Director Patrick YAU; Producers Daniel LAM, Danny WANG; Exec. Prods. Johnny TO, WAI Ka Fai; Cast Simon YAM, LAU Ching Wan, Ruby WONG

The most celebrated auteurs of Hong Kong action cinema may have jumped ship for the industry that christened TITANIC, but that doesn’t mean there’s no new blood in town. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, the latest collaboration between the creators and star of THE LONGEST NITE and TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NO. 1—the two most radical gangster films to emerge locally in 1997—proves that there’s still plenty.

When a trio of bungling, small-time crooks fresh from the mainland decide that their BB gun and household tools qualify them to knock over a high-security jewelry store, they fail royally, and immediately become the quarry of a police dragnet. But what begins as a turkey shoot for a close-knit team of veteran cops suddenly escalates into a full-scale war when the man hunt leads to an apartment recently commandeered by cutthroats wanted for rape, murder and bank robbery.

From there, the movie uncorks surprise after surprise. The smooth transitions—from comic and tense to dark and back again—recall vintage Tarantino, while the playfully tossed red herrings bring to mind the speed and skill of a Chicago Bulls keep-away session. The action hits with the point-blank fury of buckshot scorching Kevlar and the romantic signals get crossed like the legs on the eyewitness everyone wants to date. What more could any hedonist ask for?

—Kevin Sun

Presented with Tai Seng Video Marketing