Reviews & Ratings for
A True Mob Story More at IMDbPro »Long zai jiang hu (original title)

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Deconstructs the myth of the 'honorable Triad', 30 January 2000

Author: Libretio

A TRUE MOB STORY (Long Zai Jiang Hu)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

Wong Jing's commitment to schlock cinema may not be widely admired in HK film-making circles, but he's still capable of turning out worthwhile potboilers like A TRUE MOB STORY, which he wrote, produced and directed. Andy Lau plays a low-ranking Triad mobster who loses his nerve during a gang fight while saving the boss's son (Mark Cheng) from a rival gangster (Ben Ng), an incident which results in the death of Lau's beloved wife. Unable to cope with the subsequent demands of his Triad lifestyle, Lau becomes an unwitting pawn in the hands of his ungrateful superiors, and when Ng comes looking for revenge, they abandon Lau to his fate. Further treachery is revealed when Lau - who is virtually penniless and beholden to the gang for his pitiful income - discovers that the video CD factory which Cheng had licensed in Lau's name is actually a massive cocaine distribution center, thus launching a tragic sequence of events which finally restores Lau's convictions and enables him to plot an elaborate revenge against all those who have betrayed him...

The casting of poster-icon Lau is central to Wong's blatant deconstruction of the 'honorable Triad' myth popularised in the mid-1980s by directors like John Woo; Lau's innate decency and his natural aversion to violence is frequently contrasted with the vulgar excesses of his fellow gangsters, most of whom are portrayed as reptilian thugs with no respect for anything but wealth, power and brutality. Lau's ultimate redemption is provided by Gigi Leung, his charming co-star from the unexpected smash-hit FULL THROTTLE (1995), playing a barrister whose ambivalent feelings for Lau threatens her somewhat strained relationship with fiancé Alex Fong (effectively understated in a difficult role), who also happens to be the head of the local Organized Crime and Triad Bureau! The breathless narrative is prone to sudden outbursts of blistering violence, but the fight scenes are more chaotic than extravagant (the "Young and Dangerous" series has a lot to answer for!), and the film is obliged for the most part to coast along on the strength of the performances, which are uniformly excellent. Given that the script is supposed to be based on 'true' events (hence the title), Wong goes well over the top on occasion (check out the judge's reaction to Lau's manufactured display of 'nobility' during the first courtroom sequence!), and his film has none of the myth-making grandeur of other recent Lau vehicles like THE ADVENTURERS (1995) or SHANGHAI GRAND (1996), but it passes the time amiably enough whilst upholding all the familiar traditions of this particular sub-genre.

(Cantonese dialogue)

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Okay Hong Kong action/drama., 22 July 2002

Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland

Jing Wang's "Long Zai Jiang Hu" is an interesting Chinese gangster film with some melodramatic touches.There's plenty of violence and lots of fight scenes to please action cinema buffs.The acting is really good-especially Andy Lau as a Chinese Triad member is really memorable in his role,and the beautiful ladies(Angie Cheung,Suki Kwan)are another highlight of this picture.The ending is really surprising.Check it out.

Jing Wong's A True Mob Story, 8 March 2009

Author: Miyagis_Sweaty_wifebeater (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA

A True Mob Story (1998) is about a bottom rung triad (Andy Lau) who discovers that rising in the ranks of his Triad often comes with a heavy price. Is their really honor amongst thieves? Just how crazy is a gangster named Crazy Ball any way? Does it really pay to be a criminal? Will upholding the law surpass true love? Find out when you watch A True Mob Story? Also starring Gigi Leung, Suki Kwan, Ben Ng with a surprise appearance from Jing Wong's father Tin Lam Wong.

Jing Wong's cash in on the triad movie craze in Hong Kong was a real good entry. He's a very entertaining filmmaker who can make any kind of genre film, but his comedies are by far his best work.

Recommended

Andy Lau goes Old School, 31 October 1998
Author: Chung-Han Lee

I was very surprised by this movie because it has been a long time since Andy Lau has done a triad movie. These movies were very popular during the beginning of his career, but more recently he has fallen into doing low class Chinese comedies, so I was refreshed to see him return to his roots. I was also surprised to see that Gigi Leung did a respectful performance. I was also glad to see that she didn't sing the theme song, which was sung by Andy Lau. The first time I saw the movie I was very touched by the father son relationship that was portrayed. Overall, I feel this movie was quite good and deserves to be watched at least once.

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