Reviewed by Lee Alon
It's official, two of Asia's leading male movie icons have found modern incarnations. The first, semi-retired Chow Yun Fat, has Shawn Yu to carry the torch. The latter's silent but deadly act and flowing mane of hair recall Chow in his earlier, gunplay-imbued days. Mr. Yu also learned many of the older gentleman's routines, like the deranged manner in which both their anger is expressed through facial expressions, psychotic glint in the eye and all. Directors Wong Jing and Billy Chung capitalized on this, going as far as naming Shawn Yu's character A Fa (Fat in the subtitles), an obvious tribute to the inspiration. The second is venerable Ekin Cheng, who's got Wu Qing Zhe for a prodigal son. The same ladykilling good looks, popstar hairdo and pouting demeanor make Wu an excellent successor. In Color of the Loyalty he's quite effective, although far still from establishing himself in Ekin's shoes, which have seen significant workouts over the last decade.
As for the movie itself, it too continues a tradition or two, combining equal parts The Mission (Johnnie To) and the Infernal Affairs trilogy. For Wong Jing himself, this one furthers his involvement with "serious" projects, distancing him from a track record full of hijinx and comedy. We've seen him produce and direct a few similarly earnest products, such as Slim Till Dead earlier this year, and the comparably titled “Color of the Truth” (the two films are not related).
As befits a full-blooded Jiang Hu (underworld) antic, COTL takes place over the course of a short, frenetic period, feeling to all intents and purposes like one night. It encompasses plenty of gore and cadavers (unless you get the sanitized, inferior mainland version), relying to a large extent on so-called triad codes of honor and organizational culture. At its core resides old boss Dragon Brother, done by Eric Tsang in a repast from his barrage of comical roles and commercial endorsements. The head wants to retire, leading to chaos in gangland as everybody else desires his position and accumulated fortune. Following his fateful announcement, two rival Mafioso's become potential enemies as Dragon Brother and concubine (Suki Kwan) aim to leave Hong Kong in order to start a new life in Europe.
Roy Cheung portrays one of these under bosses, doing a spectacular job as always. Among the most unappreciated actors out there, Cheung's evergreen as a macho criminal, making it regrettable that he isn't on-screen more often. Conversely, Wu Qing Zhe does Jordan, a sinister triad captain with an eye for quick promotions for himself and his gang. Wu's conduct jives nicely with this type of ambience, working much better than the minor role he had in New Police Story not long ago. To protect self and loved ones, Dragon Brother calls on an old ally (Liu Kai Chi, who we liked in Koma, Fu Bo and Crazy 'N' the City). This shop owner by day, hitman by night assembles a team of apparent nobodies as a rapid deployment force in case foul play occurs and the boss needs help. They're led by A Fa (Shawn Yu), who does well in this kind of part, although they could have done with giving him a bit more guns to play with. As it stands, Yu's character comes across as very fickle and stoic one second and the next howling his lungs out, yet with very little action substance to lean on.
The storyline moves smoothly from one cohesive scene to the next, including a few classics such as a parking garage and health spa shootouts. That's not to say it's flawless, since some of the action segments look a bit cheap, resplendent in low-cost CGI gun shot wounds and so on. Likewise, COTL adds nothing new to the pantheon of crime thrillers, but it is competent in execution and will keep you transfixed for the duration. There are also several cameos we enjoyed. Lam Suet appears, for a change, as the cop keeping tabs on the developing crisis rather than some rundown hobo, and Chapman To also appears briefly as a police officer. Meanwhile, gorgeous mainland actress Shi Lan gives us her tantalizing ice queen attitude and regal beauty while playing Dragon Brother's conniving wife. Definitely one person we need to see more of.
In all likelihood you've seen better triad movies before and will again later, but COTL succeeds where others floundered (witness better invested Jiang Hu) thanks to its relatively low profile. Featuring capable talent certainly helps, as does a near-perfect pace. This film flows effortlessly, shifting across a palette of situations and settings tailored to both mood and story. All that's in keeping with Wong Jing standards, since with him you know whatever's going on bears immediate relevance to the genre in question. Give it a whirl.
Rating: 6/10
Directed by Wong Jing and Billy Chung
Starring Eric Tsang, Shawn Yu, Roy Cheung,
Wu Qing Zhe, Lam Suet, Suki Kwan, Shi Lan
2005, Cantonese, 90 minutes
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