trees, a fully replicated pre-WWII Kyoto village, and elaborately detailed interiors and wardrobes. It’s sad that such a gorgeously shot and designed film had a release met with controversy concerning Westernization of the storyline, and the casting of non-Japanese actresses, Michele Yeoh, Ziya Zhang, and Gong Li, in the lead roles, because all three turn in powerful performances. From what I could find concerning the production, it does appear that cultural advisors and anthropologists were brought on in order to ensure traditional accuracy (to a degree), so at the very least there were attempts made to educate the actresses on proper Japanese traditions and behaviors being portrayed. Controversy aside, this film is a feast for the eyes, with barely a space on the screen lacking in detail. The plot can be a bit complex to follow at times, and ultimately a little far fetched, but the artistic direction and performances being exhibited more than make up for it. (Patrice Downing)
The 1994 film Wing Chun is unique in Michelle Yeoh’s filmography, as least among those films that I’ve seen. In the title role, Yeoh plays a martial arts expert who must battle both bandits and the men of her provincial town who just can’t handle the fact that she can handle herself without rushing off to find a husband. She stars alongside Donnie Yen, a childhood sweetheart of Wing Chun who returns to town after completing his martial arts training. It’s unique in the sense that it’s basically a straight up slapstick comedy — something we don’t get to see from Yeoh, even in movies with comedic elements. In Crazy Rich Asians, she’s largely a serious role. In Everything Everywhere All at Once, the comedic part of the performance is just one part of a complex whole. The comedy doesn’t always work, and it’s a nearly 30-year-old movie that shows its age at times, but I enjoyed getting to see Yeoh in a full-on comedy. In addition, there are still plenty of martial arts set pieces, and the tofu scene is a definite highlight. (Jake Bourgeois)
The uncommon combination of psychological thriller and sci-fi thriller yields exhilarating results in Sunshine. An original concept, outstanding visual effects, and great direction from Danny Boyle would already be enough for something great, but the stacked cast elevates it to another level. With the story featuring eight international astronauts in 2057 trying to jumpstart a dying sun with a bomb to save a freezing Earth, it lends to a diverse cast which is capitalized on with immense talent. Michelle Yeoh should always be a headliner, but here she is one of many greats, along with Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, and Benedict Wong. It is thrilling to see the threads unravel as the astronauts deal with the psychological struggles of isolation and the pressure of having the fate of not just mankind, but the entire planet on your shoulders. The influences of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien are readily apparent, but they never fall victim to mimicry. Sunshine honors the spirit of great space stories that came before while remaining wholly original. (Jason Mack)
Kung Fu Panda may sound like it has the most ridiculous premise on paper, but this is a textbook case of don’t judge a book — or movie! — by its cover, because these movies are excellent. While not as essential as the first film, Kung Fu Panda 2 continues with much of what made the original so special. Jack Black remains pitch-perfect voice casting as not just “a big fat panda,” but “the big fat panda,” and Gary Oldman and Michelle Yeoh make for expectedly great additions to the ensemble this go-round. The Kung Fu Panda movies rarely receive the credit they deserve for their top-notch animation. Beyond the impossibly complex martial arts sequences, this sequel dabbles in several forms of stunning 2D animation, including an opening sequence filmed in the style of Chinese shadow puppetry. The emotions pour through every one of these characters’ beautifully realized expressions throughout the film, and I challenge you not to shed a tear during Po’s gut-wrenching backstory. Combine all this with Hans Zimmer and DreamWorks king John Powell’s incredible musical score, and you’ve got yourself one of the best animated sequels around. (Foster Harlfinger)
Did anyone see this big success coming? Crazy Rich Asians roared onto the scene back in 2018 and grabbed audiences’ attention. This cast full of so many talented Asian performers hit the right spot for that summer season and offered up one of the most memorable cinematic romances in recent memory. Director Jon M. Chu leads the way in creating an experience that feels true and authentic to Asian culture. Constance Wu and Henry Golding are a pair of beautiful people who each bring their A-game to deliver charismatic performances that are equally charming and empathetic. Awkwafina blew up with her hilarious and chaotic turn in this film. If there is an up-and-coming Asian actor in Hollywood, they were probably in this film. Luckily, you get some great veteran turns, including Michelle Yeoh, who is perfect as the judgmental and powerful mother of Golding. The tension between her and Wu is palpable and works so well to sell the central conflict. This is a beautiful, hilarious, and authentic experience that opens up your mind to the distinctly Asian tale that is told. (Shane Conto)
Teaming up with Jackie Chan, Police Story 3: Super Cop finds Michelle Yeoh playing a Chinese inspector that teams up with Chan’s Hong Kong “super cop” for an undercover mission to bring a dangerous drug kingpin to justice. Don’t let the fact that this is a sequel deter you if you haven’t seen any of the other films in the franchise. You won’t get lost, as it’s a simple setup designed to get the ball rolling and start the action as soon as possible. As you’d expect from a Chan entry, the fight choreography and action set pieces are a real strength here — with just enough of a narrative to get you from one to the next. As far as Yeoh’s role, this film is a bit infamous for her stunt work — notably a sketchy bike ramp to the top of a train that almost went sideways and a hard hit she took to a car windshield included in the credits’ bloopers. Watching both these martial arts legends fight side by side is really something to behold. (Jake Bourgeois)
One of many collaborations between Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li, the early ‘90s martial arts film, Tai Chi Master, finds the former being a companion of the latter. Li stars as one of two friends Chin Bo (Chin Siu-ho) banished after being wrongly accused of cheating in a test at their Shaolin temple. The friends end up on opposite sides of a civil war, culminating in a climactic battle. Yeoh is one of the companions he meets after leaving the temple. She sticks with him as he trains for the final confrontation, building himself back from the ground up after the betrayal forces a bit of a mental breakdown. It’s got some really fun choreography and wire work, with a splash of the fantastical flair popular in many martial arts flicks. The early battles have lots of whimsy, with many utilizing improvised weaponry. As the film progresses, so does the seriousness of the fight scenes. No matter what tone is underlying in any of the fights, it’s always filled with creativity and a feast for the eyes. At just over 90 minutes, it’s less of a time investment if you’re not quite in the mood for a full-on martial arts epic. (Jake Bourgeois)
Michelle Yeoh has been on a roll these last few years, leading to some incredible movies — she even appeared in two MCU movies, the second being Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which tells the story of the titular character (Simu Liu) who must face his father Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) and stop him from using the 10 rings to destroy the dimension where his mother, Ying Li (Fala Chen), is from. This movie is so good — it’s one of the few Phase Four movies I absolutely love rewatching. Yeoh plays Ying Nan, aunt to Shang-Chi, and she works with him to learn Ta Lo magic to stop Wenwu. Yeoh and Liu are fantastic together. Yeoh is always a welcome presence in any movie, and even though she doesn’t have many scenes, her presence is felt. This is one movie so many sleep on, but it is filled with incredible fight scenes and an amazing story. (Austen Terry)
“So, even though you have broken my heart yet again, I wanted to say, in another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” Without trying to sound like the douchiest hipster, I am so glad I managed to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once before the Oscars when it came out, because I heard from many movie people that it was something special. And it was. I watched it twice in the cinema (once by myself, and the other time with my girlfriend), and this movie is truly about everything. It attacks all your senses at once in some scenes, but you happily surrender to it because it is that good. And when we account for the magnificent performances of Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis (three out of these four won an Oscar for their performances), you get a movie that doesn’t come around every year. This movie should not work. There is a universe where it failed miserably. I am so glad we live in the other universe, the one where it went from a small movie, to breaking records for A24, to winning seven (!!!) Academy Awards. It is possible that upon my future viewing, it will break my personal TOP FIVE favourite films of all time, and that is rare. (Luke Burian)
When Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nominated for best picture back in 2001, I took the opportunity to watch it in theaters. I had never really watched a foreign movie in theaters before in my young moviegoing life, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect it to become one of those movies that becomes an inflection point in my movie-loving journey. I had never seen a movie that balanced action with the mystical, and which outlines a truly epic story of love. This was my first exposure to Michelle Yeoh as a performer, and I was drawn to how she could balance a great character, amazing action sequences, and deep emotional moments. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also helped me appreciate cinema from all over the world. The music is gorgeous, and the stunt work and fight choreography is stunning. It kicked off a resurgence of transcendent films from Asia in the early 2000s, and for me, it put Yeoh on notice as someone to watch moving forward. (Mike Hilty)
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is one of the most underrated films in the Bond franchise. It is legitimately great and a perfect follow up to GoldenEye. I truly believe that Tomorrow Never Dies gets overlooked because of how much hype GoldenEye generated and it was unable to live up to audience expectations. With a villain’s plot that is wildly outlandish for the late ‘90s, and completely possible and terrifying in 2023, Tomorrow Never Dies is very ahead of its time. Another way it was ahead of its time is in the perfect casting of Michelle Yeoh. Already a decade into her career, this was her first major American produced motion picture, and she came in like a wrecking ball. Yeoh was not only given amazing action scenes that took advantage of her martial arts and stunt talents, but the movie also gave her character a ton of agency, which is rare for a Bond film. I love how her character is essentially China’s 007 equivalent and is allowed to own almost every scene she is in, even ones including Bond. Yeoh’s presence in Tomorrow Never Dies takes a great entry in the Bond franchise, makes it an excellent one, and justifies my personal ranking as my fourth favorite Bond film. (Nick Ferro)
Also See: Royal Warriors, The Heroic Trio, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Lady, Magnificent Warriors