[1999 was a good year.] Andy Lau Tak Wah stars as ’Wah’ in the Wong Jing scripted film. Wah is a ‘wat jai’ wannabe who sells pirate vcd’s and works as a motorbike messenger with riding skills. Lau has quite a presence on screen , something quite different from his recent work in Fascination Amour and Conman. Standard WJ production values used here give the movie that ‘just shot’ feeling. Street scenes feature nighttime HK crowds [mainly young women] standing around hoping to catch a glimpse of superstar Andy at work. Interiors are shot in brightly lit, cheaply decorated sets. WJ put his money into the casting of this film and he gets some great comedic performances out of the actors. Amazing Deannie Ip, cast as Wah’s mom, and Yu Rong Guong, cast as Michelle Reis’ dad, are surprisingly good. Nick Cheung is very funny as Andy’s sidekick. Honorable mention to Suki Kwan who is cast as Nick Cheung’s frustrated significant other.

Ms. Reis does not have much to do except look good. She plays the rich girl from Shanghai seeking her long lost mother. When on a business trip to HK with her father, she slips away, looking for her mom. She helps Andy and his pal Nick when they get in trouble with some triad underlings. He then helps her in her quest. Meanwhile her dad thinks she has been kidnapped for ransom by Andy and his crew who have, in fact, thwarted the real kidnappers' attempts. Hokey action sequence at the end of the film total screws up what is a very well written and poignant story. A must-see for Andy Lau fans.

Review copyright 1999 J. Crawford