What does a cop, a comic book writer and a serial killer have in common? A lot, it seems. In this very quirky HK film, the lives of 3 people who hail from such diverse background intertwine through their destiny and their heart.
Jordan Chan is magnificent as the bad-beat oppressed reporter who ekes out a living through writing comic series for a newspaper. He has a real talent in churning out pulp hits, but instead of a better working condition, he gets rewarded with more assignments and deadlines. So he needs some inspiration. Everytime his comics get published, it is invariably executed in exact same style. It would have been a real credit to his imagination, except that he is writing gangland murder stories over here. On the other hand, when he lacks the inspiration to continue in some of his murder series, the serial killer will act first to inspire him.
Involved in this intriguing setup is the detective played by Sunny Chan, ever so resourceful and suave. Invariably fingers are being pointed at the comic writer, but he believes the comic writer is innocent. In his quest to solve the mystery, he finds out that he himself has more than just sympathy for this serial killer.
Such a premise is very refreshing against the backdrop of tired old formulas from HK triad stories. It is a credit to the director that he just manages to steer it in control and keep intrigue going, when it threatens to fizzle out when the story-becomes-murder plot gets repetitive.
Rating : 7.3
