# A Moment of Romance (天若有情)
**A Moment of Romance** (*天若有情*) is a 1990 Hong Kong film directed by Benny Chan and produced by [Johnnie To](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnnie-to), starring [Andy Lau](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-lau) and Jacklyn Wu.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) It tells the love story of Wah Dee, an orphaned underworld getaway driver played by Lau, and Jojo, a young woman from a wealthy family played by Wu, and is regarded as a classic of Hong Kong cinema.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) Its signature image of Lau in a tuxedo riding a motorcycle at night with Wu in a white bridal gown behind him has been copied many times, and the character's name "Wah Dee" stuck to Lau himself as a nickname.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) The film earned HK$12,899,353 in Hong Kong, and at the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991 [Ng Man-tat](https://www.edgepedia.org/ng-man-tat) won Best Supporting Actor.[3](https://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?display_set=big5&id=7251) • [2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / release | 天若有情; Hong Kong premiere 14 June 1990; also released in South Korea on 13 October 1990[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml) |
| Director / producer | Benny Chan's directorial debut; produced by Johnnie To, who also helped set up some of the scenes[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) |
| Cast | Andy Lau (Wah Dee), Jacklyn Wu (Jojo), Ng Man-tat (Tai Po / Rambo), Tommy Wong Kwong-leung[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) |
| Box office | HK$12,899,353 in Hong Kong from 14 June to 26 July 1990[3](https://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?display_set=big5&id=7251) |
| Awards | Best Supporting Actor, 10th Hong Kong Film Awards (1991), for Ng Man-tat; nominations for original film score, original film song, and new performer[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml) |
| Theme song | Composed by Lo Tayu, lyrics by Douglas Li and Lee Mer, sung by Shirley Yuen Fung-ying[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) |
| Restoration | 4K restoration from the original camera negative released by Radiance Films in 2023[4](https://elementsofmadness.com/2023/08/21/amof-hv/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
Wah Dee is a street orphan who earns his living as a racer for the local gang. During a bank heist, the getaway driver takes a young woman, Jojo, hostage, and when his accomplices want her silenced he protects her; the two, from very different social positions, begin a forbidden relationship.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) • [5](https://www.bjiff.com/Archives/11th_18183/bfp_17084/fip/OnlineScreening_18357/202311/t20231122_170873.html) The Hong Kong Film Archive describes the film as creating "the simplest, purest love song amidst the cruelest world of violence and bloodshed," a cross-class romantic tragedy that is short yet striking.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html)
The plot moves through flight and revenge. After the conflict with the rival boss played by Wong Kwong-leung (喇叭) grows deadly, a trap is set and Wah Dee's elder brother dies protecting him, and Wah Dee resolves to take revenge.[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml) On the night he goes for revenge, Jojo escapes her mother, who is taking her to the airport; the two smash a bridal shop window, dress in wedding gown and tuxedo, and visit a church. While Jojo kneels in prayer, Wah Dee rides off to confront the boss, and the confrontation ends with both men dying.[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml) The British Board of Film Classification rated the film "strong violence," noting stabbings and bullet impacts seen in close-up detail.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-moment-of-romance-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotiwotc)
## Production background
**A retirement tribute.** The film began as a tribute project. In 1990 the veteran filmmaker Wong Tin-lam was retiring from television, and his eldest son Wong Jing, together with Wong Tin-lam's protégés including Ringo Lam and Johnnie To, planned a film whose earnings would serve as a retirement gift for him; To recommended Benny Chan, then working at ATV, as director, and To served as producer, with Wong Jing and Ringo Lam handling planning.[7](https://www.juduo.cc/ent/853809.html) • [8](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2207125/) The Hong Kong Film Archive records that the film was made to commemorate Wong Tin-lam's retirement with several generations of his students working together, and that beyond serving as executive producer, Johnnie To personally helped set up some of the scenes.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) An early draft by Wong Jing imagined a 1930s coming-of-age story, which was dropped because the period costumes, props, and sets would have raised the budget considerably.[7](https://www.juduo.cc/ent/853809.html)
**Casting.** Established actresses such as [Maggie Cheung](https://www.edgepedia.org/maggie-cheung), Rosamund Kwan, and Chingmy Yau were considered, but the producers wanted a fresh face opposite Lau; the role went to Jacklyn Wu, for whom this was her acting debut.[7](https://www.juduo.cc/ent/853809.html) • [9](https://fictionmachine.com/2026/04/23/review-a-moment-of-romance-1990/) Lau later recalled friction with To on set: whenever Lau removed his helmet he would habitually tidy his fringe, which To felt did not fit the character, and the two clashed until a senior colleague intervened; they reconciled when Lau returned for the third film.[10](https://www.vogue.com.tw/entertainment/article/andy-lau-a-moment-of-romance)
## Reception and legacy
The film earned HK$12,899,353 in Hong Kong during its initial run from 14 June to 26 July 1990.[3](https://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?display_set=big5&id=7251) In Taiwan it was released under the title *追夢人* ([Dream Chaser](https://www.edgepedia.org/dream-chaser)), and in South Korea it ran for nine months, making Lau and Wu highly famous there; Lau was voted South Korean audiences' "most popular star" for three consecutive years.[10](https://www.vogue.com.tw/entertainment/article/andy-lau-a-moment-of-romance) At the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991, Ng Man-tat won Best Supporting Actor, and the film received nominations for Best Original Film Score (Lo Tayu and Fabio Carli), Best Original Film Song, and Best New Performer (Wu).[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml)
**Imitation and parody.** The motorcycle-and-bridal-gown scene has been parodied in many Hong Kong films, with well-known parodies in *Needing You* (2000) and *Feel 100%* (1996); the film is credited with generating many Hong Kong cinema clichés even though it was itself far from original in its ingredients of a disaffected youth, a "good girl" love interest, and a cartoonish villain.[11](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/moment_of_romance.htm) Its images endure in parody, which critics interpret as evidence of cultural saturation: viewers find the allusion funny only because they already understand the feelings the wedding dress, motorbike, and nighttime roadway are meant to evoke.[12](https://cinemaanthology.com/hong-kong/films/a-moment-of-romance/) The film's popularity in Taiwan is credited with directly boosting the growth of the island's motorcycle riding scene.[13](https://news.sina.cn/sa/2005-03-30/detail-ikkntiam3099462.d.html)
Two sequels followed, both unrelated to the original in story, and Wu Chien-lien co-starred in each, one with [Aaron Kwok](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-kwok) and one with Andy Lau; the two original leads appear together again only in the third.[11](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/moment_of_romance.htm) • [14](https://cinegraph.org/movies/a-moment-of-romance-1990) In 2004, Lau and Wu reunited as a married couple in *Jiang Hu*, a casting choice made after audience surveys showed viewers still remembered their pairing in *A Moment of Romance*.[15](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2004-02-19/15051843932s.shtml)
## Restoration and re-releases
The film has remained in circulation through restorations and festival screenings. Radiance Films released a 4K restoration from the original camera negative in 2023, with a new visual essay by the critic and Asian cinema specialist David Desser on the film's genre tropes and their use in Hong Kong cinema.[4](https://elementsofmadness.com/2023/08/21/amof-hv/) The Hong Kong Film Archive screened it at the Hong Kong Museum of Art on 30 September and 28 October 2023.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) A 4K restored version screened in the Chinese New Wave program of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival,[16](https://www.bjiff.com/fw/fuwu/202304/P020230422641324866492.pdf) and a 4K UHD collector's edition was released in China on 1 September 2024, presenting a 93-minute complete cut with [Dolby Vision](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-vision) and HDR10 and both [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) and Mandarin soundtracks.[17](https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5062862959542797.html) On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 85% Tomatometer from five critics, with an audience rating of 4.1 out of 5 from more than 500 users.[18](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moment_of_romance) On Douban, the mainland Chinese rating platform, it scores 8.4 out of 10.[19](https://shroffed.com/2023/10/03/movie-date-at-the-museum-hkmoa-rescreens-iconic-romances-from-decades-of-hong-kong-cinema/)
## Versions and runtime
Sources give different running times. The Hong Kong Film Archive lists 88 minutes,[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html) while the BBFC classified the 1990 cinema version at 91 minutes 38 seconds and the 2023 Radiance home-entertainment version at 92 minutes 10 seconds.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-moment-of-romance-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotiwotc) The film is in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles in archive presentations.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html)
## References
1. [A Moment of Romance, Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-mdatm-fs-film02.html)
2. [天若有情 详细资料, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2207125.shtml)
3. [天若有情 (1990), HKMDB](https://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?display_set=big5&id=7251)
4. [Joining the Radiance Films collection is director Benny Chan's A Moment of Romance in a 4K HD restoration, Elements of Madness](https://elementsofmadness.com/2023/08/21/amof-hv/)
5. [A Moment of Romance, 13th Beijing International Film Festival Panorama](https://www.bjiff.com/Archives/11th_18183/bfp_17084/fip/OnlineScreening_18357/202311/t20231122_170873.html)
6. [A Moment Of Romance, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-moment-of-romance-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotiwotc)
7. [1990年，如此年輕的劉德華和吳倩蓮，《天若有情》幕後故事](https://www.juduo.cc/ent/853809.html)
8. [天若有情 A Moment of Romance (1990), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2207125/)
9. [REVIEW: A Moment of Romance (1990), Fiction Machine, Grant Watson](https://fictionmachine.com/2026/04/23/review-a-moment-of-romance-1990/)
10. [追夢人回來了！劉德華、吳倩蓮《天若有情》大銀幕重現, Vogue Taiwan](https://www.vogue.com.tw/entertainment/article/andy-lau-a-moment-of-romance)
11. [A Moment of Romance (天若有情) (1990), LoveHKFilm.com](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/moment_of_romance.htm)
12. [A Moment of Romance, Cinema Anthology](https://cinemaanthology.com/hong-kong/films/a-moment-of-romance/)
13. [游走在浪漫与现实之间, Sina News](https://news.sina.cn/sa/2005-03-30/detail-ikkntiam3099462.d.html)
14. [A Moment of Romance, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/a-moment-of-romance-1990)
15. [延续《天若有情》 刘德华要与吴倩莲再爱一次, Sina News / China News Service](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2004-02-19/15051843932s.shtml)
16. [第十三届北京国际电影节场刊 (天若有情 4K), BJIFF](https://www.bjiff.com/fw/fuwu/202304/P020230422641324866492.pdf)
17. [碟影传媒《天若有情》4K UHD收藏版蓝光发行公告, Sina News](https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5062862959542797.html)
18. [A Moment of Romance, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moment_of_romance)
19. [Movie Date at the Museum: HKMoA Rescreens Iconic Romances, Shroffed](https://shroffed.com/2023/10/03/movie-date-at-the-museum-hkmoa-rescreens-iconic-romances-from-decades-of-hong-kong-cinema/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 1990s films › Crime dramas and gangster films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license