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Kai-Ming Lai

Kai-Ming Lai

Director, producer and writer · Died March 3, 2016 · Hong Kong, China

Ivan Lai Kai-ming was born in 1955 as Kai-Ming Lai. He was a director, writer and producer, best known for his work in the Category III film field in the 90s Hong Kong, such as Daughter of Darkness (1993), Daughter of Darkness 2 (1994), The Imp (1996), The Peeping Tom (1997), Ancient Chinese Whorehouse (1994), Erotic Ghost Story III (1992). He passed away on March 3, 2016 in Hong Kong, China.

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Biography from TMDB.

Died
March 3, 2016
From
Hong Kong, China
Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 24% in 30 days

What are Kai-Ming Lai's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
47%
Survival
36%
Bonds
14%
Society
3%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 4

Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 3

Whiplash: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their whiplash movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Thrilling
3
Absurd
2
Dread
2
Melancholic
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Unsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1

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 Kai-Ming Lai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on The Criterion Channel (1).

Subscription and free streaming for Kai-Ming 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

35 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

  • Hot Blood Band (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Producer

  • Boxer's Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Feng Shui and Gambling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Prison on Fire: Plaintive Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Hot Rod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Troublesome Night 9 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • True Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • The Lord of Amusement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Producer

  • The Kingdom of Mob (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • The King of Debt Collecting Agent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • God.com (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Peeping Tom(1997)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Imp(1996)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Love, Guns and Glass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • A Fake Pretty Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Ancient Chinese Whorehouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Daughter of Darkness 2(1994)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Daughter of Darkness(1993)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Erotic Ghost Story III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Banquet(1991)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Blue Jean Monster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Jail House Eros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Producer

  • Thank You Sir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Final Justice(1988)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Iron Angels(1987)

    Director · Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Walking Beside Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Assistant Director

  • Royal Warriors(1986)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Hong Kong Graffiti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Assistant Director

  • Beloved Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Producer

  • The Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Assistant Director

  • Sketch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Songs

  • Coolie Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Songs

  • The Imp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Assistant Director

  • The Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Assistant Director

  • Do-Re-Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Assistant Director

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles from 1980 to 2015.

Highest rated

Iron Angels (1987)

Midcredits 66th

Most popular right now

Daughter of Darkness (1993)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 35: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting19 of 35: 15 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting2 of 35: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing7 of 35: 5 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew10 of 35: 10 only other crew, 0 with another role

35 titles, 4 with more than one role.

By decade

1980s13 · crew1990s15 · 1 acting · 14 crew2000s6 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Kai-Ming Lai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 8 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director, producer

Daughter of Darkness 2 (1994)

75th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Iron Angels (1987)

Midcredits 66th · 56% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 56/100 and the pacing 38/100 in their films, across 5 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.

Who does Kai-Ming Lai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kai-Ming Lai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hung Lu shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers