The movie opens with a shot of two wounded men driving down a highway. They are the triad Charles (Francis Ng) and his younger brother Jones (Daniel Chan from The Lucky Guy) . Cut to the past and we see Jones arriving in Thailand with his girlfriend Jess (Pace Wu) to reclaim the money his brother stole from the family years ago. Jones gets it after being forced to kill off someone who betrayed Charles but his stubbornness leads him to the wrong place at the wrong time. He ends up being set up for murder by rival triad Henry (David Lee from Herman Yau's From The Queen To The Chief Executive) and it's up to Charles to execute what's going to restore peace in the triad community...

To watch a movie without any beforehand knowledge can turn out both ways and in the case of A War Named Desire, it turned out to be a powerful movie in the end. In my review of Infernal Affairs, I talked about Alan Mak being the story driven guy and Andrew Lau the visionary. After watching A War Named Desire, it's very evident that Alan is also into opening a movie up visually but he also has the skill of combining that with storytelling.

Triadmovies, triadmovies, Young And Dangerous 15, triadmovies...kind of tires you after a while doesn't it? A War Named Desire is one of those movies but by setting the movie almost entirely in Thailand, it creates a different feel (most triadmovies are set in urban Hong Kong) even if we've seen most of this before. The story doesn't give us any huge surprises in terms of character development or content but it's executed with such confidence that it rises above the conventions of the genre. The theme regarding loyalty doesn't come off as worn either and it's the mentioned confidence and assurance behind the camera that makes the familiarity factor almost nonexistent. What hurts Alan Mak's movie ever so slightly is that in the beginning there's quite a lot characters introduced and we're unsure how everyone relates to each other. This becomes very much clearer when the main plot kicks in though. Also David Lee's bad guy character is the one thing that feels like a big old cliché. There's nothing unusual about him and he isn't a very compelling character. David is a good actor though as seen in From The Queen To The Chief Executive.

As I talked about before, Alan Mak seems like the kind of director who wants to accomplish visual storytelling in parts. In A War Named Desire there's one section of the film that almost boils over with intense camera tricks such as undercranking and scenes are played out in still frames only. To me, it seemed more like a testing ground for these type of things rather than trying to actually say something with visual trickery. Ok, it's there to show the intensity inside of and surrounding the characters but it's rare when it's actually needed. Have to say that all this did not bother me very much though and I think Alan Mak can and will fine-tune this style to create a genuinely compelling effect. What's also noticeable stylewise is the strong cinematography, a strongly coloured cinematography. When I say strong I do mean good despite the dramatic and coloured look of the film. DP Chan Chi Ying's (Bakery Amour) work is greatly enhanced by the music (more on that below) and you are actually pulled into this shady world for 90 minutes. Not that I think the plot needed to be done with 'cool' and hip photography but it's definitely a well integrated aspect into the whole.

We also get to experience a fair amount of scenes with gunplay courtesy of action director Nicky Lui. The intention isn't to technically blow away Hong Kong cinema's best shoot-outs but in the context of where we are in the story, they work very well. The bloodshed rises and rises and the climax that takes place during the Thai New Year celebrations is a real standout. Peter Cheung's editing is really good in this sequence as well. The score by Mark Lui is a real driving force that makes this movie really powerful in the end. In the beginning of the film, the camera language isn't intense but the events within are that because of Mark's pounding score. Throughout we are then treated to a mix of both acoustic guitars and electronic music. The overall mood of the music is dark and Mark helps Alan realize that through his music.

So Good...'s favourite Francis Ng (if you hadn't already noticed) brings to the screen another excellent performance. Charles is calm and assured but when he snaps he's truly intense and effective. Francis plays the character in a more subtle way but in the action finale we see the facial acting and coolness that, in the past, he have displayed. A War Named Desire is one of the better examples of that side to Francis acting. Versatility applies to his acting skills and to see an example of that, watch Bakery Amour and this movie.

David Chan's character is young and stubborn but at the same time very determined, which both hurts him and works in his favor. Daniel is young, with not much credits under his belt and is the weak link in the cast. That sort of works because just like the character, he learns as the movie goes on. Dave Wong and Sam Lee are both good but the real revelation was Gigi Leung (from La Brassiere) . It's a tougher role where she's pretty adept with a gun and she immerses herself very nicely into the role. That the academy decided to nominate her was probably because of a scene later in the film that is just....unbelieveable.

Alan Mak's A War Named Desire may not be noticed among all the triad movies out there but I should simply recommend that you go out and get this powerful action-thriller. It's not a film that will get 8 sequels and 5 spin off's. I guarantee you that.

Daniel Chan plays Jones who travels to Thailand with his girlfriend Jess (Pace Wu) to confront his long lost brother Charles (Francis Ng) over money that he stole from the family when he took off fifteen years ago. Jones is driven by the resentment he feels against his brother for leaving and for him not being around at the death of their mother. When he arrives in the small town near the Cambodian border where Charles lives, Jones finds that his brother is a big time gang boss.

Unwittingly Jones steps right into the middle of a conspiracy, led into the trap by gang member Keith (Sam Lee), and is made a scapegoat for the murder of a gang elder. The gang overlord decides that, to maintain stability between all of the gangs, Jones must die and Charles should be the one to do it. Knowing that his brother is innocent Charles turns to night club owner Snow (Gigi Leung) for help in getting Jones out of Thailand. Matters become even more complicated however when Jones' girlfriend Jess is kidnapped by rival gang boss Henry. Jones obviously cannot leave until he has got her back.

Like 'A Hero Never Dies', this film has a feel of those eighties John Woo bloodshed classics. The themes of brotherhood, betrayal and friendship are explored between Jones and Charles and between Charles and his right hand man York (Dave Wang). It may be familiar territory but it makes solid grounding for a story.

It makes a welcome change for this type of film that there is a strong female role given to Gigi Leung, not someone you'd normally expect to see wielding guns and knives in a movie. Gigi doesn't really have to act that much as she has little dialogue but she has a convincing cold as steel look in her eyes. While she certainly looks stunning she is not required to dress in the type of revealing clothing typical of Hong Kong femme fatale character which would normally have trivialised such a role.

Francis Ng gives another excellently subtle performance and while Sam Lee might be getting typecast in geeky roles he is still enjoyable to watch. In a time where the screens seem to be filled with pop stars it's a breath of fresh air to see a film so filled with solid acting ability.

Alan Mak has a great ability to make a film compelling and I found myself gripped from the first scene which sees Charles and Jones escaping, by car, from the aftermath of what can only have been some extraordinary battle. The sense of style is carried from this opening scene right through to the end. The action scenes are all wonderfully filmed with echoes of 'A Hero Never Dies' and 'Bullet In The Head' in the last half hour. There's also a fantastically shot assassination sequence where Gigi Leung chases her quarry through a street filled with a festival crowd.

Power plays are peaking within the Chinese underworld and Jones and his girlfriend Jess (Wu) have unwittingly walked into the thick of it. First Jones is roped into a killing to get his cash and within hours is set up for murdering local gang head Master Sun. And Jess is taken hostage by local bad boy Henry.

Accused with Sun's murder, Jones is taken under Charles' wing and together they flee to Bangkok with help from long-time partner York (Wang) and his sister Snow (Leung). Their flight to the capital complicates further when top-ranking boss Master King asks that Jones be killed off. Charles isn't about to silence the sole remaining bit of family he can cling on to, and enlists Snow's help to send Jones and the girlfriend (if found) back to Hong Kong safe and sound. By going against King, Charles is asking for trouble...Set in Thailand and confined to its Chinese underworld setting, A War Named Desire is an impressive overseas excursion. While the script is wanting, the look and feel of Mak's action drama is otherwise nicely crafted and a step up from his previous Rave Fever. Tropical and scratchy surrounds are well integrated on screen with some strong acting and stylish direction, often reminiscent of director Johnnie To's work. Mak and his team light up old buildings in lurid colour, head to a selection of seedy and tropical locations, create eye-catching compositions and craft action scenes that are restrained yet still attention-grabbing. One standout nightclub gun battle works well demonstrating the protagonists well honed cunning and communication instead of presenting mere run of the mill gunplay.

Of the actors Francis Ng and Gigi Leung are particularly impressive, with Leung most exciting transformed to an icy gangster unable to act on all her feelings. Ng, Leung and Dave Wang work well bringing out the films theme's of partnership and brotherhood but the remaining actors aren't granted so much depth in the screenplay. Sam Lee is granted scant background or screen time for his potentially interesting character to develop. His bar dancer mate (a Grace Lam cameo) is only allotted two scenes. And despite her position in the main plot, Pace Wu is absent long enough that viewers don't get to know her either.