An outstanding movie by any account, but what surprised me most was how completely it hooked me emotionally. Lau Ching-Wan and Carmen Lee Yeuk-Tung convey emotions succesfully without much melodrama. The very serious problems in their relationship stem from their failure to communicate, and it seemed to me that this was the central theme of the movie: Failure of Communication. Be it that coffeeboy can't hear the radio-transmission, the officer who has a throat operation can can't speak anymore, calls and pages that are never returned, or even picking up the wrong baby. One very touching scene involves the main character finally confessing his feelings to his wife through a closed door, but it turns out that his wife is actually in a different room. If failure of communication does not sound like a very interesting or novel concept, rest assured that the film has its share of high-octane action, during which I found myself fearing for the fate of the characters. And that alone is much more than most movies could ever hope to achieve.

(9/10)



[Reviewed by Dan Liatowitsch]