Beast Cops (1998)

Director: Gordon Chan, Dante Lam

Cast: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Michael Wong, Stephanie Che

Synopsis: A veteran Hong Kong cop and his new partner tread a thin line between right and wrong as they battle triad gangs.

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang and Michael Wong play a pair of unlikely cop partners in the uneven but consistently entertaining Hong Kong thriller Beast Cops. The plot, such as it is, is fairly meandering, focusing more on the relationship between the two men and their respective romantic interests than on the Triad sub-plot that takes over for the final reel.  As with many Asian movies, there’s a strong vein of humour throughout.  Usually though, the humour in these films is too broad for Western tastes and often diminishes the film’s overall impact, but the humour here is quite subtle and works to enhance the relationship between the two heroes.  Filmed in a style that still looks fresh today, Beast Cops is a superior Asian thriller.

(Reviewed 12th March 2012)