Firestorm

An explosive Hong Kong crime thriller with intense action scenes.

In Hong Kong a team of well-armed criminals have been pulling off violent daytime heists. They’re led by Cao, a criminal mastermind who never leaves any evidence or traces to himself – legally he’s untouchable. This is the cause of much stress for senior inspector Lui (Andy Lau), who is horrified by the increasing body count of innocent bystanders and police officers. He wants to bring Cao and his team down so no more innocent lives are lost, something he’s finding difficult – Cao’s team is violent and capable, and the law prevents him from just arresting Cao and his men without clear evidence.

As a typhoon begins to close in on Hong Kong, two men are released from prison simultaneously. Bong is a criminal who promises his girlfriend he’s going to go straight, but teams up with Cao for more heists. Tong is an undercover agent and best friends with Lui, who is the godfather to Tong’s mentally disabled daughter. Bong aids Cao’s heists, acting as a foil to Lui’s efforts – the two were rivals as children in school judo classes – but straining his tender relationship with his girlfriend. Tong is willing to go undercover in Cao’s gang, which puts himself and his family in danger. Lui struggles as he tries to handle both men in his pursuit of Cao.

As Cao’s gang wreaks more havoc and costs more innocent lives, Lui’s determination to bring them to justice becomes darker. Wanting to put an end to the slew of deaths the gang leaves in its wake, Lui becomes willing to do anything, even if it means breaking the law.

 

It is, all things considered, a pretty great action thriller. The plot works for what it is, pretty standard crime thriller fare, but it does just enough to keep it interesting. While some aspects are a bit ho-hum (Bong’s relationship with his girlfriend is nothing special and seems to just be crime film box-checking), it’s keeps things exciting. Otherwise the movie keeps a taut pace and the performances are pretty great. It’s also a good looking movie, everything looking really slick and stylish.

Towards the end Lui has almost become a villain himself as he starts making morally questionable decisions to get Cao and his men. The way it happens is pretty natural actually – his frustration and fury builds and builds and, once it boils over, his actions get rough. After that he starts finding it easier to make similar decisions, getting more aggressive each time. By the finale Lui pretty much goes kill crazy, doing everything he can to make sure Cao’s gang doesn’t get out alive. He becomes like a criminal mastermind himself.

This movie is ridiculously action packed, to the point of putting most other crime thrillers to shame. Gunfights with machine guns, shotguns and grenade launchers are plentiful, with surprising brutality. There are car chases, intense raids and even the heists feel intense. There’s even a ridiculous-yet-awesome fistfight on a rickety mesh gate hanging over a several story drop.

Collateral damage is a big part of the movie, with dozens civilians and police officers getting gunned down, an obscene number of cars being totalled or exploded and, for the finale, what seems to be an entire street, including a bridge, being completely demolished. It’s all pretty damn impressive too. The explosions are big and ridiculous (though some use unconvincing CGI), the guns are the same and the action gets surprisingly brutal (you don’t really expect to see people with split limbs during gunfights).

It's a pretty great movie all things considered. It might not have the most complex of plots, but it delivers on the action front and remains compelling throughout.