| Film noir flourished in American cinema in the late 1940's and early 1950's. The description of the genre comes not only from the look of most of the films (black and white, filled with shadows) but also from the mood of doom that hangs over the characters. No matter what they do, they are destined to come out on the losing side.
Considering the role fate plays in so many Hong Kong films, it's rather surprising that so few can actually be termed film noir. The most obvious reason is that black-and-white films are rarely made. On the other side of the coin, it seems that most protagonists are willing to accept the hand that fate gives them, but they are not going down without a battle. There's always a possibility that they will beat the odds.
But not here. Not only is the cinematography as dark and menacing as color photography can be, the atmosphere is thick with grim pessimism. A tragic air colors each of the characters.
Yuen Biao is a police officer whose ex-wife has an affair with the wrong man and pays with her life. The man orders assassin Pat Ha to do the hit. The man is, of course, Yuen Biao's superintendent. When the police conspiracy is uncovered, Yuen Biao is accused of the murder and ends up teaming with the assassin.
The concluding fight sequence contains no acrobatics and no elegance. Just brutality and a harrowing sense of realism.
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