Long Zai Jiang Hu
1998 / 112m - Hong Kong
Action, Crime, Drama
3.5*/5.0*
A True Mob Story poster

Watches

October 25, 2008

3.5*/5.0*

A more serious attempt from Jing Wong, who drops the comedy and goes for a full-on crime drama. I guess it's fun to see this one back to back with The Conman, made in the same year, with the same lead actor and roughly threading the same paths, only very different in execution.

The plot is pretty basic but decent enough for this kind of film. It does take a few surprising turns near the end, especially for those expecting a run-of-the-mill genre film, but that at least keeps things a bit more interesting. Not that Wong is reinventing the crime genre here, but the film packs a couple of nice surprises.

Andy Lau is headlining the film, he can play parts like these with his eyes closed of course. Wong picks his moments to show off the cinematography and soundtrack, sadly it isn't that consistent and it can also turn quite cheesy. All in all a decent Jing Wong film where he showcases a slightly different side of himself.