The H.K. Triad (1999)



	The H.K. Triad		Return to Review Archive - H
	Year:	1999
	Director:	Clarence Fok Yiu-Leung
	Producer:	Wong Jing
	Cast:	Lau Ching-Wan, Francis Ng Chun-Yu, Athena Chu Yan, Diana Pang Dan, Patrick Tam Yiu-Man, Lee Siu-Kei, Ng Chi-Hung, Spencer Lam Seung-Yi, Michael Tse Tin-Wah
	The Skinny:	Average triad film that comes off looking worse thanks to Wong Jing's attempts to add "depth" to the proceedings.
	Review by Kozo:	Wong Jing’s latest triad exercise is a low-rent Goodfellas. Told in flashback, it details the rise of Lau Ching-Wan from triad nobody to kingpin - and how his friendship with cop Francis Ng allowed them unchallenged reign over the underworld. Their reign at the top continues for a decade until its undone by the fledgling ICAC (think Internal Affairs) and various interpersonal differences that only serve to get in the way. Chief among those interpersonal differences is their women. Lau marries Pang Dan, sister of triad chief Lee Siu-Kei. Ng marries Athena Chu, who returned the favor only because she owed him her life. In reality, she finds Lau much more attractive - too bad Lau refuses to touch her after their initial (and disastrous) liaison. Would that were the end of the saga, but there’s also a deepening look at corruption and how it eventually helps do in our two protagonists. Let’s get one thing straight: these guys aren’t heroes. Unlike Fok’s Cheap Killers and Gun ‘n Rose, the triad guys aren’t to be idolized. Screenwriter Wong Jing attempts some sort of triad film revision, but the result is too uneven and manufactured to succeed. The film takes the time to moralize but it never feels like anything more than a dramatic set-up. Thematic depth can’t be achieved by only writing the correct lines. There has to be something more going on than scripted platitudes detailing the horrors of a life of crime. Ultimately this is an entertaining exercise, but also an average one. The lead actors are dependable ones but their performances cover little new ground. (Kozo 1999)
	Availability:	DVD (Hong Kong) Region 0 NTSC Mega Star/Media Asia Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 Removable English and Chinese Subtitles

		image courtesy of Mega Star Video Distribution Co., Ltd.
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