CHASING THE DRAGON is the latest in a long time of gangster-themed movies from the prolific Hong Kong director Wong Jing. It stars Donnie Yen and Andy Lau in the true story of Crippled Ho, a man who rose through the ranks to become one of the region's biggest drug lords in the 1960s and 1970s. The kind of format is familiar, this specific story not so much so, which makes it interesting and engaging in equal measure. Yen gets a handful of superb fight scenes to himself, ones which are more grittily realistic than most (think the influence of something like THE YELLOW SEA) but this is mostly about his acting and very good he is too. Lau plays a cop for the umpteenth time and can do this kind of role in his sleep by now. Jing allows supporting roles for veteran performers including Kent Cheng, Kenneth Tsang, and Michael Chan Wai-Man, all of whom shine, but what sees this film through is the stylish storytelling and wealth of plot movement to keep it going.
Review of Chasing the Dragon
