| Although Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon looms over this Hong Kong take on the scenario, Derek Yee's second film holds rather terrific strength to make it an individual winner. In debt triad punks played by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Ronald Wong gets disarmed by the bank robbing situation they are the "masterminds" of and by the arrival of another robber (the character of Koo, played Ti Lung). The warm/calculating/ruthless robber is heading out of the country with a bit of pocket money but not without his girlfriend (Elaine Kam) who sits in jail. All while the media watches and certain fractions of the police force are trying to look their best rather than work in the interest of the hostages...
Utilizing his select locations very well for tension, characters that will be stuck in the bank are setup to good effect, where Yee touches upon awakenings in the face of a tense situation and a developing Stockholm syndrome in the way the regular people relate to their kidnapper. Overpowering all that good stuff is Ti Lung at center with a powerhouse performance that doesn't miss a beat. With a costume design that says it all (his tattoos barely looking out but setting a tone), Koo is a dangerous force but a love torn one as well that threatens to seize functioning without a nearby warmth. It's easy to detect though that Koo and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai's failed robber are facing doom but Yee's social commentary about the gung-ho/media driven mentality of the police means an earned win over potential predictability. In short, People's Hero is a tough, gritty winner. Elaine Kam and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai was awarded for their supporting roles. Tony Leung Ka-Fai is kept mostly to the back while Paul Chun, Bowie Lam, Tin Ching and Teddy Yip also appear. |
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