Cult star Anthony Wong is the centerpiece of this refreshingly brutal character study/ crime comedy-drama/ horror film. There is much artistic integrity to be found in Herman Yau’s direction, which pulls no punches in its depiction of the violent crimes of Wong’s Mahjong-cheating sociopath. Unfortunately, a sizable amount of the film is devoted to the bizarre comedy of the police officers investigating both Wong (also his character’s name) and potentially related crimes. Although often cleverly satirical in itself, this humor involving the concurrent harassment of a female officer by her male counterparts and their leering at their superior’s several prostitute companions does not belong in this film. This aspect of the film, in fact, turns out to be completely pointless, especially since it has no context or even any semblance of relevance to the primary story.

The latter, on the other hand, plays out with such straightforward and unflinching realism that both the visceral and cerebral impacts of its carefully drawn scenes remain vividly present in the consciousness after viewing the film. Wong’s Wong is a character so flawlessly conceived and illustrated that it is a ponderous mistake no to devote more of the film to him. As for the interactions of Wong with the officers, the shenanigans of the latter become a moot point; the outrageous hilarity of a scene in which the officers gluttonously devour Wong’s gift of “barbecue” meat buns is somewhat of a non sequitur with regards to their earlier actions. Thus, we get the impression that their main purpose in the film is simply to supply comic relief, however random and inconsistent with their characters. On the other hand, the officers’ apparently egregiously illegal interrogation methods to extract “the untold story” from Wong make a credible statement about humanity in terms of their and Wong’s characters’ fundamentalist natures. There is no omniscient moralizing here; we only witness what happens without being told how to digest it.

I don't think anyone could have played the crazy human pork bun-stuffing killer better than Anthony Wong. He fills this sadistic role a little too well and comes off as the biggest slimeball in history. Although I've seen more violent films, this manages to be more disturbing due to the nature of the crimes. Cat III regular Julie Lee Wah-Yuet (cashier) truly got brutalized in a memorable way...never seen chopsticks used quite like that. Due to her track record, she must also enjoy being in these sick flicks. Finally, what set this apart from other violent films was how he showed his meat cleaver skills by slaughtering the children in his own sick way.

This film is not recommended to any normal parents (or normal people in general).

It is recommended for gore hounds and anyone willing to watch something sick and different from the usual Hollywood overdone crap. I would love to know how true this story really is; and it makes you want to know what is really in a Slim Jim.

For 90-some minutes, this narrative is inflicted upon its audience and there is nothing here of value besides another example of Anthony Wong's uncanny ability for playing repulsive human beings. The other male lead, Danny Lee, plays his usual gumshoe role like he's wasting time waiting for a bus. The crew of detectives that surround him couldn't think their way through a Scooby Doo mystery. Instead, they spend most of their time ogling the chain of hookers who hang on Lee's arm in most of his scenes.

I kept watching in the hope that a sympathetic character would find their way (possibly by accident) into a scene, but unfortunately, no luck there. Well, I guess the victims are sympathetic. But they unfortunately get most of their screen time lying in a gooey pile of limbs and blood. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall during the casting session for this film. "Ok, now let me see it. Yea. That's good. You will be right arm number 3. Hold on, let me see that leg too. . . . Ok, where's my carcass number 2!"

There is not one minute of film that delves into the killer's psyche or explains what makes him tick. I guess I was expecting a film like the vastly superior Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. I saw that film a few years ago and still get chills from it. Instead, the filmmakers try to mix in some very juvenile broad humor that seems to belong in a different film. That is not to say that gore films cannot be smart and fun. Dead Alive and Bad Taste, directed by Peter Jackson, are great examples. And Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films also come to mind.

Many reviewers give The Untold Story credit for being edgy. I cannot disagree more. Edgy would be putting characters the audience actually cares about through those terrible situations. Edgy would be creating suspense smartly and logically instead of simply endangering harmless, nameless, screaming women and children. That is the easy way out. Any hack can do that. And yes, it was disturbing, but is that really an achievement?

All the points I give this film are earned through Anthony Wong's performance (although it was one-note) and the nightmare I have now of him showing up on my doorstep.

This is not so much a staight-foward review as it is a series of comments. If you want a review, scroll down to Numskull's.

Getting on with it, two words: Anthony Wong. Cocky, conceited, cynical, and one of our best living actors, even if the majority of his movies are shit. This film is basically a showcase for Wong. Every scene without him is dispensable, but those with him are among the most brilliantly acted ever committed to film. His portrayal of Wong Chi Hang elicits both disgust and an odd sort of sympathy, though the man is hardly sympathetic, as the cops beat him, torture him, and deprive him of sleep in order to get a confession. Wong deservedly won the best actor honors at the HK film awards, even if he claims that it "was just politics."

I have never had BBQ pork buns. I never plan to. As Danny Lee puts it in this film "You never know what they use for filling in those things."

I can't use chopsticks for shit. Not that this film's brutal rape-with-a-handful-of-chopsticks-for-good-measure scene has anything to do with that. Women, sensitive men, human beings beware...that is a very icky scene.

Children are graphically slain in this film. Nothing suggested. It is shown in all its glory. Hard-to-stomach, but true.

Most unbearable scene: Wong holding broken glass to a crying boy's throat while his bound and gagged father struggles and cries on the ground.

All of the cops in this film are buffoons. As Anthony Wong said "In Hong Kong film, we put everything in: triads, guns, kung fu...everything but knowledge." The comedy and scenes involving Wong gel a lot better than they should, even if the comedy is extremely out of place in this kind of film,and fails in "lightening" the mood in any way, shape, or form.

All in all, every scene with Wong is brilliant, so brilliant, in fact, that the ridiculous antics of the cops can be overlooked.