A storm is heading to the city, and with it comes another occurrence so destructive, it vows to bring down everything it touches. A crew of seasoned criminals led by the notorious Nam (Hu Jun), armed with high-powered weapons, pulls off another smooth and violent armored car heist in broad daylight in a crowded street. Whoever tries to get in their way, they will show no mercy. This puts the police force to shame and humiliation. A hardboiled senior police inspector Lui (Andy Lau), hot on the trails of Nam and his tight crew, determines to put an end to this madness that causes the lives of innocent people. But he soon comes face to face with the cruel reality that the usual police tactics are too futile to send these armed thieves behind bars. Extreme crime requires extreme justice, even if it means crossing his moral line. Tou (Lam Ka Tung), an ex-con desperate to leave his criminal past behind, volunteers to be Lui's snitch in exchange for a fresh start with his girlfriend Bing (Yao Chen). But little does he know what hellish situation he's getting himself into. In recent years I have watched many of such high profile robbery movies like this. But for the life of me this has to be one of the most intense ultra violent movies I have ever witnessed. A cop who personally has a grudge against a mob known for knocking off bank trucks begins to question his own integrity.<br/><br/>With every turn, his case becomes even more complex as he searches for a known criminal Cao Nam (Jun Hu). Convinced the man is the mastermind behind every heist Inspector Lui (Andy Lau)then tries to deceive his department by concealing evidence that would put Cao away for life. But because of the city's endless resources of using cameras on every block, he is recorded shifting evidence at a crime scene.<br/><br/>Pitted against a wall now Lui recruits an ex-offender Bong (Ka Tung Lam) to become a mole within the harsh environment of Cao's gang. Everything then goes horribly wrong when the police are called in to catch the real genius behind the curtain. That being Paco (Ray Lui) who was released on parole just before Bong.<br/><br/>Now with the city in turmoil over a few officer deaths, the last scene of catching Paco turns into one of the most intensifying shoot outs in movie history. Using over twenty thousand bullets, and explosives down town Hong Kong becomes a virtual war zone as police, and Paco's gang exchange firefight every second. Cars, buses, even city blocks are no match.<br/><br/>I have to say this was an excellent vision of a heist film. Every element was used. Emotions, deception, rage, anarchy, and closure. Alan Yuen in my view wrote a fantastic script which involved the human nature to its most basic, and minute levels. To see the characters go over board to keep themselves alive aside from the obvious.<br/><br/>The music was top notch, the directing was beyond par, and Yuen gave us a glimpse of how so much of china's moral has lessened in the last twenty years. Money is the object now, no more family traditions, nor old or past mistakes taken into account to rectify the future of its citizens. It is a gritty, violent, and audacious piece of filming. Alan Yuen will be the next generations director. Highly recommended to those who love heist films. Not for those under age 17. I saw this last fall, 2014, when it was first released on DVD and I revisited it again, now, in the fall of 2015. I rarely do that. Basically a classical crime action flick with really smart bad guys against somewhat smart cops. Yes, it's just another armored car heist (well, a couple of them) with lots of firepower. Normally I would say it was all a bit excessive, over-the-top firepower, destruction and killing, but the pace, cinematography, exceptional CGI scenes of downtown Hong Kong with unexpected and creative twists made me stay involved and, always a good sign, not much dead time (ha) so it went quickly. <br/><br/>What makes it a little more special than other films in this genre is that the good people may not make it in the end. But, then too, neither do the not-so-good people.
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344 weeks ago