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Gunmen
Chinese: 天羅地網  
Year: 1988
The untouchable cops of Gunmen
Director: Kirk Wong Chi-Keung
Producer: Tsui Hark
Action: Fung Hak-On, Bruce Law Lai-Yin
Cast: Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Adam Cheng Siu-Chow, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Carrie Ng Ka-Lai, Elizabeth Lee Mei-Fung, Mark Cheng Ho-Nam, David Wu Dai-Wai, Tsui Kam-Kong, Wong Kam-Kong, Yuen Bun
The Skinny: Excellent period action film from Kirk Wong and Tsui Hark. While a bit muddled plotwise, the film compensates with terrific action and some moments that pack an emotional wallop.
 
Review
by Kozo:

Basically a Chinese version of The Untouchables, this actioner from Tsui Hark and Kirk Wong is a well-crafted period genre movie. Tony Leung Ka-Fai is Ding Chun-Bee, an honorable cop in turbulent 1930’s Shanghai. He’s a rare righteous cop that belongs to police force comprised of mostly corrupt officers, though their no-nonsense captain (Tsui Kam-Kong) is honest.

Ding finds himself locked in a rivalry with opium smuggler Haye (Adam Cheng), who happens to be the same Chinese officer who tortured he and his pals back during wartime. Ding takes out Haye’s Uncle Liang in a raid leading to a vow of vengeance by Haye. Ding has his own score to settle because Haye offed his partner. Since the cops are no help, he looks elsewhere—and finds this three old war buddies (Mark Cheng, Waise Lee, and John Woo’s film editor, David Ng).

Complicating things is the presence of downtrodden prostitute Mona Fong (Elizabeth Lee) who Ding is drawn to despite his loving wife Chu-Chiao (Carrie Ng) and young daughter. Eventually, all of this ends in a bloody shoot-out that plays like Peckinpah. The relationships and motivations of some of the characters remain unclear, but this is a good, solid action drama with many compelling—and possibly shocking—events. Most definitely worth seeing (Kozo 1995/1997)

 
Availability:

DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Fortune Star/Deltamac
Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks

Removable English and Chinese Subtitles

image courtesy of Mega Star Video Distribution, Ltd.

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