It's interesting to look at Marco Mak's career now that it includes feature film directing. He first started out as full on editor for Tsui Hark and during the latter stages of the 90s began a busy directing schedule that still included editing duties (in the case of Cop On A Mission, co-editing with Angie Lam). Cop On A Mission was his 3rd since debuting in 2000 with Love Correction (starring Nick Cheung and Athena Chu). Mak has by now established himself as a filmmaker that likes to rely on style quite a bit but is at the same time one of the few out there that can seriously make it a narrative drive for any given mood. Most of it simply comes directly from him during editing stages and that's where his big advantage lies seeing as he's responsible as a story teller whether he's editing or directing. I bet his movies would've turnout much differently if he had come from a cinematography background however...

This triad-thriller does feel like a Marco Mak honing his directing craft (which came full bloom with the offbeat and very entertaining A Gambler's Story with Francis Ng). It's very much a thriller in the vein of efforts that everyone sees before Cop On A Mission, such as Hard Boiled and Infernal Affairs on story-levels, bringing in familiar themes from the point of view of the undercover cop, in this case Daniel Wu's Mike. It does set out to be less wild than subsequent effort of his, such as the mentioned A Gambler's Story, settling for a slight noir atmosphere with a Lincoln Lo lounge score and rainstorms within a neon light bright city of Hong Kong. Fair play. You do need to adjust yourself to a particular story and Mak suitably sets up his main theme of scattered relationships but merely sets it up, never does much with it. Which in a way is in intent as much of the proceedings isn't about being a great, big character-drama anyway. It's a mood setter, one of doom as the opening shots clearly reveal. It's therefore by no means not professionally handled on a character-level but the trials and tribulations of most involved will be familiar to even casual fans of this fare.

It's by setting this content up within a frame of decent visual style that Cop On A Mission breathes a little longer than other efforts in the genre. This is no Infernal Affairs in scope or budget but Mak manages in the end to stand out on a few points. The script, credited to Not A Woman (lame alias that apparently belongs to a But Hai Lui Yan) offers some offbeat situations early on, such as the initial meeting between Mike and Tim in a arcade game hall and Ma Yuk Sing choreographs sporadic bursts of good old fashioned bloody gunplay. These different aspects makes Mak's work end on a level that's above other hacks in the business while not distinguishing enough to play with the big boys. But that's ok.

The film looks attractive courtesy of Tony Miu's assured cinematography (as also evident in his work in movies such as Red To Kill and Brother Of Darkness) but mainly, it boasts good performances that shows that Mak knows when to concentrate on that and not camera trickery. Leading the pack is of course veteran Eric Tsang who's as solid as one can be, striking a great balancing act between the character of Yum King Tim's need to be brutal, reasonable and caring. Aside from the funky eyebrows on Tsang, it's a great performance despite the fact that we're still looking at goofy, chubby Eric. One would think that you couldn't take him seriously in a role like this but it's so pleasing to be wrong over and over.

Daniel Wu logs one of his better performances since Purple Storm but still seems to be stuck in development slightly. Wu gets good points for some subtle acting where a decent amount of screen presence and charisma results in good communication with the audience. As his character enters darkness, the performance leads more towards overdone and generic, although serviceable. Suki Kwan has a fairly challenging and subtle role within a simple character sketch which is all about true loyalty but she does very well, in particular her interplay with Eric Tsang is memorable. Lam Suet appears sporadically throughout in a terrific comic performance.

Cop On A Mission certainly never screams originality but within the stylish workings of director/co-editor Marco Mak, it can fairly proudly stand on a middle ground quality wise for the triad-thriller genre. And that's ok.

This type of plot, of course, been done many times before. However, Cop on a Mission takes a fresh approach through the characterization of Mike. Most films of this type have the lead undercover character face a crisis of conscience as they must decide which side of the law they are on. Mike makes a different kind of decision than most lead characters in this kind of movie, and that makes this film stand out.

Cop on a Mission also has solid performances from its' cast to help it along. San Francisco native Daniel Wu is still not fluent in Cantonese (something which some of the gangsters make fun of), but he is progressing along fine as an actor, especially when put up against many of Hong Kong's other young thespians. Eric Tsang (known primarily for his comedic roles) is often under-rated when it comes to his dramatic acting, but he puts in a fine performance as the tired Triad boss who just wants to retire. Suki Kwan also does a good job, though her looks don't quite fit in with someone who would send a young guy like Mike all a-flutter. Director Marco Mak (who has done a great deal of editing work before stepping into the director's chair) brings a nice visual style to the film, making it interesting without becoming self-indulgent. I also liked the atmospheric, jazzy score.

So why doesn't Cop on a Mission warrant a higher rating? Ultimately, despite all the good things it has going for it, the film lacks that bit of punch that seperates good films from great ones. The movie's script (written by someone called "Not A Woman") plods in parts and slows the film down. Overall, though, Cop on a Mission is a solid movie that shows that Hong Kong can still produce good crime dramas.

Daniel Wu plays Mike, a police officer, who after being involved in a shooting incident is suspended from service. Rather than reinstate him to his old position, Mike's superiors transfer him to the undercover division. His primary objective is to infiltrate the triad and gather evidence on Hung Hing boss Yum King-tin (Eric Tsang). Mike starts at the very bottom as a car valet but soon climbs up the criminal ladder after rescuing Yum's wife, Pauline (Shooky Kwan), from an attack. However as Mike's status as a gangster grows he finds himself becoming corrupted by power. There's also the fact of a fatal attraction between himself and Pauline that threatens to bring about his undoing.

Although we've seen this kind of plot many times before (undercover cops finding themselves torn between their duties as police officers and their loyalties to the triad) 'Cop on a Mission' adds a fresh twist. The film takes some unpredictable turns and is a lot darker than I was originally expecting.

Daniel Wu ably tackles what is probably his most complicated role to date with a character who really is quite ambiguous. For the main part of the film Mike is portrayed as someone with sensitivity and decency which makes his later actions all the more surprising. It also makes it hard not to sympathise with him even at the very end. The film really belongs to Eric Tsang though who shows that despite being better known for comedy he can be just as convincing in a more serious role. His performance here as Yum, a character just as complicated as Mike (if not more), is nothing short of fantastic.

The film features high production values and the action scenes, while limited, are well shot; the shooting incident early on in the film is reminiscent of classic heroic bloodshed. The stylish images throughout the film are complemented by a sultry saxophone soundtrack.