No Rastro do Tráfico

(2019) Undercover Punch and Gun (In Mandarin with English subtitles) ACTION THRILLER

Co-written and directed by Koon-Nam Lui and Frankie Tam where it centers on a mole working for the law "undercover" who ironically just made boss after the passing of a former one, crosses paths with a much more dangerous person who deals with human smuggling he's played by Andy On.

If I am judging by the action alone there is way too much CGI and wires . The fights does not stand out in comparison to Hong Kong action films during the 1980's and 1990's. Also I like my action movies to be black and white, this one is sometimes a little grey.

Fasten your seat belts for this high-octane Hong Kong crime story. Wu (Philip Ng) is an undercover cop, firmly embedded in the upper echelon of the local smuggling and drug trade. There are several factions with tenuous associations and rivalries, all poised to switch on short notice. Or less. Wu not only faces the constant concern over having his cover blown, but, as is often the case for these dramas, develops personal relations with some of his targets that add layers to the suspense.

Don't worry about the story; nothing new intended or to be found there. It's all a setup for the slew of action sequences which are a whole 'nother matter. This flick offers some of the most exciting chases, fights and shootouts one can find anywhere. Every conceivable location, from high-rise buildings, to docks, warehouses and construction sites, to ships at sea hosts one or more of these fast-paced scenes, offering all the adrenaline rush genre devotees hope for. The only thing missing is snakes (or Wesley Snipes) on a plane. Wenjuan Feng and Carrie NG contribute the good and evil sides of eye candy. Several good and bad guys chip in bits of comic relief during and between the mayhem moments. If you need a fix for a Jet Li or Tony Jaa type of experience, this delivers, with the bonus of some new faces with bright futures.

I stumbled upon the 2019 Hong Kong action thriller "Wo Hu Qian Long" (aka "Undercover vs. Undercover") by random chance here in 2022. And never having seen the movie, or even heard about it actually, of course I opted to sit down and watch it, given my fascination for the Hong Kong cinema.

And while "Wo Hu Qian Long" was watchable enough, writers Zhi Yang, Huihui Huang, Yinsheng Li, Link Ling, Chucky Kom, Koon-Nam Lui and Frankie Tam just didn't really manage to churn out a storyline that proved to be more than mediocre. Actually, it seemed that too many writers weren't doing any good for the script, as it felt like too many pens were cluttering the script.

The storyline was pretty straight forward, if not actually downright generic for a movie of this type. And I can say that I was only mildly entertained by the storyline told in "Wo Hu Qian Long". And it didn't really help that it felt like you could leave the movie running, go do a chore, then return and still be up to speed with the events in the movie.

As for the character gallery in the movie, well again I am somewhat perplexed that so many writers can manage to churn out something that mediocre and bland. The movie's leading actor Philip Ng, whom I was utterly unfamiliar with, didn't manage to impress me with his stale performance in the movie. And I saw that the movie had both Andy On and Nicholas Tse on the cast list as well, can't claim that I actually noticed them on the screen here.

For an action thriller then "Wo Hu Qian Long" was somewhat stale. Sure, it can be watched a single time, though it is hardly an outstanding viewing experience.

My rating of directors Koon-Nam Lui and Frankie Tam's 2019 "Wo Hu Qian Long" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.