The storyline is about a negotiator (Lau Cheng Wan) becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, and he demands the help of a retired negotiator (Francis Ng) to clear his name! The juice is in the tense negotiations between the two men!
The pace is good, it starts fast with a high-stake hostage situation for charter development, followed by the main hostage situation!
Basically, it is a big gathering of all seniors' actors in Hong Kong! It's nice to see all the familiar faces in a movie, but it's also sad to see where the new actors are? After this, what's more from HK movie industry?
Of the two, Francis Ng appeared to perform so much better, with suspenseful dialogue, psychological manipulation, and veiled threats. Lau Ching Wan's acting, on the other hand, is rather flat and emotionally reserved. Jiang Hao-Wen's aggressive acting is forever the same in all movies! Sigh...
The SWAT actions called by the Chief Police Officer are rather questionable given the condition with so many hostages! In fact, the frequent actions disrupt the flow of the primarily dialogue-based narrative.
It's good, but not great! The core negotiation is not tense and suspenseful enough, and the uneven acting and action sequences somehow prevent the movie from reaching its full potential. It's definitely worth your money to watch it in the cinema! Go for it!!!! DON'T miss it!!
