The White Storm 2: Drug Lords

A sequel in name only to 2013's The White Storm, this slick if heavy-handed thriller stars Andy Lau, Louis Koo and Michael Miu as three men whose lives are ruled by the Hong Kong drugs trade. Koo plays the loose-cannon kingpin peddling heroin and ruining lives, while Miu is the bereaved Narcotics Bureau chief using the law to bring him down. And in the one novel twist on the cops 'n' gangsters formula, Lau is the former Triad-turned-businessman who sets out to thwart Koo's ambitions in his own way. The reasons behind Lau's anti-drugs crusade are laid on a bit thick by co-writer/director Herman Yau (Shock Wave Tunnel), who favours cranking up the emotion to hysterical levels instead of creating tension and suspense. The shoot-outs between the various warring factions are also rather chaotic and confusing, but the film's stunt team should be applauded for staging some impressive action sequences, including a convincingly dangerous car chase through a packed subway station.