Once Upon a Time in Triad Society (1996)

Rating: B+

Dir: Chuen-Yee Cha
Star: Francis Ng, Loletta Lee, Edmond So, Pauline Chan

[22] The structure of this one is great; a gang boss is shot and, lying on the operating table in hospital, looks back on his life. But is it real, or is it what he wants to be true? Half-way through, this flips, forcing you to re-evaluate what you have seen, and there are a host of other cool touches which have to be experienced to be appreciated. Francis Ng delivers two more or less independently good performances as the boss, though it’s really scriptwriter Chung Kai-Cheung who deserves most of the credit. If you think you’ve seen all the twists on Hong Kong gangster films, this one will probably make you sit up and take notice. Going by this film, Depeche Mode were right – God has indeed got a sick sense of humour.