Supposedly based on a real gangster, To Be Number One tells the tried-and-true story of a street hoodlum (Lui) who rises through the ranks of the Triad and becomes a Big Brother, only to lose the things he holds most dear.

This is a really tired plot that has been done countless times since 1932's Scarface, and To Be adds nothing new to the genre. Lui sleepwalks through his performance and even though the cast is packed with good actors, the weak script leaves them little to work with. Even though the film runs about two and a half hours, it really feels like it goes nowhere. If you can't see where this film is going at every turn, then you must have started watching movies or are just incredibly stupid.

Even Amy Yip's abundant cleavage can't add any excitement to this stinker -- avoid To Be Number One unless you're out of Nytol and need to get some sleep.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]