Chasing the Dragon - Fabuk Magazine

Out on DVD 22nd January

Corrupt Cop. Dirty drug lord. The city doesn’t stand a chance.

Fast-Sell:

Screen legends Donnie Yen and Andy Lau star in an action-packed Hong Kong crime thriller, based on the life of a real-life drug lord and Triad gang leader, and his brutal ascension to power.

Synopsis:

Crippled Ho, an illegal immigrant from mainland China sneaks into British-colonized Hong Kong in 1963, a den of corruption, drugs and violence. Working as a thug for a local gang, Ho comes to the attention of corrupt cop Lee Rock. The unlikely duo team up and set about taking over the city’s thriving, the dangerous underworld.

We like it because:

“Life or death, poverty or riches – it’s all destined”

Get ready for an ambitious big-budget crime drama, based on an incredible true-life story, with Hong Kong cinema superstars Donnie Yen and Andy Lau starring together for the first time. The yen is Crippled Ho, based on the Chinese gangster Ng Sik-Ho, who rises up from nothing to control the drug trade in Hong Kong – aided and abetted by a corrupt cop played by Lau (Infernal Affairs).

This rise and fall story, a Chinese Scarface, is dazzlingly co-directed by Hong Kong film veteran Wong Jing (God of Gamblers) and ace cinematographer Jason Kwan. The film’s period settings are impeccable, and memorable set pieces include an insane shoot-out in a stunningly recreated Kowloon Walled City, a car chase like you’ve never seen, and enough brutal, brilliantly choreographed bone-crunching to please chop-socky fans.

Recalling the likes of Chinese gangster classics Election and A Better Tomorrow, and underworld masterwork Goodfellas, and featuring powerful central performances from dream team Yen and Lau, CHASING THE DRAGON is a truly spectacular and searing true crime epic.

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