Country: Hong Kong

There is no doubt that this quirky and engrossing production has its faults; not all of the loose ends are successfully tied up and those that are seem to work out a little too neatly.

‘Cold War’ is consistently entertaining and its massive success at the Hong Kong box-office shows that it clearly struck a chord with local audiences.

Like the first film, it is a slick and intense thriller that boasts solid performances from its cast.

‘Come Drink With Me’ has convinced me of King Hu’s mastery of film-making and I would certainly consider his work here to be almost equal to the best of Chang Cheh and Liu Chia-Liang.

The style and substance of ‘Comeuppance’ are in well-balanced equilibrium as neither overtakes the other, but there is still something indefinable that proves to be obvious by the time the credits roll.

Recalling those doomed rom-drams of yesteryear where low-level gangster falls for someone from a totally different world, ‘Concerto Of The Bully’ is something of a nostalgia trip.

This isn’t the best ever Hong Kong movie – it isn’t even the best ever Hong Kong gambling movie – but it could have been much worse.

‘Connected’ is outrageously entertaining and maintains its energetic momentum throughout.

The varied cast which includes Tse, Ge You and CN Blue member Jung Yong-Hwa make it an appealing 90 minutes of over-the-top cook-offs, snappy comedy and melodrama.

Made before Anthony Wong’s star went truly stratospheric in Hong Kong, this is one of the fun little films that you remember when it was released but never got the opportunity to watch it.

Make no mistake, ‘Coup De Grace’ is not an award winner or even a genre masterpiece, but its modest goals are easily achieved.

While Jiang Lu-Xia is definitely a talent for the future the film itself barely seems to register on the excitement scale.