Action Member: Chin Ka-Lok

Even though he has very little to work with, Simon Yam still manages to impress with his portrayal of yet another mean and moody criminal mastermind.

The pace, the emphasis on spy procedure rather than spy spectacle and the often graphic nature of some scenes may not be to everyone’s taste but ‘Lust, Caution’ is a challenging film made for adults.

‘Motorway’ is a stripped down action thriller that dispenses with such luxuries as sub-plots to concentrate fully on the battle between cops and robbers.

It’s just so generic, so riddled with the current Chinese cinematic pox that it is impossible to care about.

There may not be much here that we haven’t seen before, but it’s certainly been a while since we’ve seen most of it done so well.

‘On The Run’ is a superb effort from Biao and a welcome change of pace for an actor who is so often seen as just the “little brother” of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.

A gripping and often uncompromising look at the Hong Kong drug trade from the seller’s and user’s side, Derek Yee’s ‘Protégé’ is one of the finest dramas to come out of Hong Kong in recent years.

There’s some very powerful visual displays of violence that pepper the film throughout, showing us that if you turn to the dark side you really will become slave to its master.

This leans more towards the quick-cut close ups of more recent Hollywood efforts. Most of the fights are also glossed over as short “highlights” rather than letting us see the full action.

Despite its flaws, ‘The Goldfinger’ is an entertaining and well-acted piece of cinema with the highlights being the face-to-face meetings of Lau and Leung throughout the film.

‘The Iceman Cometh’ remains one of Biao’s finest leading man moments. It’s packed full of great performances, enjoyable kung fu fights and a very unique story.

The two Dereks have provided viewers with a down-to-earth story of sadness that firmly keeps the attention until the final credits roll.