| Long Arm of the Law III (which is a sequel to the previous films in name only) has Andy Lau as a Mainlander who is falsely accused of robbery and sentenced to death. He manages to escape the firing squad and is smuggled into Hong Kong, where he is employed by a Triad leader (Kirk Wong), who uses Andy's girlfriend (Elizabeth Lee) as bait to keep him on the hook. While being pursued by a hot-headed cop (Elvis Tsui), Andy tries to pull off a double-cross so he and Elizabeth can escape to Panama.
These types of Triad action/dramas came out by the boatload in Hong Kong during this time period, and there isn't too much to seperate Long Arm of the Law III from the pack. There is some solid stuntwork and bloody gunfights helmed by action director Tony Leung Siu-Hung, but things are hampered in this department by Poon Hung's editing, which comes off as a bit choppy. The acting is average at best, with only Elvis Tsui turning in a noteworthy performance (though it was fun seeing Kirk Wong, who is much better known as a director, playing a really nasty character). There are also some big plot holes in the script; in particular, the movie's resolution had me scratching my head. Not only are things left unexplained, the sappy ending seemed out of place, given the ultra-violent scenes which proceeded it. Despite these flaws, Long Arm of the Law III isn't all that bad of a movie; it's just that there are so many other HK films out there that do this kind of thing better and are probably more worthy of your time. |
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