A group of inept Mainland criminals botch a jewelry store robbery. The cops, led by the straight-laced Ken and the wise-cracking Sam, begin to investigate the case and quickly confuse the ...
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Title: Expect the Unexpected (1998)
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2 wins & 4 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Simon Yam | ... | Ken | |
| Ching Wan Lau | ... | Sam | |
| YoYo Mung | ... | Mandy | |
| Ruby Wong | ... | Macy | |
| Suet Lam | ... | Collins | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Chit-Man Chan | ... | Head of Security Carrier Robbers | |
| Joe Cheng | ... | Heavy-armed Robber in Apartment | |
| Shiu Hung Hui | ... | Ben | |
 |
Kar Sin Pak | ... | Isabella |
| Keiji Sato | ... | Jewellry Shop Robber | |
| Raymond Ho-Yin Wong | ... | Jimmy (as Ho-Yin Wong) | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A group of inept Mainland criminals botch a jewelry store robbery. The cops, led by the straight-laced Ken and the wise-cracking Sam, begin to investigate the case and quickly confuse the jewel thieves with a group of hard-ass Mainland robbers staying in the same area.
Plot Keywords:
heroic bloodshed | undercover police | robbery gone awry | rape | policewoman |Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
Hong KongLanguage:
CantoneseRelease Date:
28 May 1998 (Hong Kong) See more »Also Known As:
Expect the Unexpected See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
HKD6,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
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Although most of Hong Kong's top talent has left for Hollywood, there has been a wave of interesting films from new directors like Patrick Yau who directed this sombering drama. The tune of the film shifts from drama to comedy to action back to comedy and finally to tragedy. The top performances were given by Simon Yam and Lau Ching-Wan as Police officers who are in love with the same woman. Expect The Unexpected along with The Longest Nite(1997) and The Odd One Dies(1997) show the emergence of another great director from Hong Kong. Expect The Unexpected(1998) is one of the best films in Hong Kong in the last ten years.
What makes this movie different from other Police dramas is it focuses more on the relationship the members of the Crime Unit have with each other and less with action scenes. Expect The Unexpected reminded me of the films of Takeshi Kitano in that like in his films the violence is sudden and tragic. The ending took me by surprise, but also impressed me because of the courage Patrick Yau had in filming this scene. The ending of Expect The Unexpected makes the finale of John Woo's The Killer(1989) look like a happy ending{This was the second time that Patrick Yau ended a film in irony(The Longest Nite(1997) was the other time)}. A good moment in the movie is when the waitress at the end is waiting for Lau Ching-Wan as she watches the news to learn of the Fate of the Hong Kong Crime Unit.