As gritty as any 80s Hong Kong gangster picture, award winning director Wong Kar-wai’s (In The Mood For Love, Ashes of Time) auspicious directorial debut smuggled his now celebrated visual genius into a classic gangster film about loyalty, ambition and respect.

Already stretched to breaking point in a loyalty tug of war between Triad bosses and his loose cannon partner, Wah (Andy Lau) - a rising star in the Hong Kong underworld - finds himself saddled with his beautiful, ailing country cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung). When an escalating test of wills with a stubborn debtor explodes into bloodshed and a mob turncoat instigates a ruthless police crackdown, Wah's growing fascination with Ngor becomes his last chance for escape from a violent past and a dubious future.

With a stellar cast, this heroic street opera offered a tantalising glimpse into the brilliance of one of the most influential filmmaking talents of the last twenty years - and its mark on contemporary Hong Kong crime films can still be seen over two decades after its release.

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