P Storm

P风暴

Hong Kong/China, 2019, colour/b&w, 2.35:1, 96 mins.

Director: Lin Delu 林德禄.

Rating: 5/10.

Fourth entry in the ICAC crime-fighting franchise dips back to the ho-hum, generic level of the first two.

STORY

Hong Kong, late 2017. ICAC principal investigator Lu Zhilian (Gu Tianle) is arrested for drunken speed-racing and given a three-month prison sentence. (Three years earlier, in the New Territories, retired teacher Liao Muzhi [Lu Haipeng] had died when his property was bulldozed on the orders of ambitious developer Cao Yuanyuan [Lin Feng], son of a crooked Mainland businessman [Sun Limin]. Cao Yuanyuan had been sent to Chi’ao prison for six years. Recently, however, with the likelihood of early release, he’s been sending threats to Liao Muzhi’s granddaughter, Liao Yuping [Zhou Xiuna], who helped to get him convicted. Liao Yuping had reported this to Lu Zhilian, suspecting several prison officials of corruption. Lu Zhilian had proposed going undercover into the prison. Police colleague Liu Baoqiang [Zhang Zhilin] had warned Lu Zhilian to be careful, as Huang Wenbin [Lin Jiadong], a corrupt detective whom Lu Zhilian had earlier convicted, was still serving time in the same prison.) Inside the prison, Lu Zhilian finds Cao Yuanyuan and Huang Wenbin lead opposing factions, and that both chief superintendent Shen Guoqiang (Tan Yaowen) and chief warden Qian Guofeng (Ai Wei) turn a blind eye to Cao Yuanyuan’s actions. Lu Zhilian tries to ingratiate himself with Cao Yuanyuan, earning the enmity of Huang Wenbin, who’s recognised him but keeps silent for the time being. Lu Zhilian is finally accepted by Cao Yuanyuan when the former is hospitalised after defending the latter from an attack by Huang Wenbin’s men. A repeat offender, Wang Lanlu (Zhang Jicong), who’s befriended Lu Zhilian, tells him that Cao Yuanyuan has several of the prison’s employees in his pay. Lu Zhilian’s superior (Zheng Jiaying) arranges for a young ICAC agent (Bai Tiannan) to pose as a warden to protect Lu Zhilian. But meanwhile Cao Yuanyuan has ordered his lawyer (Liao Qizhi) to investigate Lu Zhilian’s fake background as a company’s security head. Soon afterwards, Cao Yuanyuan orders his men outside to kidnap Liao Yuping but the plan is foiled by the ICAC, which puts her in a safe house. Meanwhile, two anti-corruption officers from the Mainland (Ding Haifeng, Liu Mengna) arrive in Hong Kong, investigating Cao Yuanyuan’s father.

REVIEW

Fourth outing in the ICAC alphabet franchise, P Storm P风暴 is a step-back in action thrills from its predecessor, L Storm L风暴 (2018), and roughly on a par in script terms with the first two entries, Z Storm Z风暴 (2014) and S Storm S风暴 (2016). That’s not saying much for a Hong Kong series that’s never strayed far from the territory’s well-worn film-making cliches despite promising moments and casts loaded with veterans alongside franchise star Gu Tianle 古天乐 [Louis Koo], who’s every bit as wooden here as in the others. Inexplicably, the franchise has developed into a money-maker on the Mainland, doubling its take with each title (RMB95 million, RMB209 million, RMB443 million, RMB794 million) – which means a fifth entry is inevitably on the cards.

Unlike, say, the Cold War 寒战 crime thrillers – which tried, at least in the first entry (2012), to bring something fresh to the table – the Storms have remained rooted in Hong Kong fare from a bygone age. The main creatives are all old school, from veteran producer Huang Baiming 黄百鸣 [Raymond Wong], through 1990s journeymen director Lin Delu 林德禄 (Hong Kong Gigolo 香港舞男, 1990) and writer Huang Haohua 黄浩华 (Casino 濠江风云, 1998) – both of whom made their comeback after after a 15-year break – to star Gu, now 48, himself. The series has softened its initial glorification of the Independent Commission Against Corruption 廉政公署 as the last bastion against Hong Kong’s extinction but hasn’t replaced it with anything more realistic. Increasingly the franchise looks like a 21st-century version (i.e. sanitised and more moralistic) of the late 1980s On Fire series directed by the late Lin Lingdong 林岭东 [Ringo Lam], and never more so than here as Our Hero goes undercover in a prison to root out corruption in the penal system.

Though it was clearly a good idea to bring back actor Lin Jiadong 林家栋 [Gordon Lam], who was responsible for some of the best scenes opposite Gu in Z, it’s typically done in a sloppy way that ignores all dramatic logic. Before he goes undercover, Gu’s ICAC investigator is warned by an old police pal – Zhang Zhilin 张智霖 [Julian Cheung], co-star of S and L, cameoing behind dark glasses – that Lin’s corrupt cop is serving time in the same prison and is bound to recognise him from three films ago. Despite various reasons being invented for Lin’s former cop not immediately blowing the investigator’s cover, it’s a massive blow to the story’s believability from the start. Why not use Lin’s character as, say, a surprise twist, by having him unexpectedly transferred to the prison later on?

It’s a typical weakness of Huang’s script, which runs solidly along genre lines: the sympathetic prisoner who befriends the ICAC investigator, the psycho rich man’s son who’s itching to get out of jail, and even the absurdly clean prison sets and well-laundered clothes of the inmates. The film’s better first half diverts attention with constant, well-mounted fights between rival prisoner gangs and some close escapes by Gu’s ICAC man from being rumbled. But the second half – which also stirs some Mainland investigators into the mix as the plot veers off to include the villain’s father – doesn’t make the most of the tensions built up, and even excludes the main star (Gu) from the helicopter action finale.

Aside from Gu, who just clocks in another wooden performance, performances make the best of the situation. Lin again rises above the material with a slyly restrained performance as the ICAC man’s old nemesis, TVB star Lin Feng 林峰 (Its Love 白蛇传说, 2011; Saving General Yang 忠烈杨家将, 2013) is fine as the psychotic fuerdai, and veteran Liao Qizhi 廖启智 [Liu Kai-chi] almost steals the show as his oily lawyer. Character actor Zhang Jicong 张继聪 comes a close second as the film’s sole light relief; the film’s only significant actress, Zhou Xiuna 周秀娜 [Chrissie Chau], has a nothing role as a Heroine in Peril. Technical contributions, led by incoming veteran d.p. Chen Guanghong 陈广鸿 [Joe Chan] coincidentally, one of the camera crew on the 1987 Prison on Fire 监狱风云) are solid, with no special signatures, including composer Chu Zhendong 褚镇东 [Anthony Chue] and editor Pan Xiongyao 潘雄耀, both series regulars.

In the Mainland the film is known as 反贪风暴4 (“Anti-Corruption Storm 4”), continuing a numerical rather than alphabetical titling. Where Z was the name of of the ICAC operation, and P appears to refer to “prison”, the meanings of the other letters are more obscure: S may refer to “soccer” and L to “(money) laundering”. In any event, only another 22 letters to go.

CREDITS

Presented by Pegasus Film & TV Culture (Beijing) (CN), Er Dong Pictures (Beijing) (CN), Tianjin Maoyan Weiying Cultural Media (CN), Mandarin Motion Pictures (HK), Author’s Journey (Beijing) (CN), Shanghai Pegasus Film & TV Culture (CN), Shanghai Mingzhao Film & TV Culture (CN), Foshan Dongtian Film & TV Culture (CN). Produced by Mandarin Motion Pictures (HK).

Script: Huang Haohua, He Wenlong. Original story: Huang Baiming [Raymond Wong]. Photography: Chen Guanghong [Joe Chan]. Editing: Pan Xiongyao. Music: Chu Zhendong [Anthony Chue]. Art direction: Li Jingwen. Costume design: Cai Yanwen. Sound: He Sizhan, Nie Jirong, Ye Zhaoji. Action: Ling Zhihua. Visual effects: Ma Yong’an (TVB Publications).

Cast: Gu Tianle [Louis Koo] (Lu Zhilian/William, ICAC principal investigator), Zheng Jiaying (Cheng Deming), Lin Feng (Cao Yuanyuan), Lin Jiadong [Gordon Lam] (Huang Wenbin), Zhou Xiuna [Chrissie Chau] (Liao Yuping/Natalie), Zhang Jicong (Wang Lanlu/Fluke), Tan Yaowen (Shen Guoqiang, prison’s chief superintendent), Cai Hanyi (Xiao Guanghan, ICAC investigations supervisor), Liao Qizhi [Liu Kai-chi] (Yao Junhao, Cao Yuanyuan’s lawyer), Ai Wei (Qian Guofeng, prison’s chief warden), Lu Haipeng (Liao Muzhi, Liao Yuping’s grandfather), Xia Yan (Tan Meili, ICAC investigations supervisor), Huang Zhihao (Zhang Kun), Zhang Songzhi (Wang Hailiang), Zhang Jiansheng (Na Du), Bai Tiannan (Wang Jia’an, undercover ICAC officer in prison), Ding Haifeng (Hong Liang, China Anti-Corruption Bureau action department head), Liu Mengna (Ding Rou, China Supreme Prosecutor’s Office senior investigator), Zhu Jianran (Chi Liejiao), Hui Neng (Xi), Chen Jing (Dong Na), Shi Xiu (prison supervisor), Chen Manna (Cao Bai, Cao Yuanyuan’s mother), Guan Lijie (ICAC head), Zhang Zhilin [Julian Cheung] (Liu Baoqiang), Sun Limin (Yuan Zhengyun, aka Yang Jincheng, Cao Yuanyuan’s father), Huang Xue’er (young Liao Yuping/Natalie), Zhong Pumin (Liao Yuping’s work colleague).

Release: Hong Kong, 4 Apr 2019; China, 4 Apr 2019.