I actually think this is my second or third favorite Chow Yun Fat film behind The Killer and possibly God of Gamblers. Chow Yun Fat manages to exude charisma despite the gritty realism of this picture. Tony Leung clocks a fine performance as the new prisoner befriended by veteran inmate Chow Yun Fat. Usually I watch films quite late at night, and even many of the better films can't keep me from pushing the stop button and hitting the sack. This is one of maybe a dozen HK films that I just had to finish watching.