Long Arm of the Law(MT)

During his television days, Johnny Mak was praised for the bold and authenticity of his TV series. For his film directorial debut, Mak recruited former police officer Philip Chan to write a script based on the infamous "Big Circle Gang" robberies and even recruited real gang members as actors. In line with Mak's trademark style, the film meticulously lays out every step of the crime. Its action scenes are thrilling, but its dramatic scenes are also delicate and rich. Not only does it depict the fantasies of glamourous Hong Kong held by those in mainland China in the 1980s, it also reveals the fears and anxieties of Hongkongers. In the film's jaw-dropping firefight finale — shot on location in the alleys of Kowloon Walled City — showing the "Big Circle" robbers cornered like mice is a brilliant political metaphor.