One Night in Mongkok stands out in one particular aspect: it's treatment of the subject of shooting to kill, particularly by the police.
Granted, you see many things in this movie. There is the 'West Side Story' style opening of small skirmishes escalating into big brawls. There is the 'Godfather' style development of gangster warfare. There is the familiar-looking pair of fugitive from both the police and the underworld: hit man with cool head and prostitute with good heart. Betrayals, violence and generous supply of blood. Yes, we have all that. However, the most important element in the movie, at least the way I see it, is a subtext that is perhaps more than a subtext what shooting and killing someone do to a policeman.
While the act of putting a bullet through someone thereby ending his life is made commonplace in some movies and glorified in others, it is treated with earnest seriousness in ONIM. Instrumental to this treatment are two policemen: old hand and leader played by Alex Fong Chung-sun and bright young protégé. Although a seasoned veteran, the officer played by Fong is forever shadowed by an experience of shooting someone dead in the course of work. The young officer, on the other hand, although still relative green to the force, had already had a similar experience, but polarized reactions he is proud of killing.
The most memorable scene in the entire movie is when a group of policemen, led by Fong, breaks into a room occupied by a suspect. Once the door is open, trigger-happy young officer fires at the suspect, killing him instantly. This is a scene that provided Fong with the opportunity to put up his 4-star performance.
While the other police officers are furious and petrified at this reckless folly, Fong is cool as ice although he must be filled with disgust. Calmly and resolutely, he orders everyone away to guard the entrances, giving them clear instructions to say to anybody asking that they are not present at the shooting. Then he tells his second-in-command to go to look for something 'useful'. With no luck such as finding guns on the victim, they at least find a kitchen knife, which they place in the victim's hand. THEN, he finally turns to the young officer and in icy coldness, instructs him to say that as soon as the door opened, the victim rushes out and attacked the policemen with the knife.
They get away with this one because by a stroke of luck, they turn up hidden in the room drugs that worth a huge fortune. So a bungled up blunder turns into a big hit while the shooting is easily forgotten. There is disgust written all over Fong's face when he is surrounded by flattering congratulations.
The young officer is easily forgiven by his comrades although it remains to be seen if he emerges as a sadder and wiser man. This, however, we never see. The biggest irony is that in the next confrontation just a few hours later, the young officer's momentary hesitation (undoubtedly because of the effect of the earlier shooting on him) costs him his life.
Granted, you see many things in this movie. There is the 'West Side Story' style opening of small skirmishes escalating into big brawls. There is the 'Godfather' style development of gangster warfare. There is the familiar-looking pair of fugitive from both the police and the underworld: hit man with cool head and prostitute with good heart. Betrayals, violence and generous supply of blood. Yes, we have all that. However, the most important element in the movie, at least the way I see it, is a subtext that is perhaps more than a subtext what shooting and killing someone do to a policeman.
While the act of putting a bullet through someone thereby ending his life is made commonplace in some movies and glorified in others, it is treated with earnest seriousness in ONIM. Instrumental to this treatment are two policemen: old hand and leader played by Alex Fong Chung-sun and bright young protégé. Although a seasoned veteran, the officer played by Fong is forever shadowed by an experience of shooting someone dead in the course of work. The young officer, on the other hand, although still relative green to the force, had already had a similar experience, but polarized reactions he is proud of killing.
The most memorable scene in the entire movie is when a group of policemen, led by Fong, breaks into a room occupied by a suspect. Once the door is open, trigger-happy young officer fires at the suspect, killing him instantly. This is a scene that provided Fong with the opportunity to put up his 4-star performance.
While the other police officers are furious and petrified at this reckless folly, Fong is cool as ice although he must be filled with disgust. Calmly and resolutely, he orders everyone away to guard the entrances, giving them clear instructions to say to anybody asking that they are not present at the shooting. Then he tells his second-in-command to go to look for something 'useful'. With no luck such as finding guns on the victim, they at least find a kitchen knife, which they place in the victim's hand. THEN, he finally turns to the young officer and in icy coldness, instructs him to say that as soon as the door opened, the victim rushes out and attacked the policemen with the knife.
They get away with this one because by a stroke of luck, they turn up hidden in the room drugs that worth a huge fortune. So a bungled up blunder turns into a big hit while the shooting is easily forgotten. There is disgust written all over Fong's face when he is surrounded by flattering congratulations.
The young officer is easily forgiven by his comrades although it remains to be seen if he emerges as a sadder and wiser man. This, however, we never see. The biggest irony is that in the next confrontation just a few hours later, the young officer's momentary hesitation (undoubtedly because of the effect of the earlier shooting on him) costs him his life.