Having played the role a thousand times, Andy Lau returns as a low-level gangster in Wong Jing's late 90's triad drama, A True Mob Story. After saving his boss in an attack by a rival gangster called Crazy Ball, Lau gets promoted to the bosses right-hand-man, but loses his wife in a traffic accident during the incident. Five years later, with his son now at an age where he understands what his dad is, life isn't getting any easier for Andy as a triad and as a father...
The unstoppable force that is Wong Jing delivers a film that is more about drama than triad action. While it has a small number of violent scuffles and a great end fight, A True Mob Story goes behind the scenes of Lau's character, focusing on his trials as a parent and family man. The gangster with a heart is liked by many, but badly treated and abused by his boss for being such a walk-over.
Involved in a court case based on an attack by him, Lau is represented by defence attorney, Sandy, played by the wooden Gigi Leung. Obviously, she starts to fall for the gangster with a heart, noticed by her overly jealous boyfriend Alex Fong (Iron Angels) who tries to intervene when he can, abusing his power as a cop to do so. This miscasting and sub-plot of Leung, for me, is one of the weaker strains of the film!
There's a couple of nods to moments of (the far superior) A Moment Of Romance, of which Wong Jing was a producer and Lau the star of course, but A True Mob Story is more like a 90's Hollywood movie, and a very mature production in terms of what Jing usually dishes out. That's not a bad thing, but it just feels less gritty than the usual Hong Kong fare.
Mark Cheng plays Prince, Lau's boss with a bad attitude and a violent reputation. He has a bad habit of abusing the man who saved him and slapping his kid about, but Lau tries to stay faithful as much as he can for the safety of his family. The great Michael Chan Wai Man plays Prince's father in an extended cameo. While it has its flaws and can be overly talky, A True Mob Story wins by a host of great performances, with Andy Lau in top form as a good man forced into a bad life, and a surprise ending that sums it all up...
Overall: Not one for the action fans, A True Mob Story still proves to be a well-made, and decent film with a memorable role from Andy Lau!
