"The Most Wanted" Chinese Theatrical Poster
Director: Wong Kam Sai
Producer: Clarence Yip
Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Bowie Lam Bo Yi, Eileen Tung Ai Ling, Kent Cheng Jak Si, Robin Shou Wan Bo, Gam Hing Yin, Lee Gwok Lun, Marx Cheung Lui, Lee Siu Kei, Leung Hak Shun
Running Time: 90 min.
By JJ Hatfield
Many law enforcement agencies across the globe have used officers to infiltrate crime organizations. It isn’t a new idea however the risk potential is quite high and requires the individual to abandon all of his past including any family or friends. If the undercover operative is discovered it means certain death. If they somehow live long enough they have a difficult time being a part of a gang but not carry out any crimes, because they are still cops. However going undercover is one of the few productive ways to bring down Triads so missions do continue.
Ho Chi-Yung (Lau Ching Wan) was an undercover rookie when sent to prison to gather information and to prepare his role to be trusted with the triads. He was willing to go through with the deadly charade because of what he had experienced with gangs. He was determined to make a difference in a positive way. When he was released one of his prison mates came to visit him and takes him to meet with the gang. They apparently need one more person as they are a team and someone must have been lost in the commission of the latest crime. Ho becomes “Cat” full time, every hour of every day or night.
At last it seems the time is come for some action, as the gang Leader (Robin Shou) briefs the guys on their next job. They plan to rob a high end jewelry store and Cat is supposed to be the lookout for the gang but in the middle of the robbery the police show up and start shooting. Cat is hit and tries to not harm anyone even though the cops are shooting at them. But innocent people were killed and that crossed a line that makes Cap the “Most Wanted” man in Hong Kong. He attempts to call his superior but can never get through.
During his recovery from his wounds he meets a very special woman (Eileen Tung) he cares about but he tries to push her away. He knows just being around him makes it dangerous.
When the police start to believe he is a member of the Hong Kong police, they then brand him as a traitor! Without anyone who will say he is undercover he must try to live with both the police and gang trying to kill him. The police are not about to admit they use undercover cops to help catch bad guys. Even hinting at such a thing could bring about intense scrutiny amongst other undercover officers.
This film has never received the credit it deserved as a whole, or for the great contributions of individuals. Chin Wan Lau brings an enormous array of emotions mirroring the events of the film. You clearly see his indecision, fear, and confusion. He remained loyal to the police and his mission and now those people he has sacrificed for over three years they think he is the worst kind of bad cop. They want to kill him and he can’t kill them. The dilemma is mind shattering. How can he make them understand? How much will he have to sacrifice for the truth to be known?
Everyone brings good performances to this film but Chin Wan Lau is exceptional. Kent Cheng does an excellent job as the boss who knows more than he can say to anyone He appears to be lazy and not terribly bright but you see more of his real character as the movie goes by. This movie gives Kent Cheng a little bit of space to create his own character instead of the “official role in cop movie mode”. Even Robin Shou turns in a nice part as a really bad, psychotic, crazy ass S.O.B. gang leader. Don’t anticipate martial arts because this is all firearms and lots of them.
When I first began watching this film it seemed a bit boring. There was a lot of talk. However the back story is definitely required to understand who is good, bad, or somewhere in between. And people’s motivation change. The tension starts to increase as time goes by. Characters may be lying, or maybe not. Crank up the tension a little more. Has Cat been discovered this time? Rachet up the tension. There is an element of tension that builds throughout the movie that adds to the action without the characters revealing all.
Kam Tin Wong directed The Most Wanted but it is the actors performances that make the movie.
JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 6.5/10
By Equinox21
I love old-school Hong Kong crime dramas. I also love old-school Lau Ching-Wan movies. So putting them together makes me a happy camper. The Most Wanted was far from perfect, and the DVD quality was utter crap (but I challenge you to find a better copy out there for sale), but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Cat (Lau Ching-Wan) is an undercover cop who, with the help of his criminal friend Sap (Bowie Lam), joins a gang headed by a rather vicious and mulleted Robin Shou. The robbery (that Cat alerted his police contact to) doesn’t go well, and eventually Cat is framed for it and listed as one of HK’s most wanted criminals. Tracking him is Detective “Fatty” (Kent Cheng, the rather robust Detective Hung from Crime Story), a character I didn’t like (probably because of the actor playing him) until the end, when I realized he wasn’t really the bastard he appeared to be. Along the way, Cat also receives help from Lily (Eileen Tung), an illegal immigrant from the Mainland. The plot’s nowhere near flawless, nor entirely original, but it’s still fairly well executed.
The Most Wanted felt like an older movie than it really was because of the low budget look to it. This isn’t to say that’s a bad thing, because the movie focuses on a character that is undercover as a small time criminal trying to crack a larger criminal case. So, this is a very street level movie as opposed to a larger, massive shoot out style crime movie (even though there are a few decent shoot outs, despite Robin Chou using his magical +2 AK-47 of Aiming with a Banana Clip of Infinite Holding). I also quite enjoyed the character of Cat and his imperfection. He wasn’t a perfect cop (nor were any of the characters; police, criminal or other), but he was framed by the police unjustly.
Overall, I’d say I really enjoyed Most Wanted, but would have gotten lots more out of it had the DVD not been such rubbish. I sincerely hope this ends up as one of Mei Ah’s remastered discs so that it can get a proper transfer. If it doesn’t, this one will stay largely unremembered and ignored, which is a minor tragedy.
Equinox21’s Rating: 7.5/10
