A 2008 Hong Kong Crime film directed by Dante Lam. An intense thriller of fate, tragedy and circumstance.Tong Fei (Nicholas Tse) is a determined no-nonsense cop who is chasing a notorious mob boss named Cheung Yat Tung (Keung Ho Man). After a car chase which leads to his partner getting partially crippled, Tong Fei finally gets Cheung in custody... comatose due to the car crash. However, he accidentally kills the child daughter of Ann Gao (Zhang Jingchu), the lawyer trying to prosecute Cheung. 6 months after the accident, Cheung wakes up from his coma and Ann has him tried. In order to prevent the evidence which will incriminate him from seeing the daylight, Cheung orders one of his top enforcers, Hung King (Nick Cheung) to kidnap Ann's second daughter, Ling (Wong Suet Yin), and blackmail her into destroying the evidence. With the help of his former partner, Tong Fei must race against the clock and Hung to rescue Ling, make up for his mistakes and bring down Cheung.
Tropes used by the film:
- A Father to His Men: While he certainly doesn't show it, Tong Fei cares about his men very much, even saying that he must always guarantee his men's safety whenever they go on a mission.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Hung goes completely blind by the end of the film after a fight with Tong Fei, and he's reduced to screaming for Tong Fei to find his wife. Even Tong Fei, who is rigid and uncompromising, feel's sorry for him, and comforts him by saying he will save him.
- Anti-Hero: Tong Fei is a Pragmatic Hero. He is willing to kill and break the rules if it means furthering the greater good.
- Anti-Villain: Hung is a Noble Demon, though he may cross into Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds depending on how you see his backstory. He may be a kidnapper and murderer who works for a crime boss, but he cares for and loves his paralyzed wife and is never more evil than his job requires him to be.
- The Atoner: Tong Fei tries to make up for accidentally killing Ann Gao's first daughter by attempting to save Ling and bring down Cheung.
- Bad Boss: Downplayed with Tong Fei. While he does care about his men, he's verbally abusive and a perfectionist, chewing out his men for even the smallest mistake. This becomes a plot point where he must ask one of his former employees whom he fired to forgive him and help him find Ling.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Hung is quiet, soft spoken and damn near silent most of the time. He's also the most dangerous villain in the film.
- Big Damn Heroes: Tong Fei just barely saves Ling from being Buried Alive.
- Blackmail: Cheung has Hung kidnap Ann Gao's daughter in order to blackmail her into destroying the evidence against him.
- Broken Bird: Ann Gao is broken by her divorce and first daughter's death, and has to deal with it while attempting to prosecute a criminal.
- Big Bad: Cheung Yat Tung, his crimes are what drives the plot of the film and he's the one who orders Hung to kidnap Ling.
- Chewing the Scenery: Both Cheung and Hung during their Villainous Breakdowns.Cheung:"You bitch! I'm going to get you! Call my men! Tell them to go to worrrrkkk!!"Hung:"Coooooooppppppp! Get over here!! Cooooooppppppp! Get over here!"
- Cowboy Cop: Tong Fei breaks rules and conducts investigations on his own when he isn't satisfied with his superior's orders.
- Determinator: Boy, nothing seems to be able to stop Tong Fei or Hung, does it? Not car crashes, high places, blackmail, blindness, blows to the head or even gunshot wounds seem to slow either of them down.
- Ensemble Cast: The protagonists are all stars who get equal screen time.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Hung may be a ruthless mob enforcer, but he loves his wife very much.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Downplayed. Hung clearly feels bad about letting Ling be Buried Alive with sand and seems to treat it as a
Moral Event Horizon, but does it anyway for the sake of his wife. - Good Is Not Nice: Tong Fei, at the beginning of the film especially. He's an abrasive hot head who will shoot and kill criminals if he has to.
- Handicapped Badass: Hung is partially blind, but that doesn't stop him from being more than an equal match for the cops.
- Happy Ending: Strange, for such a dark film. Tong Fei redeems himself by saving Ling. Cheung is prosecuted by Ann Gao and Hung goes completely blind, which is as Karmic as you can get without dying.
- The Heavy: While Cheung is the Big Bad, Hung gets more screen time and Character Development than any other character except for Tong Fei.
- I have your daughter: This is what drives the plot of the movie.
- Love Makes You Evil: Hung commits crimes and works for a mob boss to provide for his paralyzed wife. And later lets Ling die to get money to pay for her medical bills.
- Mr. Exposition: Hung's middleman, who informs him of new jobs and plot developments. The Judge also counts, informing us of the incriminating evidence against Cheung.
- My God, What Have I Done?: The only facial expression Hung has while he's letting Ling die is one of sorrow and regret. Tong Fei also has this reaction when he discovers that he accidentally killed Ann Gao's first daughter. And again, when he find Ling's body. Luckily, she survives.
- Out of Focus: Despite being the Big Bad, Cheung gets little to no lines and appears in only 3 or 4 scenes.
- Pet the Dog: Both Tong Fei and Hung have their moments. The first clue that Tong Fei isn't just a Jerkass Rabid Cop is that he shows concern for his partner's bullet wound.
- Hung later offers to buy a Chicken Salad for Ling as a reward for helping him identify his wife's pills when he becomes color blind, too bad he drops it while being chased by Tong Fei.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Tong Fei is hot headed, agressive and acts on his instincts. Hung is calm, detached and carries out his orders methodically. It helps that Tong Fei is very passionate about helping people and heroism, while Hung is a Punch-Clock Villain.
- Red Right Hand: Hung's blind eye is what allows Tong Fei's former partner to identify him.
- The Reveal: Hung is partially blind and his wife is paralyzed because he was the one driving the truck that hit Cheung's car in the beginning of the movie.
- Would Hurt a Child: Cheung orders Hung to kill Ling after Ann Gao prosecutes him. Hung does it, but is broken up by it.
- Villainous Breakdown: Cheung has one when Ann successfully prosecutes him.
- Hung gets an even bigger one when he goes completely blind.
- Villain Protagonist: This being an Ensemble Cast, Hung can be considered one. Since he gets just as much, if not more, Character Development as Tong Fei and Ann Gao.
