SYNOPSIS:
A major stock exchange in the world, Hong Kong attracts not only money but also many who try to manipulate the market. At the Hong Kong Police Force Commercial Crime Bureau, an operation is under way against insider trading involving Feng Hua International.
The interception team at the Criminal Intelligence Bureau led by Inspector Leung (by Lau Ching-wan) together with Yeung and Lam (by Daniel Wu) are tasked to install interception devices to monitor the company’s communications. When a piece of crucial information on a surging share was interecepted, a moment of greed led the team into a cross fire between the Bureau and the boss...
MOVIE REVIEW:
If the Ministry Of Health decides to clamp down on movies that glamorize smoking then "Overheard" surely will be top on the list. With a masculine cast that includes Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu and veterans such as Alex Fong, Waise Lee and Michael Wong, this Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s latest effort have already won you over by its strong casting.
Lau, Koo and Wu are cops (Johnny, Gene and Max) with the Commercial Crime Bureau, an operational unit specializing in surveillance. Their latest mission is to infiltrate and tapped on a listed company, Feng Hua International which believed to be involved in inside trading. A moment of greed grasped Gene and Max one night as they caught hold of Feng Hua’s plan to surge the share price. Should they report the intercepted news to their superior or should they take the opportunity to cash on it?
The script by Mak and Chong fortunately took on a less convoluted road despite the heaviness of the topic on hand. From the audience’s point of view, Gene and Max are competent cops at least from the movie’s prologue. Gene has a cancer-stricken kid at home and he himself is suffering from a terminal illness while Max on the other hand hopes to make some money of his own even though he is marrying a wealthy other half soon. Is it morally wrong or against one’s conscience to do so? Is benefitting your family a good excuse to cover up your mistake? But like what Gene says in the movie they did nobody any harm by cashing on the tip when confronted by Johnny. Johnny on the other hand is no angel himself, he is having an affair with his colleague’s wife. Mak and Chong brilliantly interweave the struggles of the protagonists into a single movie that functions as a crime thriller as well.
The success of "Overheard" too lies in the chemistry of the cast and the stirring plotting rather than flashy pyrotechnics. Like their classic "Infernal Affairs", the rooftop seems to be the duo’s favourite location. "Overheard" features numerous dialogue exchanges with cigarettes dangling in the mouths of Johnny, Gene and Max. Seeing the trio contemplating their next move on the rooftop is an indulging experience. Even with the absence of frequent collaborator director/cinematographer Andrew Lau by their side, the skyline of Hong Kong and the dirty darken alleys still look captivating enough as captured by the swirling cameras.
The only weakness perhaps is the movie’s final act which hastily threw out everything the movie has carefully setup prior. One mistake leads to another and the trio finds themselves caught in a web of deceit and danger. I would prefer the movie unravel a bit slower allowing the characters to take a breath instead of relying on a few gunshots and crashes to end the matter.
Mak and Chong have their fair share of hits and misses after the massive success of "Infernal Affairs". "Moonlight in Tokyo" is a pure disaster. "Confession of Pain" sort of marks their return to form but last year "Lady Cop and Papa Crook" was another haphazard product. With "Overheard", they have proven again they are still adept in the crime thriller genre although can I humbly suggest that they cut down on the smoking in their next movie? I hate to see our Ministry of Health clamping down on it.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Code 3 DVD comes only with a trailer.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There’s only a default Mandarin audio track although I would have prefer to listen to the original Cantonese soundtrack. Listening to the dubbed voices (which remarkably sound alike) just isn’t the same as listening to Lau or Koo’s own voice. With the exception of some loud gunshots and crashes towards the end, the Dolby Digital 2.0 is sufficient enough on the whole as the soundtrack does not require a wide range. The visual is passable but can be a whole lot better since this is a new release.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Posted on 2 November 2009
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