Turning Point review
Laughing (Michael Tse) is an undercover police officer working his way up through the ranks of a major triad gang, run by "One" (Anthony Wong). When Laughing is arrested after the seizure of a large drugs haul, the triads get twitchy that he will turn informant and resolve to have him killed.
Big Brother (Eric Tsang) orders One to carry out the hit, after his allegiance comes into question. One spent many years working undercover in the cops. After the police lost their faith in him and accused him of being a rat he returned to the triads, but they don't trust him either. Foremost among his detractors is Zatoi (Francis Ng) who heads up another affiliated gang. Compounding Laughing's problems is the fact that his police contact, Inspector Xian (Yuen Biao) is in a coma after a car accident, leaving nobody to vouch for him on either side. He is also secretly dating Zatoi's sister, Karen (Fala Chen).
Turning Point is a spin-off prequel of the hugely successful TV series E.U. that screened on TVB earlier this year. Although only a supporting character, the popularity of Laughing and the unprecedented public grief displayed over his character's death near the end of the series, inspired TVB to whip up this feature film to placate the fans. The script was written by Johnnie To regular Yip Tin Shing (Election 1&2, Exiled, Throw Down) and the film was directed by Herman Yau, with original actor Michael Tse reprising his role amidst a beefed up supporting cast.
Tse makes for a charismatic lead and stands his ground admirably up against his A-list colleagues and, judging by the overwhelming reception that greeted him at last night's midnight preview screening, probably we will be seeing a lot more of him in high profile productions in the future. Anthony Wong is on a role at the moment, reveling in his role as a flamboyant triad boss, sporting an increasingly bizarre and comical array of shawls, hats and emo make-up that would have him instantly pinned as gay, had the director not insisted on having hi constantly surrounded by a harem of beautiful ladies. This film is also the reason for the ridiculous haircut he was sporting at the Cannes film festival back in May. Francis Ng is also excellent, letting rip as the more straightforward, yet more menacing, triad boss, Zatoi and it is reassuring to see these big name actors come on board and really let loose like this.
What is most surprising about Turning Point is how good it is, considering how quickly the production has been turned around. Laughing's final episode on E.U. was on March 18th this year and barely five months later the film is ready for release and isn't half bad. It owes a massive debt to films like Infernal Affairs and City on Fire, as one might expect, but it manages to remain tense and exciting even though the outcome will be common knowledge to many (although it should be noted, the film stands alone from the TV series and doesn't require any previous knowledge). It does all get a little confusing and convoluted towards the end, as it uses a layered flashback structure, with numerous reveals and double crosses making it sometimes difficult to keep track of exactly who is on who's side, but for the most part Turning Point is an efficient and entertaining little policier.
