What can you expect from yet another entry in the Triad Boyzgenre, especially one with such a silly title, helmed by notorious hack director Cha Chuen-Yi, and starring B-movie actor Francis Ng? How about one of the best films of the year! In an amazingly original script, the events that lead up to and follow a clash between two rival gangs are presented from the point of view of three different participants. There's thug Roy Cheung, who loves nothing better in life than to fight, but who has a soft spot for girlfriend Ada Choi. Then there's burnt-out cop Cheung Tat-Ming, a member of the anti-triad squad who is more concerned with his troubled marriage than stopping the pending clash of gangs. But best of all is Francis Ng, who breaks all the established rules of the genre by playing a small-time wise guy who trembles at violence and wants nothing more than to play mahjong all night. Although he talks a good game, he spends most of the movie doing anything to avoid actually fighting, and he gets you to root for him in the process. He is the coward as hero, the exact opposite of what a Triad is supposed to be. And I couldn't get enough of him. A great character that lightens the mood and provides a nice contrast to the vicious, morally-challenged Roy Cheung (who goes beyond his usual one-dimensional bad guy). But more than anything, Francis Ng's fine performance actually allows a human character to exist in the Triad world, one who actually feels fear, someone not very far from ourselves.
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