Dante Lam's return to Hong Kong action cinema is a most welcome addition to the genre, and one of my favorite action films recently.
The plot follows Nick Cheung's narcotics detective on the hunt for a drug lord and his associates, while at the same time handling an undercover officer. There's also a few subplots concerning the detective's son, now involved with dangerous triads, and one of the drug kingpin's female associates who tries to find a way out of the underworld.
I came for the shootouts and brawls and that's exactly what I got, performed with a degree of excitement and enthusiasm I hadn't seen since Raging Fire. While the storyline is same old, same old, the pacing is relentless and plot turns satisfying, so I can't complain too much. Nick Cheung shows no signs of age as he mercilessly pursues his foe, while Lee Jung-jae lookalike Shaun Tam presents a formidable character who stops at nothing to get what he wants.
In fact, this single-minded, nihilistic determination describes the film as a whole. Its no-holds-barred approach leads the film to some very dark places, even for a HK actioner. It seems Lam's newfound inspiration brought him right back to the same playground he was in until he shifted to Mainland China. Finally we get the same guy who once directed Beast Stalker, That Demon Within and the likes. And he's obviously honed his action directing chops even more, so we get some finely choreographed fistfights and plenty of intense shootouts and explosions.
Welcome back, Dante Lam. We missed you.
