Young and Dangerous 3 (1996)
Reviewed by: mrblue on 2005-09-27
Things begin to settle down a bit for the "Triad Boys," as life returns to "normal" after the clash with the Taiwanese gang in Y&D2. Ho Nam tries to nurse the injured Smartie back to health, and Chicken finds a new love interest in the form of the priest's trash-talking daughter (Mok). The peace is shattered when, yet again, another rival steps up to try to take Ho Nam down, setting Nam up for the murder of the president of Hung Hing during a trip to Amsterdam. Once again, Ho Nam must fight to protect his name and his brothers.

Besides the goofy, travelogue-esque footage of Amsterdam, Y&D3 is probably the most realistic and serious film of the series. A lot of the more "bubble-gum" imagery in the first two films is replaced here with a more stark, striking style (director Lau seems less dependent on steadicams this time around) and a very violent turn in the film's final half-hour that leaves with an ending which will probably surprise most followers of the series with its more serious tone.

Once again, Chan steals the show, especially during his flirts/fights with Mok which actually have some degree of sexual tension to them, instead of the limp posturing that occurs as romantic subplots in many other films. Cheng turns in another good performance as Ho Nam, though his shit-eating grin does tend to grow tiresome after a while.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]