Johnnie To's gangster movies are much lauded by the critics, but I'm someone who fails to see what the fuss is all about. This is no exception. I find it a quite serviceable gangster thriller that makes pretty good use of a very old storyline, about two rivals battling for control of a Triad gang. The film looks good, with plenty of stylish camera-work, and the script emphasises realism more than most. But I found this film to be missing an emotional core, so that the action plays out like a comic book, between characters we neither care about nor like very much at all.
On the plus side, the acting is strong, dominated by two polar opposite performances. Simon Yam plays an icy, detached and friendly mob boss very well, and Tony Leung is his opposite: borderline psychotic, vicious and ill-mannered. There's plenty of sparks between them. The supporting cast is engaging, with solid turns from To regulars, and a nice cameo from David Chiang as a police chief. But for the most part, while I enjoyed this on a superficial level, I failed to connect with it. Aside from a couple of moments of startling violence at the climax which made me sit up and take notice, this is very much par for the course.
On the plus side, the acting is strong, dominated by two polar opposite performances. Simon Yam plays an icy, detached and friendly mob boss very well, and Tony Leung is his opposite: borderline psychotic, vicious and ill-mannered. There's plenty of sparks between them. The supporting cast is engaging, with solid turns from To regulars, and a nice cameo from David Chiang as a police chief. But for the most part, while I enjoyed this on a superficial level, I failed to connect with it. Aside from a couple of moments of startling violence at the climax which made me sit up and take notice, this is very much par for the course.