Chow Kam Kong (Kenneth Tsang), a successful businessman, with a suspected shady past, decides to put his previous ways behind him to enjoy a simple family life. He forces his nephew, Peter Chow (Lam Wai), to take an oath not to get involved in any drugs or illegal activity.
Nevertheless, Peter travels to Thailand to help his Uncle Ko (Eddy Ko) with some business. Despite appearing a little naïve, Peter proves to be very capable both in business affairs and with his fists.
Back at home, Uncle Chow is double-crossed and murdered at his own birthday party, along with many of the guests and family members.
Police Inspector Mandy Wu (Sibelle Hu) and her fiancée Ma (Michael Miu) - who is also a cop in her department - are given five days to solve the murder. The investigation leads the police to Thailand where Peter has rapidly started to make a name for himself.
Drugs Area may initially seem like a fairly routine and cheap Hong Kong actioner. While it's true that a lot of the standard tropes are present here, and the material is far from original, to its credit the film does have a few surprises up its sleeve.
The director also attempts to add some welcome touches of authenticity to the Thailand setting. As well as the expected shots of temples, there's some Thai kick-boxing, ladyboy cabaret, Thai pop music and various shots of a seedy red light district. The film thankfully avoids coming across as a travelogue and these scenes are presented within proper context to reasonably good effect.
Most of the action appears in the second half courtesy of Sibelle Hu's frequent skirmishes with local Thai hoods. The fairly up-tempo finale features some decent fights (Sibelle Hu and Cheng Chu-Fung both perform well here), a speedboat chase and dozens of random Thai thugs getting mowed down in a hail of bullets.
The most disappointing aspect of the film is probably Lam Wai's character, Peter Chow. Without giving away any more spoilers, his character arc is plausible but the way it's presented here doesn't fully convince. Lam Wai, who was once aptly referred to as a Chinese Charles Bronson for his quiet, brooding performances is usually brilliant, and while his performance here is still fine, it perhaps wasn't the right role for him. Sibelle Hu on the other hand steals every scene that she is in, so fans of hers will definitely want to check this out.
3 out of 5
Review source: World Video, VHS (USA) (Cantonese language with English subtitles)
Nevertheless, Peter travels to Thailand to help his Uncle Ko (Eddy Ko) with some business. Despite appearing a little naïve, Peter proves to be very capable both in business affairs and with his fists.
Back at home, Uncle Chow is double-crossed and murdered at his own birthday party, along with many of the guests and family members.
Police Inspector Mandy Wu (Sibelle Hu) and her fiancée Ma (Michael Miu) - who is also a cop in her department - are given five days to solve the murder. The investigation leads the police to Thailand where Peter has rapidly started to make a name for himself.
Drugs Area may initially seem like a fairly routine and cheap Hong Kong actioner. While it's true that a lot of the standard tropes are present here, and the material is far from original, to its credit the film does have a few surprises up its sleeve.
The director also attempts to add some welcome touches of authenticity to the Thailand setting. As well as the expected shots of temples, there's some Thai kick-boxing, ladyboy cabaret, Thai pop music and various shots of a seedy red light district. The film thankfully avoids coming across as a travelogue and these scenes are presented within proper context to reasonably good effect.
Most of the action appears in the second half courtesy of Sibelle Hu's frequent skirmishes with local Thai hoods. The fairly up-tempo finale features some decent fights (Sibelle Hu and Cheng Chu-Fung both perform well here), a speedboat chase and dozens of random Thai thugs getting mowed down in a hail of bullets.
The most disappointing aspect of the film is probably Lam Wai's character, Peter Chow. Without giving away any more spoilers, his character arc is plausible but the way it's presented here doesn't fully convince. Lam Wai, who was once aptly referred to as a Chinese Charles Bronson for his quiet, brooding performances is usually brilliant, and while his performance here is still fine, it perhaps wasn't the right role for him. Sibelle Hu on the other hand steals every scene that she is in, so fans of hers will definitely want to check this out.
3 out of 5
Review source: World Video, VHS (USA) (Cantonese language with English subtitles)