Une nuit à Mongkok

The tension building is quite successful. The direction is suspenseful, atmospheric, and assured. The audiences just keep wondering what would happen next from start to finish. There are four acts. The first act is a slow setup. There are three enthralling action sequences in the rest three acts, each of which has its buildup and climax.

When I placed 'One Nite in Mongkok' in my DVD player, I was pretty sure that the film would be an above average cat and mouse thriller. However, like my 2005 Oscar ballot, I was far from hitting the nail on the head. The film is a very effective film that succeeds in doing what very few films can: keep you guessing.

Daniel Wu is very convincing as a rookie assassin from Mainland China looking to reunite with his long lost love and help in raising her grandmother. His journey in the film mirrors that of Tom Cruise in 'Collateral', yet in this instance, we are rooting for Wu's character to succeed in goals as he decides not to go through with his assignment. Cecilia Cheung is very good as the prostitute/guide/conscience, although she is too gorgeous for me to fully accept her in the role. When the two characters meet, it starts a chain of events that have ironically tragic undertones. Alex Fong is excellent as the cop who is the common link to every character in the film. The supporting cast is very appealing, most notably Lam Suet as the seedy handler Liu and Anson Leung as the trigger-happy and tragically compulsive cop Ben.

The film, overall, is a study into what happens when people don't think twice about their actions. I recommend it to anyone looking for a film that doesn't subject the audience to unbelievable circumstances and entertains and as well as informs.

Asian cinema does it again. Whilst the rest of the world simple gasps at the quality of films the far east is churning out, they continue to let the stream of quality films continue, with this being near the top. The film follows the hunt by a set of policemen chasing a hit-man, who unbeknown to them is a young inexperienced hit-man. If he is not stopped it could lead to all out gang warfare, as he is hired to kill after gang tensions lead to the death of the son of a head gangster.

The hit-man is though the main character ultimately, and he is tagged with a prostitute who by coincidence also comes from a poor region in China. Both contrast each other, but are two sides of the same coin with respect to their current roles. Film builds up using the surroundings of the congested dog-eat-dog world of Mongkok, and takes us on a blind tour of the district and its world where anything and everything is for sale.

Its a film that will intrigue and disturb in equal measures, but don't let that put you off. The film is brilliantly acted, and it is hard to know at times who is on the side of right and wrong, reminiscent of Heat in that sense. Tense, twisting and intelligent, this is a must-see and surely must rank with some of the best that have come out of the HK stable this decade.

A simple street fight over a girl turns into a car chase which leaves one of the drivers dead. The dead driver is none other than Tiger, son of criminal gang boss Tim. Tim sits down with rival gang leader Carl, who's men caused the accident that killed Tiger. However a parley turns violent as Tim strikes out in revenge – killing Carl's man but letting him escape in the confusion. The police are called into the middle of the investigation as a dangerous standoff between the two gangs commences. Meanwhile Tim calls in fixer Liu to bring in a hit-man (Lai Fu) to take out Carl. The police get word and it is a race against the clock to stop Lai Fu as they know that another death will spill the standoff over into all out gang war.

Although it benefits from praise and high voting from users who have mostly probably sought it out and thus have likely voted with the air of "everything foreign and little seen is cool", this thriller is still a solid proposition that is worth a look. The plot is a little messy perhaps but the layers of action are interesting as we follow hit-man, cops and criminals all living out slightly different parts of the same story. This creates a strong foundation as I found each character interesting and I was as taken by Lai Fu as I was by Milo. Likewise the film keeps a relative tension as the clock ticks down and the net tightens around Mongkok and Lai Fu.

The downside is that both aspects take away from one another. It is not totally a character driven film because it is making sure that it remains a cop thriller; but conversely it isn't as tight a thriller as it could have been because it has the characters forming part of the narrative and does break up the flow and the urgency. This means it is not as good as it could have been but the two aspects do still work well together and it is engaging enough even if it does occasionally fall short of the mark. Director Tung-Shing does a great job in the delivery, shooting everything in a stylish fashion as well as using music (and silence) to good effect. The cast are mostly strong as well with Fong, Wu and Cheung tending to be the strongest turns. Lam's Liu is amusing while Milo's men are mostly well played.

Overall then, perhaps not as strong as the praise here would have you believe but I suspect that the nature of it being foreign and not that well known has bought it some good will and forgiveness from those that have seen it. The mix of thriller and characters give it a good balance but one does detract slightly from the other, preventing the film from reaching its full potential in either aspect. Still good as a whole though and I found it a solid, if not brilliant, thriller.

ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, a Hong Kong cop thriller about an assassin about to carry out his first hit, sounds like the typical all-action thriller, but on watching it turns out to be something much darker, more subtle and mature in its developing themes. It's a highly effective cat and mouse thriller that prioritises character over action and is all the better for it.

Daniel Wu is one of my all-time favourite Chinese stars and this is one of his top roles. His character, a would-be assassin starting out on his first job, sounds unsympathetic at first but he grows on you as the film develops, and as his growing relationship with Cecilia Cheung is handled sympathetically and with realistic emotion. By the end, you're rooting for him and his cause.

The rest of the film is more familiar, but it all works and slots into place nicely. Alex Fong's bull-headed cop is a worthwhile adversary for our star, and the supporting cast of pimps and drug dealers, grasses and gangsters, is a well developed one. Although the film sometimes has shades of BOURNE it develops its own unique style as it progresses, gradually building to an ultimately devastating climax which took my breath away. It's an astonishing way to end a film, and one which has stayed with me days later.