Police films seem to be a favorite genre for Hong Kong movie makers, and two new directors have chosen the genre to start their careers. Directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk present us with "Cold War," starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung. "Cold War" is a code name for a police operation in the movie.

While watching the movie "Cold War" I couldn't help but wondering how much support it had obtained from the Hong Kong police force, because it looks so much like a promotional clip – quite an intriguing and lengthy one though.

A police van carrying five officers is kidnapped at midnight in Hong Kong. Two deputy commissioners fight for the command of the rescue operation, which is code-named Cold War. Both have different approaches to solve the crisis, but only the one who cracks the case will come closer to promotion. All rescue efforts seem to strictly follow standard protocols and the SAR basic law, and the commander has to work within or around the rules while trying to track the culprits.

The Hong Kong police vow to serve with pride and care, and this movie lauds their contribution. Considerable screen time is spent on explaining the mechanism of the police force and the Independent Commission against Corruption, and many a characters pay lip service to the city's respect for rule of law. While previously Hong Kong movies laid emphasis on gang crimes and intense shoot outs, this film shifts the focus to office politics and intellectual rivalry.

It is the debut of directors Leung and Luk, but already they are commanding a powerful cast, including Kwok, Leung and Andy Lau who appears all too briefly. But all deliver brilliant performances. Their staunch support is not based on the size of investment, but on their experience in the industry and the five years of writing and re-writing this particular script.

Indeed, the movie opens with a fast sequence which drowns the viewers with a wealth of background information, and then unfolds at equally dazzling pace, allowing viewers scarce time to brood over the plot. This arrangement creates perfect amounts of suspense, pushing the viewers to constantly revise their speculations until the story concludes.

Of course, this movie is not totally without setbacks. Many critics complain about the solution of the case. For a story that highlights intrigue and conspiracy, the clue comes much too easily. I'd say the latter half is a little sloppy because no perceivable attempt is made to curb the pace. So the conclusion is somewhat of an anti-climax despite a clamorous explosion and the allusion to a sequel.

"Cold War" represents a revolution in the crime film genre and a good boost for Leung and Luk's directorial careers. Surely they will offer more interesting products in the future, but hopefully not in another five years.

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