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SYNOPSIS:
Police officer Foon (Andy Lau) witnesses numerous brothers
turn against one another. Yiu (Michael Miu) and Shun (Eason
Chan) were separated since young at their father? (Wang Zhi-Wen)
arrangement. Years later, Yiu succeeds his father to become
the triad leader. His desire to legitimize the triad? illegal
dealings is met with opposition from Kui (Tong Chun-yip).
The crisis brings the two brothers back together again. However,
a series of setups arranged by Yiu causes Shun to flee to
Thailand, When Shun? life is in danger, the trust between
the brothers is put to a test. When Shun finally realizes
the true intention of his brother, things are already beyond
repair.
MOVIE REVIEW
If you
are old enough, you’d have heard of how Hong Kong broadcaster
TVB had its “five tigers”: Michael Miu Kiu Wai,
Ken Tong Chun-Yip, Felix Wong Yat-Wah, Andy Lau Tak-Wah and
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Of course, if we didn’t include
the Chinese names of the last two actors, you’d know
them for their high profile movies like The Warlords and Protégé
(for Lau) and Lust, Caution and 2046 (for Leung). But things
have not been as rosy for the other three tigers, although
true fans of Hong Kong dramas can name you the movies they
have been starring in since their heydays have passed.
For the
sake of nostalgia, director Derek Chiu brings back the four
tigers (minus Leung) and replaces him with Eason Chan and
his distractingly frilly locks. The 105-minute movie is a
typical Hong Kong triad genre picture which tells the story
of brotherhood and betrayal. Miu and Chan play brothers to
a dead triad leader. Wong plays their adopted brother while
Tong plays the villain. Lau joins in the fun as a cop who
gets involved in the guns and bullets.
To make
the name-spotting game more fun, actors like Lam Suet (Mad
Detective, Invisible Target), Lam Ka Tung (Triangle, Hooked
on You), Yu Rongguang (The Myth, Divergence), Wang Zhiwen
(Battle of Wits, Together) and Elaine Jin (Yi Yi, Tempting
Heart) take on other supporting roles to make this movie a
true get-together.
There
is nothing to shout about the story, because it is probably
not the main highlight here. The tried and tested genre (especially
in Hong Kong) barely leaves an impression in this movie. The
action sequences choreographed by Chin Kar Lok and Wong Wai
Fai (two other big names in action choreography) are so-so
in terms of thrills and spills. Which means that the movie
only leaves us with stars to ogle at, commenting on how age
has caught up with most of them.
While
Miu and Wong are still flatteringly charming, Tong manages
to send chills down our spines as a scrupulous baddie. Chan’s
acting is competent, while Lau is the shiniest star of the
lot, accompanied by a certain sponsored watch grabbing a few
seconds of attention. There are a few memorably interesting
scenes though: Watch out for the sequence where Lau and Lam
bitch about other colleagues in their police headquarter office,
as well as the car chase sequence shot in Thailand - they
are probably the sequences that are not overshadowed by the
big number of stars who have gathered for this project.
SPECIAL
FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains a 17-minute “The
Making of”, where Chan seems truly amused with
shooting the finale car chase scenes. There is also a “Trailer”.
These features come in both Mandarin and Cantonese versions,
but only Chinese subtitles.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
disc’s visual transfer is fine, and the audio soundtrack
is presented in its original Cantonese version, as well as
the dubbed Mandarin version.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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