HONG Kong's "angry young man" of the silver screen, Nicholas Tse, is back in full-blown action, and he has upgraded himself from actor to action director as well.
To mark his debut as action director, Tse teams up with popular director Herman Yau of the 'Shock Wave' movie series, and Cantopop's foremost Heavenly King, Jacky Cheung, in 'Customs Frontline'.
The movie gives fans of Tse an explosive adventure that promises a suspenseful two hours on land, sea and air.
This adventure is also a milestone in Hong Kong cinema as it marks the industry's first close look at the brave lawmen of the territory's customs department.
'Customs Frontline' tells the story of customs officer Chow Ching-Lai (Tse), who is an upright man.
With the guidance of his kindly mentor, Cheung Wan-Nam (Cheung), Ching-Lai becomes a "star officer" in the department.
One day, Ching-Lai and his team encounter an unmanned cargo ship that is hiding a batch of lethal weapons.
He soon learns that these are missing weapons stolen in Thailand and the master criminal who has been smuggling them is Dr Raw (Amanda Strang).
Interpol and the customs department soon launch a joint operation to find the stolen weapons, and Ching-Lai teams up with Thai agent Ying (Liu) to the Middle East to capture Dr Raw.
Yau's action movie is fast-moving and full of large set pieces.
Bearing similarities to his earlier 'Shock Wave' blockbusters, 'Customs Frontline' is a heroic rescue adventure with Hong Kongers in great peril.
But instead of the police special task forces, this movie involves the customs department. Malaysians might recall similarities with Adrian Teh's 'Paskal' and some of Datuk Yusof Haslam's earlier movies and dramas.
With Tse as the action director and main star, we get to enjoy lots of motor vehicle chases, armed combats on land and at sea and explosions on board ships.
The star-studded cast works great as a team. And it is refreshing to see the normally "gentleman" Cantopop King Cheung take on the role of a hard-boiled law enforcer and mentor to Tse.
Veterans like Francis Ng, John Chan and Michelle Yim, who have not appeared in movies for sometime, all hold their own with their brief but memorable cameos.
It is always a joy to have these golden oldies of Hong Kong cinema back for a reunion like this once every few years.
But it is Tse who serves as the main attraction since the story is about his character who arrives in the force wet behind the ears, yet full of masculine anger.
Tse undergoes a virtual baptism of fire which sets the stage for many adrenaline pumping adventures throughout the movie. He is ably aided by a stellar team of armed and dangerous supporting cast members who look the part.
Tse has his role cut out for him, as he takes to action hero roles like a true modern-day warrior.
The most challenging scene which pushes viewers to the edge of their seats involves a cargo ship which crashes into parts of Hong Kong's main harbour.
Both a gargantuan and risky task, it took Tse and Yau a week to wrap up. The dynamic duo had to make sure that it was realistic and frightening, but incorporating the highest standards of safety.
Tse and Yau installed cameras at different angles of the ship and made full use of four 100-tonne cranes to "push" it into destructive action.
And they were lucky to have the department on their side, as witnessed by their use of its majestic North Point headquarters and the massive Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base.
'Customs Frontline' is a great outing for all Tse fans, a good case study of how Malaysian and Hong Kong law enforcement movies are similar, and a heart-warming reunion for several great 1980s Hong Kong legends led by Cheung, Ng, Chan and Yim.
NOW SHOWING
CUSTOMS FRONTLINE
DIRECTOR Herman Yau
STARRING Nicholas Tse, Jacky Cheung, Karena Lam, Cya Liu, Francis Ng, Michelle Yim, Carlos Chan, Michelle Wai, Melvin Wong, John Chan and Amanda Strang
DURATION 120 minutes
RATING 18