Set against the fall of Hong Kong to the Japanese, the story follows the lives of three friends and contrasts their intimacy with the sweep of monumental events. If Michael Bay and the screenwriters of Pearl Harbour ever wanted to learn how to transpose a love triangle over the top of WWII events, they should have looked to this effort from producer Sammo Hung. Despite the melodrama, the performances are all strong, and careworthy.
This film catapulted Chow Yun-fat to big-screen stardom in his homeland, long before John Woo or Ang Lee introduced him to the West, and deservedly so - his work here as the slick actor Fay is a treat. The cinematography also deserves a mention.