In Macau 1998, before the colony's handover to China, five professional hitman, led by Blaze (Anthony Wong), decide to do a last job for one of their own, Wo (Nick Cheung). Their plans go awry when triad boss Fay (Simon Yam) enters the picture, and they spend some time lost in the wilderness before rediscovering their purpose.
Action fans might be a little disappointed by plain nature of the firefights; there aren't any distinctive weapons or manoeuvres, and the after effects are often messy. The characters are lightly but sufficiently sketched in and the camaraderie between members of the gang is unforced. I especially like how all the scenes are allowed to play out and the denouement is pleasantly ironic.
Director Johnnie To's elegant and slightly melancholy actioner is about endings, honour and brotherhood, and brings to mind Sam Peckinpah's 'The Wild Bunch', which dealt with similar themes in the wild west. From the first scene, we have a good idea of how things will pan out, but the script by Kam-Yuen Szeto and Tin-Shing Yip has plenty of surprises and wry humour as the gang get into one gunfight after another.
Cantonese with English subtitles.
3 out of 5 stars.
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