The Longest Nite

It is violent, gritty, bloody a bit confused too, not really easy to follow. Produced by Johnny To, we then understand easily that stuff is not lousy. Macao by night, helped by the Giorgio Moroder's and Nino Rota - GODFATHER's music - score, where it is question of gang wars, triads, and when a borderline rotten cop is on the loose too, expect action, torture, in this fast paced and never boring Asian crime film. The quality of this feature can't be denied and I think it deserves a better release. It is short, not as long as Korean crime movies for instance, but the atmosphere is very close and far from Hollywood clichés. Unlike some Asian films that I have seen recently.

An almost completely satisfying 85 minutes; I'd have a hard time coming up with five minutes of the movie I'd like to see cut out. The movie starts off slow but intense, and gradually builds to fast and even more intense. Both leads are, of course, great. There are a lot of plot holes and logic jumps, but that's almost a given in a conspiracy-themed movie. Aside from that, there are really only a few small complaints to make; the action ending seems a little contrived. Some of the Foley work is pretty weak. A major character meets his/her demise in an extremely unsatisying manner. There's a couple of sloppy edits towards the end. The establishing shots are stolen from NYPD Blue. But really, when I'm so desperate for downsides that I'm nitpicking the EDITING, you know it's a great movie! Patrick Yau is well on his way to becoming one of the best directors in Hong Kong.

Pic probably tops all Hongkong films in presenting triad warfare intrigue, and the horror and intricacy of a well-oiled set-up. The scripter and director weave a clever interlocking plot complete with tense and heart-stopping atmospherics. Tony Leung's bad cop performance is a class on its own, particularly when he finds out that he's been set up and is now in an untenable situation. But pic's originality is in the end let down by the final shoot out in a dilapidated warehouse, which is both shop-worn and pretentious.

Two Triad Leaders, Mr. K and Mr. Lung, control the underground of Macau .. The Old Triad Lord, Mr. Hung, is upset he's been left out .. He orders for both groups to pay dues but instead , they decide to join forces to maximize business ..

Overnight , a rumor spreads Mr. K has ordered a hit on Mr. Lung for over 50 grand .. Negotiators from both sides have 24 hours to get to the bottom of this before things get ugly ..... Simultaneously a mysterious character arrives in town and is stirring up trouble everywhere he goes ..

The Longest Nite follows Tony Leung as a corrupt detective struggling to keep his head above water when he ends up caught in a crossfire between two gang rivalries. Meanwhile a mystery begins to unravel where Leung faces some serious career-ending dangers in which he must take specific actions to avoid. Lau Ching Wan plays a riddle in an enigma who hides in the shadows to conduct and puppeteer the actions of many other characters. Leung is consequently one of many mice who must compete to stay alive through what might possibly be "the longest night" of his life. This is a very strongly written thriller with moody cinematography throughout the nighttime streets of Hong Kong, an excellent film of Johnnie To's one of his best. The performances by Leung and Lau are great as well they really make great adversaries like you'd expect from the cover. Although the reason I don't rate this thriller higher are some erratic moments of absurd bloodshed which are almost comical in execution. "R-rated Looney Tunes styled death sequences". They only last but seconds, regardless they were enough to take me out of the film. Another detractor is the sense of limited closure on specific characters which I would have liked to see more development on in the conclusion. Besides a few minor complaints I still love this movie, and will enjoy watching it again. -8/10