Protégé is the saga of a young cop infiltrating the deepest levels of a secret drug ring. He survives seven years of violent, nail-biting close calls, as he works his way from dealer to heir apparent. Every step consolidates his power and reveals another piece of his boss’s operations, bringing him closer to destroying a brutal heroin empire…or inheriting it.

Predictably compared to Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, let's not be lazy but instead try and treat Hong Kong's take on the global drug problem like it's an individual product with individual goals. Since Derek Yee is writing, directing and even appearing in a supporting role, you should be able to expect a rousing image painted before you as well. But this sentence containing a but shouldn't mean true disappointment because little when using the drug-template can today resonate on a true original level. Instead, Protégé "only" gets the verdict of competence gathered up to lift Hong Kong cinema just a little bit up towards higher divisions again and that my friends matters more than speaking of new and fresh things.

As much as Yee's script is a Public Service Announcement and a guided tour of the do's and don't's behind its subject, it pretty neatly avoids being cloying or boring. His initial frames are about pounding though, with images of run down buildings and people looking like the end of the world had swept away all but them. Buttons are indeed seriously pushed, both in score and camerawork but it's pretty much the last time in the film we feel bothered by Yee's open behaviour. He begins planting a seed about what emptiness means in the context of our plot, a valid theme that has its place and gets a pay off but you again have to remember that this product oozes skill gathered rather than being the next, great chapter in the history of the world of cinema so don't expect to be seriously enlightened.

But rocking back and forth on my views like this speaks more of Yee's expected high standards normally and it's not a knock on the work that he churns out which is an atmospheric and often well-performed product..."only". The undercover hell that means Daniel Wu's Nick has to flip-flop between his made up lack of humanity and his actual humanity has an interesting foundation in the casting of the American born actor. Suitably detached and assured, the character of Nick is steered consciously away from any huge type of background which is a choice I understand and considering the places Yee takes Nick, we can live with this hole in the character arc. Trust is established, everyone's brothers in arms and Andy Lau's white haired Quin (that even gets hands on in the cooking up of heroin) is a refreshing role reversal for the veteran actor but also a representation of how weary some of our characters have become. Nick is several years into his undercover stint and on the brink of achieving a twisted sense of humanity due to twisted circumstances while Lau's Quin sees the business (which is just business he says) lean towards trends he's not ready to ride along with. His immediate family is growing up, they exhibit rebellious traits and new life is on its way. Yet Yee opts for large parts of the character gallery to head for a collision instead, between each other or within themselves.

It may seem overly nihilistic to see even good hearted people like Nick managing to cause destruction but however much he may take care of his drug addict neighbour Fan, he is part of her path of doom undoubtedly. An important point to make is the lack of glamour in the proceedings and the lack of viewer protest against Yee's over the top nature to his statements. Statement that aren't about outbursts of melodrama, bothersome climactic speeches or extensive violence (the little there is, is thoroughly earth shattering however).

With expectedly terrific, big budget cinematography by Venus Keung and the likes of Andy Lau bringing the outmost competence of his to the table, Protégé may bring chops all round but oddly enough opens up some annoying holes in the framework. Performance-wise, lead Wu is more suited to be quiet and contemplating rather than handling big scenes with emotional confrontations but the biggest annoyance is the downplayed role of Anita Yuen as Quin's wife. Touching only extremely late upon her role in the family, it's a disservice to the framework and the actress who blossomed under Yee's direction in 1994's C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri. Lau's Quin is on the brink of being underwritten as well but receives a better pay off that creates a smokescreen that prevents us to fully question where character background might be hiding. We don't mind not knowing. Other plot points such as Fan's druggie husband played by Louis Koo is downright sloppily handled at times and Koo's make-up creates a "pretty actor take on ugly role"-performance that feels strained. For instance, Fan is deadly afraid she'll be found by her husband but her rationale is merely to move across the hall to Nick! But I can almost swallow that it's about the often poor rationale of the addict at play here and actress Zhang Jing-Chu certainly shows devotion in a rather age old part as written.

Protégé is highly welcome though because for certain streaks of time, Hong Kong cinema seems to revel in the fact that quick thoughts and quick shoots equals quick cash or acclaim but the likes of Derek Yee and Peter Chan has the right touch of professionalism that plays in favour of the cinema they've helped to mould over the years. It may not be a unique product within the Hong Kong circles or globally even but Yee's writing and direction is still pretty consistent. The expected message behind a drug fueled picture like Protégé is literally hammered home, competently as well and even presents a challenge. You don't find that consistently across the board of directors in Hong Kong.

So it's probably not surprising that there haven't been too many Hong Kong movies which center around the world of drugs, at least with any sort of degree of seriousness. So Protege -- especially since it stars Andy Lau and Daniel Wu, two of Hong Kong's biggest stars -- became one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2007. This reviewer can not only say that Protege lived up to the hype, it surpassed it in spades. Most modern Hong Kong movies (hell, entries from anywhere in the world, really) wish they could be this good.

Protege's story is a well-traveled path in the realm of Triad pictures, that of the undercover cop getting in too deep. The cop in question is Nick (Daniel Wu), who has spent the last eight years infiltrating a large drug-running operation led by a Triad boss named Quin (Andy Lau). Quin is terminally ill and looking for a successor. Nick is tapped to become the next big boss and seems to have the undercover operation well in hand, until he meets a junkie (Zhang Jing-Chu) and her child, which begins to blur the lines between right and wrong in Nick's mind.

This sort of plot, of course, has been done many times before. But director Derek Yee creates a believeable and realistic world. As with his One Nite in Mongkok, Yee produces a outstanding movie out of stock elements. Forgoing the melodrama favored by many directors in the genre, Protege never feels like an afterschool special or an obvious morality tale, even though there is undeniably an extremely strong anti-drug message.

Much of the credit to this has to be given to the two leads. Andy Lau seems to have settled comfortably into his role as the elder of Hong Kong cinema. A few years ago, a role like Quin's would probably just cause Andy to sit around and grimace slightly, but here he creates a very well-rounded and surprisingly sympathetic character. Daniel Wu (who, in many ways, represents the best of young guard of HK films) turns in one of his best performances to date. He plays everything very close to the vest, just like you might think a real undercover cop would. Relative newcomer Zhang Jing-Chu also does very well in what might be regulated into a "jade vase" role in other movies.

Hong Kong film-makers could do well by studying Protege. A smart script, solid acting, and tight directing are the ingredients for a good motion picture -- not a bunch of CGI, sappy ballads, or cute pop stars hamming for the camera. It's movies like this which give real hope that Hong Kong cinema is not dead just yet.