A maverick cop (droopy-faced Lau Ching-wan) pursues a high-tech cat burglar (raffish pop idol Andy Lau) in this 1999 Hong Kong actioner, a theme-park ride that seems to deliver a highly orchestrated thrill every ten minutes. The conventional plot is enlivened by the chemistry between the leads, who engage in a protracted battle of wits and then join forces to avenge the death of the burglar’s father. Director Johnnie To embraces the John Woo formula of men bonding against treachery but updates it with a grittier visual style, portraying Hong Kong after the Chinese takeover as a glitzy, Mafia-ridden wasteland.
