Hong Kong director and producer.
Biography from TMDB.
- October 23, 1952 (74)
- Hong Kong, China
- Director, producer and writer
- 11 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
What are David Lai's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 8
Light 8 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 0 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 5
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 7
Steady 2 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 4
Casual 7 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David Lai's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (2).
Subscription and free streaming for David Lai's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
28 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.
DOA: Dead or Alive(2006)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Transporter 2(2005)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Transporter(2002)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Timeless Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Mahjong Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Heaven and Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Women on the Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Operation Scorpio(1992)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Saviour Of The Soul II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Game Kids(1992)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Saviour of the Soul(1991)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
She Shoots Straight(1990)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Lost Souls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Runaway Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midnight Whispers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Spiritual Love(1987)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Sworn Brothers(1987)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Picture of a Nymph(1987)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Merry Go Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Midnight Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Possessed II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Body Is Willing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Duel to the Death(1983)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Possessed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Crimson Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Lonely Fifteen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Hong Kong Gentlemen (I) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Dragon Strikes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Career shape
A full career of 27 titles from 1979 to 2006.
Biggest box office
Transporter 2 (2005)
Highest rated
Duel to the Death (1983)
Most popular right now
The Transporter (2002)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do David Lai's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the atmosphere 60/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is David Lai's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does David Lai work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Lai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Corey Yuen shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Corey YuenShared titles: DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), The Transporter (2002), Saviour of the Soul (1991), She Shoots Straight (1990), Picture of a Nymph (1987)See all 5 shared titles with Corey Yuen
Writers
- Luc BessonShared titles: Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Luc Besson
- Robert Mark KamenShared titles: Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Mark Kamen
- Barry WongShared titles: Operation Scorpio (1992), She Shoots Straight (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Barry Wong
Actors
- Andy LauShared titles: Game Kids (1992), Saviour of the Soul (1991), Sworn Brothers (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Andy Lau
- François BerléandShared titles: Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 2 shared titles with François Berléand
- Jason StathamShared titles: Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Jason Statham
- Aaron KwokShared titles: Game Kids (1992), Saviour of the Soul (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Aaron Kwok
Cinematographers and editors
- Peter CheungShared titles: She Shoots Straight (1990), Duel to the Death (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Cheung
- Raymond LamShared titles: Picture of a Nymph (1987), Sworn Brothers (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Raymond Lam
Producers
- Sammo Kam-Bo HungShared titles: Operation Scorpio (1992), She Shoots Straight (1990), Picture of a Nymph (1987), Sworn Brothers (1987)See all 4 shared titles with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
- Steven ChasmanShared titles: DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Steven Chasman
- Leonard HoShared titles: Operation Scorpio (1992), She Shoots Straight (1990), Picture of a Nymph (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Leonard Ho
- Mehdi SayahShared titles: Transporter 2 (2005), The Transporter (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Mehdi Sayah
Mixed roles
- Jeffrey LauShared titles: Game Kids (1992), Saviour of the Soul (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Lau
