Patrick Tam Kar-Ming is a Hong Kong film director and editor. Part of Hong Kong's New Wave of film directors in the late 1970s and 1980s, Tam's works have enjoyed great acclaim. He is also known as the mentor of Wong Kar-Wai, and worked as an editor on Days of Being Wild (including Tony Leung Chiu-Wai's appearance in the last scene) and Ashes of Time. Tam has worked as an academic since 1995, and now serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1948 (78)
- Hong Kong, British Crown Colony [now China]
- Director, writer and editor, also composer
- 8 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
What are Patrick Tam's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 7
Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 5
Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 7
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet5
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
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 Patrick Tam's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Patrick Tam'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
31 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Speak Low (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
That Demon Within(2014)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Flowers with Aphasia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
After This Our Exile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Election(2005)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Dare Ya! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Ashes of Time(1994)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Days of Tomorrow(1993)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Days of Being Wild(1990)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Burning Snow(1988)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Final Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Cherie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Nomad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Love Massacre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Sword (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
13: 花劫 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Seven Women: Ivy Ho, Yeung Si-Dai, Lee Yan-Yi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Seven Women: Liu Wing-Sheung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Seven Women: Liza Wang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Seven Women: Louise Lee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Seven Women: Meg Lam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Seven Women: Miu Kam-Fung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Social Worker: The Runaway Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
CiD (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
CID: Four Moments of Life (Dawn, Noon, Dusk, Night) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
CID: Two Teddy Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Superstar Specials: Wong Chuen-yu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Routine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Career shape
A full career of 31 titles from 1968 to 2022.
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 Patrick Tam's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 5 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 79/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 6 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 Patrick Tam work with?
People who share at least 2 of Patrick Tam's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christopher Doyle shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Johnnie ToShared titles: Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020), Election (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Johnnie To
- Wong Kar-WaiShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Being Wild (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Wong Kar-Wai
Writers
- Jeffrey LauShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Tomorrow (1993), Days of Being Wild (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Jeffrey Lau
- Nai-Hoi YauShared titles: Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020), Election (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Nai-Hoi Yau
Actors
- Simon YamShared titles: Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020), Election (2005), Burning Snow (1988)See all 3 shared titles with Simon Yam
- Tony Leung Chiu-waiShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Being Wild (1990), My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- Nick CheungShared titles: That Demon Within (2014), Election (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Nick Cheung
- Tony Ka Fai LeungShared titles: Election (2005), Ashes of Time (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Ka Fai Leung
Cinematographers and editors
- Christopher DoyleShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Being Wild (1990), My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989), Burning Snow (1988)See all 4 shared titles with Christopher Doyle
- Kit-Wai KaiShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Tomorrow (1993), Days of Being Wild (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Kit-Wai Kai
- William ChangShared titles: Ashes of Time (1994), Days of Being Wild (1990)See all 2 shared titles with William Chang
Producers
- Candy LeungShared titles: That Demon Within (2014), Days of Being Wild (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Candy Leung
