Hong Kong actor Francis Ng is well-regarded as a highly talented individual capable of playing almost any role. Because of his ability to bring quality to even the lowest budgeted films, it is no surprise that Ng's directorial debut is more thought-provoking drama than crime action film.

The title of the film comes from the serial number on Ng's partner's gun. A polceman's gun is supposed to be destroyed after his death, especially after that policeman has used it to kill himself. In the course of this film Smashhead (Ng) discovers the gun has been used in several killings. Eventually he uncovers the reason why his partner's gun was stolen from the department and which cop was responsible. But before we are shown any of this we must first learn more about this crazy cop everyone calls Smashhead.

Smash Head is a cop whose life seems to be spiraling down quickly into the world of madness and decadence. He is haunted by a critical mistake made during a previous case when he accidentally killed a female hostage. His corrupt superior Kar (Fredric Mao) surprises his officer by testifying in his favor; but Smashhead learns this comes at a cost. In turn he must perform some illegal favors, which only furthers his negative attitude and self-descruction.

Somehow in all this Smashhead meets and befriends a female psychiatrist (Christine Ng) who somehow understands and sees through what he is going through and, even more surprising, manages to fall in love with this odd character. When, in the course of a routine assignment, Smashhead finally realizes that Kar was responsible for the death of his partner, he decides to report Kar and terminate their detrimental relationship. It is this decision which trigger events which puts Smashhead's closest friends and family into grave danger.

I found 9413 to be a strongly acted drama with a solid, if somewhat simplistic, plot. Ng's directorial style is sparse and sure, and there's nothing wrong with that, especially for a first-timer. He plays it safe and comes up a winner for betting on character and story rather than heavyhanded action or special effects. The film has a look which is gritty if not a little dull. I am guessing this was planned as it adds to the overall atmosphere and sense of confusion and being lost.

I won't say 9413 is for everyone, but it is definitely a cut above most Hong Kong actioners thanks to superb acting all around and a fine directorial debut from Francis Ng.

Smash Head (Francis Ng from Juliet In Love) is a police whose life has taken a nosedive into the world of madness and decadence. During a previous case he made a crucial mistake and killed a female hostage. His corrupt superior Kar (Fredric Mao from A Queer Story) agreed to testify in Smash Heads favour in exchange for some illegal favours. During all this he meets and befriends a female psychiatrist (Christine Ng from Wipe Out) who sees how low he has sunken and decides to try and help him. During an assignment Smash Head realizes that Kar was responsible for the death of his partner and he decides to report Kar and break out of the relationship with him. That decision trigger events where the few close ones in Smash Heads life lies in grave danger...

9413 begins at an odd pace where basically nothing of the plot is revealed or becomes clear until maybe 30 minutes into the movie. After that the movie finds it's flow and the pace is much better. The direction is pretty straightforward and Francis doesn't resort to many stylistic filmtricks to pad out the running time. What I mean by that is that he uses slow-motion for example but doesn't overdo it. The problem is still getting the story going. Some scenes can feel a bit self-indulgent, most notably the two erotic scenes (which earned the movie it's Cat III-rating) with Amanda Lee (from Full Alert). These scenes end on a nice little humerous note though and they felt quite suiting for the character of Smash Head and what he has become.

These very dark and seedy scenes are made more atmospheric thanks to the location shooting on the streets of urban Hong Kong. One of the key places in the movie is the nightclub which clearly symbolizes how low Smash Head has sunken and that he might not be able to return to a sane life and mind. The man responsible for the solid photography, that reflects all this, is Herman Yau (cinematographer on Legend of Zu and director of The Untold Story).

9413 would've been a much weaker film if it weren't for the movies two main actors; Francis Ng & Christine Ng. Especially Francis continues to amaze me and he further adds to the fact he is one of the best character actors working in Hong Kong today. It's a somewhat anti-heroic character he plays but he knows this character inside and out which really is amazing to watch. The fact that he is also the director makes me respect this performance so much more. Try taking your eyes off him and you'll see he's still there...that is the kind of charisma Francis Ng has.

It is when Francis gets to act with Christine Ng that the direction is at it's best. They've acted together on more than one occasion and that is really evident in the interplay between them. They're on the same level as actors but not characterwise. He is hurt and has become a dirty human being while she is a clean and out of harms way woman and this is how they connect. It's this relationship that is the heart and highlight of the movie and it's wonderful to see these two actors doing such fine work.

Amanda Lee got the movie's only nomination but I didn't feel that her performance deserved such recognition. She's not really bad in her role but she basically functions as a temporary love interest for Smash Head. We don't get to know more about her character than that. She gets more involved during the later and more tense parts of the movie but again I didn't feel she deserved the nomination. But if the audience would've been in charge these choices, then I guess Sam Lee would've had 10 Hong Kong Film Awards by now.

Fredric Mao as the villain of the piece adds what he needs to but the character as written isn't more than is shown in his acting. It's serviceable but was far from being the highlight of 9413.

9413 is a different movie in the directing and narrative structure but it's done in an interesting manner thanks to two very good lead performances. As a director, Francis Ng has talent but this is by no means a perfect movie. He possesses a good deal of knowledge already though, so I'm looking forward to further Francis Ng-directed movies in the future.