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IMDbPro

Cold War

Original title: Hon zin
  • 20122012
  • RR
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
Aaron Kwok, Ka-Tung Lam, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Charlie Yeung, Eric Tin Cheung Li, and Eddie Peng in Cold War (2012)
The police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.
Play trailer1:13
5 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Crime
  • Mystery
The police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.The police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.The police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Lok Man Leung
    • Kim-Ching Luk
  • Writers
    • Lok Man Leung
    • Kim-Ching Luk
  • Stars
    • Aaron Kwok
    • Tony Ka Fai Leung
    • Charlie Yeung
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Lok Man Leung
    • Kim-Ching Luk
  • Writers
    • Lok Man Leung
    • Kim-Ching Luk
  • Stars
    • Aaron Kwok
    • Tony Ka Fai Leung
    • Charlie Yeung
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 44Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 14 wins & 20 nominations

    Videos5

    Cold War
    Trailer 1:13
    Cold War
    Cold War
    Trailer 1:51
    Cold War
    Cold War
    Trailer 2:02
    Cold War
    Cold War
    Trailer 1:04
    Cold War
    Cold War
    Trailer 1:10
    Cold War

    Photos214

    Aaron Kwok in Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)
    Cold War (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Aaron Kwok
    Aaron Kwok
    • Sean Lauas Sean Lau
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    • M.B. Waise Leeas M.B. Waise Lee
    Charlie Yeung
    Charlie Yeung
    • Phoenix Leungas Phoenix Leung
    Ka-Tung Lam
    Ka-Tung Lam
    • Albert Kwongas Albert Kwong
    Kar Lok Chin
    Kar Lok Chin
    • Vincent Tsuias Vincent Tsui
    • (as Chin Ka Lok)
    Andy On
    Andy On
    • Michael Shekas Michael Shek
    Terence Yin
    Terence Yin
    • Man Toas Man To
    Aarif Rahman
    Aarif Rahman
    • Billy Cheungas Billy Cheung
    Eddie Peng
    Eddie Peng
    • Joe Leeas Joe Lee
    Andy Lau
    Andy Lau
    • Philip Lukas Philip Luk
    Byron Mann
    Byron Mann
    • Chan Binas Chan Bin
    Yili Ma
    Yili Ma
    • Michelle Lauas Michelle Lau
    Alex Tsui
    • Mathew Makas Mathew Mak
    Michael Wong
    Michael Wong
    • York Tsangas York Tsang
    Tony Ho
    Tony Ho
    • William Ngaias William Ngai
    J.J. Jia
    • Janet Tsuias Janet Tsui
    Grace Huang
    Grace Huang
    • May Cheungas May Cheung
    Jeannie Chan
    • Nicole Chanas Nicole Chan
    • Directors
      • Lok Man Leung
      • Kim-Ching Luk
    • Writers
      • Lok Man Leung
      • Kim-Ching Luk
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Philip Luk: Extreme times require extreme measures.

    • Connections
      Followed by Cold War 2 (2016)

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Very Intelligent, Well Acted and Visually Stunning, but by the end, Your Hunger for a Decent Police Drama will not be Satisfied
    Honor is a major aspect focused upon during this Chinese action drama, which visually conveys the integrity and competent nature of the Hong Kong police department's ability to wage war on crime, and efficaciously ensure the safety of the city's public.

    Out on the streets of Hong Kong one night, a van carrying five members of the police force, not to mention a wealth of tactical equipment, unexpectedly vanishes off the grid. The hijackers behind this daring plot immediately demand a ransom, and though the attackers are starting a war with the police, an equally hard battle is taking place between the investigating officers. Lau (Aaron Kwok) is Management's youngest Deputy Commissioner, while Lee (Tony Leung Ka-fai), an older gentleman, is the Deputy Commissioner of Operations, both with widely differing points of view.

    While Lau wishes to negotiate, Lee, whose son Joe (Eddie Peng) is one of the five officers held for ransom, is ready to bring the entire force of the Hong Kong police department down upon those who would dare assault them. The reputation of these high ranking personnel is on the line, and with the Commissioner soon to retire, one of these two men will be crowned the next leader of the Hong Kong police - and what happens over the course of this investigation will shape their history.

    The two aforementioned leads, alongside Gordon Lam as Albert and Chin Kar-lok as Vincent are strongly portrayed as dutiful officers. Moreover, Aarif Rahman as Cheung, the lead ICAC officer assigned to investigate the procedures taken to thwart the hijackers is deserving of being mentioned for his equally adept performance. At the same time though, I found his character to be rather unlikable due to his attitude, which seems awfully confident, to the point of being egotistically pretentious.

    The focus on these characters leaves little room for Charlie Young, who portrays Phoenix, the head of the public relation branch of the police, or Grace Huang, who plays probationary inspector May, despite their loyalty's been clearly outlined. Moreover, the inclusion of Ma Yili and J. J Jia as the wives of Lau and Vincent, both of whom had barely a minute's screen time, was unnecessary, although were clearly included to show an alternate familial side to these hardworking characters. If the developers adamantly wanted the wives to be included in the plot, I believe additional screen time and emotional dialogue would have beneficially increased the impact.

    Visually, Cold War is quite sublime, the film taking advantage of its setting, Hong Kong been visualized as the technologically powerful, secure environment the police claim it to be, with a number of great aerial shots revealing the grandness of the metropolis. Not only this, those portraying the officers in the film are accompanied by the luxurious attires they continuously wear, making them appear as competent and dedicated as they continuously seem.

    Despite the front cover's insinuation that Cold War is an action film, it is in fact a dramatic thriller. Despite the movie beginning with an explosive start that immediately catches your eye, the action scenes are incredibly infrequent, the most captivating aspects of the movie been its intelligent and thought provoking script, that is continuously twisting like a snake, as the characters attempt to unravel the conspiracy they have unwittingly fallen into. However, Peter Kam's score, much like the cover, offers a similar assumption regarding the film's genre, and despite its entertaining properties, the over the top orchestral soundtrack, when used in conjunction with events that are neither eventful or action oriented, seems unnecessary.

    As the film progresses and the antagonists behind the plot are slowly revealed, the lacking background behind what caused them to orchestrate the attacks is rather unsatisfactory in a film which contained such an effective build up. With the exception of the lead instigator, whose motivations we are able to comprehend, the film's finale is less wowing than I would have imagined from a film that really keeps you pinned to the screen, and rather, my attitude towards the end was more like 'uh, so that's how it is, eh?' Furthermore, at the film's conclusion, text appears on screen notifying the viewership that this is definitively 'the end', which contradicts not only the visuals, but the dialogue which suggests there could be more to come. This anti-climatic conclusion inevitably falls short of whatever expectations audiences would have acquired over the course of the film.

    Despite being entertaining and intelligent, with great acting all around, superb visuals, and the rare, but still well executed fight scene, Cold War is a movie that keeps you attentive, yet will leave you wanting a finale better fitting a feature of its caliber.
    helpful•3
    4
    • totalovrdose
    • Feb 7, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 2012 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Cantonese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Điệp Vụ Đối Đầu
    • Filming locations
      • Hong Kong, China
    • Production companies
      • Edko Films
      • Irresistible Delta
      • Irresistible Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,839,331
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Aaron Kwok, Ka-Tung Lam, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Charlie Yeung, Eric Tin Cheung Li, and Eddie Peng in Cold War (2012)
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