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Moon-Tong Lau

Cinematographer · Hong Kong, China

From
Hong Kong, China
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 48 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 7% in 30 days

What are Moon-Tong Lau's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
35%
Bonds
31%
Power
15%
Self
9%
Survival
8%
Ideas
1%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 13

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 14

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 5

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 7

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 8

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

Casual 6 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 1

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 10 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Thrilling
12
Absurd
5
Romantic
7
Joyful
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Fun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet10
  • 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 Moon-Tong Lau's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Moon-Tong Lau'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

48 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • My Dad Is a Jerk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Hero(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • High Risk(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • My Father Is a Hero(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Bodyguard from Beijing(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Once Upon a Time in China V(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The New Legend of Shaolin(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • From Beijing with Love(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Tai Chi Master(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Crane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • Swordsman III: The East Is Red(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Come Fly the Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • Last Hero in China(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Heroic Trio(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Pom Pom and Hot Hot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • Dragon Inn(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Royal Tramp II(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Swordsman II(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • A Chinese Ghost Story III(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Raid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • She Shoots Straight(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Return Engagement(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Vampire Buster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Burning Sensation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Pedicab Driver(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • 18 Times (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • In the Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • As Tears Go By(1988)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Picture of a Nymph(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • A Chinese Ghost Story(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Righting Wrongs(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Rosa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • Sweet Surrender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • Witch from Nepal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • Millionaires' Express(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Puppy Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Silent Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • The Siamese Twins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rape After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Writer

  • Rape and Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Shadow Ninja (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Rolls, Rolls, I Love You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Revenge in Hong Kong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • Security Unlimited(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Without a Promised Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • The System (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer

  • The Contract (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 44 titles from 1978 to 1997.

Biggest box office

The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)

$2M worldwide

Highest rated

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 44: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 44: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleCinematography43 of 44: 43 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s23 · crew1990s19 · crew

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 Moon-Tong Lau's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 25; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 25 titles divides audiences: 19 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most loved · cinematographer

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

Midcredits 91st · 80% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 63/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Moon-Tong Lau work with?

People who share at least 2 of Moon-Tong Lau's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jet Li shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles