You are currently displaying English
機動部隊─衕袍 (2009)
Tactical Unit - Comrades in Arms


Reviewed by: Beat TG
Date: 11/03/2009
Summary: Good ending to an overall decent series

Up until seeing this, there was a major "decline" of the Milkyway style. As a result, the fresh storytelling and that particular vibe from the original movie is lost and instead you get to see things go rather busy and too ordinary, and this went onward with the other parts of the TACTICAL UNIT series (THE CODE, NO WAY OUT, HUMAN NATURE and PARTNERS), although some of these were actually good in their own right (particularly those that were directed by Lawrence Lau). But I was really surprised to see how COMRADES IN ARMS turned out; the Milkyway style was back for a good reason (it was the only entry in the series to be shot on film, and given a theatrical release). So it was therefore wonderful and pleasant to have those touches as well as that special vibe back that prevents the movie from being like the other entries. Everything here is now open, slow-paced, and stylistic as far as everything goes; story (portions, character development), acting, BTS stuff (music, editing, cinematography, settings etc). Seeing this makes me also believe that Johnnie To's contribution is too obvious (and all for the better).

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 06/11/2009

The final film in the five-part Tactical Unit series inspired by Johnnie To's PTU, Comrades in Arms manages to overcome the inherent problems of a low-budget production made for television, and manages to create a solid police thriller. It's nothing terribly original, but the proceedings here should satisfy fans of Hong Kong cop dramas.

After happenings in the previous films, the PTU teams led by Sam (Simon Yam) and May (Maggie Siu) now do not get along or trust each other, especially after May is promoted to First Sargeant, which Sam's team attributes to May's relationship with Commander Ho (Ben Wong). After a group of robbers hit an armored truck and flee into the wilderness, the teams must try and put their differences aside to catch the criminals.

The plot is not really anything mind-blowing and doesn't present any twists that will come as a shock to the seasoned viewer, but the film-makers allow things to proceed organically enough so that the developments and resolution don't seem contrived. Sure, ultimately, this is still pretty much a by-the-numbers cop drama, but it's a sound one that you won't feel insulted or bored by while watching it.

Perhaps it's a matter of lowered expectations due to the overall lesser level of recent output from Hong Kong, but Comrades in Arms actually ends up being better than it would appear to be on the surface. Bolstered by a good performance from Lam Suet (though did we really need to see him with his shirt off?), strong cinematography and editing, and a good old-fashioned shoot-out at the end, Comrades in Arms is one of the better cop dramas to come out of Hong Kong over the past year or so.

Reviewer Score: 7