A surprising, well-constructed tale of Generation X cops chasing a mad bomber in Tsimshatsui. The cops are your general types with individual issues. One (Marco Ngai) is a gambling addict with a suffering girlfriend (Ng Yi-Lei), while another (Chan Kwok-Bong) is a single parent raising a son. Moses Chan is the new rookie who starts a subtle romance with hospital patient Dolphin Chan. And, Jordan Chan shows up as the brash young cop whose attitude masks certain insecurities. Writer James Yuen's loose plot basically follows the characters as they balance their personal lives with the chase for the bad guy (Ko Kin AKA: Jack Gao), who really isn't a psychopathic criminal. It turns out that he's simply a guy having a bad day, which doesn't mean that people are necessarily going to get off easier.

Director Teddy Chan eschews white-knuckle thrills and big-bang explosions for more character-driven drama. The mix is surprisingly low-key, but effectively meshes personalities and procedure in an entertaining, compelling way. This is like shorter, more casual version of the bigtime cop soap operas from Gordon Chan (who actually has a cameo here). While still given to maudlin writing and stock characters, the whole of the film manages to be engaging and entertaining. Jordan Chan adds to his streak of engaging performances, as Chan Kwok-Bong, Moses Chan and Ko Kin are effective. Both Teddy Chan and James Yuen did work for the United Film Organization (UFO), and they bring the same modern urban feel to this underrated little work. (Kozo 1995/1998)