Neither the darker-than-dark Bob Peck BBC miniseries nor indeed the Mel Gibson Hollywood remake, this 1988 EDGE OF DARKNESS is instead an equally dark and gritty Hong Kong crime story with an excellent plot by none other than cop turned HK star Philip Chan. The director is actor and martial artist Fung Hark-on, and he does such a good job that you wish he'd directed more movies. The first thing you notice about this one is that it's an incredibly obscure movie, never getting even a DVD release in the East, which is a real shame as it happens to be excellent.
Things begin with John Sham in a rare straight role as a cop on the trail of a rapist. Pretty soon we're introduced to youthful hero Chin Siu-ho, playing a cop deep undercover in the Chinese Triads who are headed by none other than Lo Wei, the man who directed all Bruce Lee's HK flicks back in the day. The story that plays out is packed with drama, intense action and betrayal, and it's up there with the likes of GAME OF THRONES in terms of twists and turns; I was on the edge of my seat throughout. The supporting cast features notable turns from the likes of Lo Lieh as a fellow gangster, and in particular Alex Man stands out as another cop with a gambling problem. This is consistently great stuff that deserves more attention!
Things begin with John Sham in a rare straight role as a cop on the trail of a rapist. Pretty soon we're introduced to youthful hero Chin Siu-ho, playing a cop deep undercover in the Chinese Triads who are headed by none other than Lo Wei, the man who directed all Bruce Lee's HK flicks back in the day. The story that plays out is packed with drama, intense action and betrayal, and it's up there with the likes of GAME OF THRONES in terms of twists and turns; I was on the edge of my seat throughout. The supporting cast features notable turns from the likes of Lo Lieh as a fellow gangster, and in particular Alex Man stands out as another cop with a gambling problem. This is consistently great stuff that deserves more attention!
