Ringo Lam’s Hong Kong cop thriller gained a new level of recognition in the west when Quentin Tarantino admitted he’d borrowed heavily from its plot for his own Reservoir Dogs. In truth, apart from the bare bones of the plot (culminating in that famous Mexican standoff), there’s little comparison. No wisecracking about Madonna lyrics or torture scenes set to 70s soft rock here; instead, you get gritty, often bloody violence in the bustling streets and night markets of Hong Kong (which look splendid in this new restoration), and an effective tale of cops, robbers and divided loyalty. (And to be fair, Lam in turn was inspired by 1970s Indian thriller Gaddaar.)
