Realising that he will be defeated in no time during a police showdown, a thug shoots himself to force the cops to cease fire and take him to the hospital. In the hospital, he claims human rights to refuse immediate treatment in order to buy time for his underlings to rescue him. The detective in charge sees through his scheme but decides to play along so as to capture his whole gang once and for all.
Direction
To's geometric staging turns a hospital ward into a pressure chamber.
Acting
Wallace Chung's smug stillness versus Zhao's fraying composure.
Editing
The final 20-minute unbroken surgical sequence — pure cinematic sadism.
Director
Johnnie To
Vicky Zhao
Dr. Tong Qian
Louis Koo
Chief inspector Ken
Wallace Chung
Shun
Lo Hoi-Pang
Chung
Eddie Cheung Siu-Fai
Dr. Fok
Lam Suet
Fatty
Mimi Kung
A&E Department Nurse
Timmy Hung Tin-Ming
Chak
Michael Tse Tin-Wah
Gangster
Raymond Ho-Yin Wong
Gangster
Vincent Sze Cho-Lam
Gangster
Jonathan Wong Chi-Hin
Hung
Stephen Au Kam-Tong
Sgt. Tong
Mickey Chu Kin-Kwan
Dr. Steven Chow
Hedi He Guoxuan
Constable Yeung
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
To shot the climactic sequence in chronological takes over three days, forcing actors to maintain surgical precision under real exhaustion — the sweat you see is actual stress.
CN
HK
