Film Name: 特警屠龙 / Tiger Cage / Sure Fire / 特警屠龍
This is a classic old Hong Kong film, with its central conflict revolving around the struggle between police officers and corrupt cops. The mere presence of an undercover agent makes it a pioneer in the “Apostles” genre. The film shares similarities in plot structure with The Five Tigers: The Breakup. The ensemble cast of Leung Ka-yan, Ng Man-tat, Jacky Cheung, Donnie Yen, and Cheng Yu-ling is no slouch either. Had Donnie Yen not been so young back then, he wouldn’t have met his demise after a single action sequence, leaving the singing legend to carry the show with his stunts.
That said, Jacky Cheung truly shines in his role, especially during emotionally charged scenes or when delivering exaggerated expressions. I looked it up: Cheung has won Best Supporting Actor at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards, yet never took home a Best Actor trophy. Now prioritizing family life, his acting roles have dwindled, leaving us to revisit his classics. The film features plenty of action sequences, which are child’s play for director Yuen Woo-ping. From Fist of Legend, Ip Man, The Grandmaster, Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tai Chi Master, The Matrix, to Wong Fei-hung, he’s contributed to numerous masterpieces as director or action choreographer. In comparison, Dragon Overload feels more like a trial run.
The film opens with Simon Yam leading his team to raid a drug lab, but the cunning leader Zhuge Xiong escapes. He later returns for revenge, shooting and killing Liang Jiaren, who was about to get married. The entire squad launches a citywide manhunt, resorting to excessive force. Just as they capture Zhuge Xiong, he attempts to use Uncle Da’s alleged ties to drug dealers as a backdoor escape. But Uncle Da secretly sabotages the operation, using Ren Da Hua to eliminate the threat. Ren Da Hua’s decisive move to silence the witness actually lays the groundwork for his later role as a corrupt cop—otherwise, he wouldn’t have ignored his subordinate’s involvement in organized crime.
Coincidentally, Jacky Cheung overheard their conversation and began privately investigating Uncle Da, eventually capturing incriminating evidence. Even more fortuitously, Donnie Yen also saw the evidence. Impulsive by nature, he attempted to single-handedly take down the entire transnational drug ring. While he prevailed in combat, his strategic acumen fell far short. Tim Tha-wah took advantage of the distraction, shooting Donnie in the head. Donnie died with unclosed eyes. His fellow sufferer, Jacky Cheung, was framed for drug trafficking. His girlfriend, Anita Wong, was thrown from a building by drug dealers and fell to her death. Anita Cheng, who knew the truth, was nearly killed by assassins.
Simon Yam should never have killed the fleeing Ben Ng. Desperate dogs bite back, and though Uncle Ng still met his end, Simon Yam’s identity as a corrupt cop was fully exposed, and the drugs were transferred by Jacky Cheung. Thanks to Jacky Cheung and Cheng Yu-ling’s bravery and teamwork, all the corrupt cops and drug dealers were taken down. What a tragic end for such a capable team—corrupt cops truly are a scourge. Reflecting on the current run of The Apostles series, the corrupt cops are even more despicable than the drug dealers.
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » Tiger Cage 1988 Film Review: Simon Yam’s portrayal of a corrupt cop is more ruthless than drug dealers, while singing legend Jacky Cheung saves the day.