One Nite in Mongkok (2004) User Reviews

Multi-layered crime drama - terrific stuff!

[Libretio · 7/10 · 25 January 2005]

ONE NITE IN MONGKOK (Wong Jiao Hei Ye)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: Dolby Digital

(Color & black and white)

A frazzled police squad searches the Mongkok district of Kowloon for a hired killer (Daniel Wu) whose latest assignment - the targeting of a drug lord responsible for another criminal's death - could ignite a horrendous Triad turf war.

Terrific crime drama, filmed in near-documentary style by director Derek Yee (PEOPLE'S HERO, LOST IN TIME), and featuring Alex Fong (FULL THROTTLE) and Wu (ENTER THE PHOENIX) as characters on opposite sides of the law, each drawn in shades of grey by Yee's gritty script. In something of an ironic twist, Yee paints a remarkably humane picture of villains and good guys alike, using Wu's sympathetic character (and his fraught relationship with Cecilia Cheung's unlikely 'tart with a heart') to portray a world in which people are driven to dark acts by circumstances beyond their control, an approach which serves to highlight the thin veneer of 'respectability' separating the police from those they pursue on a daily basis. This being a HK film, however, tragedy is never far away: Fong pursues his quarry with relentless dedication and Wu flees for his life, but Fate throws them together for one of the most devastating finales in recent memory.

Combining action, drama and character development in equal measure, the narrative moves at a rapid clip (except for a brief lag in the middle) and explodes into frenzied activity at regular intervals. Production values are immaculate, and there's a stunning transition from black and white to color during the first ten minutes. Yee draws strong performances from a superb supporting cast, including Chin Kar-lok (the film's action director) as Fong's right-hand man, and Anson Leung (AB-NORMAL BEAUTY) as a trigger-happy rookie whose inexperience leads to a terrible disaster.

(Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue)

Refuses to be pigeonholed

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 28 June 2013]

ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, a Hong Kong cop thriller about an assassin about to carry out his first hit, sounds like the typical all-action thriller, but on watching it turns out to be something much darker, more subtle and mature in its developing themes. It's a highly effective cat and mouse thriller that prioritises character over action and is all the better for it.

Daniel Wu is one of my all-time favourite Chinese stars and this is one of his top roles. His character, a would-be assassin starting out on his first job, sounds unsympathetic at first but he grows on you as the film develops, and as his growing relationship with Cecilia Cheung is handled sympathetically and with realistic emotion. By the end, you're rooting for him and his cause.

The rest of the film is more familiar, but it all works and slots into place nicely. Alex Fong's bull-headed cop is a worthwhile adversary for our star, and the supporting cast of pimps and drug dealers, grasses and gangsters, is a well developed one. Although the film sometimes has shades of BOURNE it develops its own unique style as it progresses, gradually building to an ultimately devastating climax which took my breath away. It's an astonishing way to end a film, and one which has stayed with me days later.

Dark, intelligent cat & mouse thriller involving a hit-man

[joebloggscity · 8/10 · 25 June 2006]

Asian cinema does it again. Whilst the rest of the world simple gasps at the quality of films the far east is churning out, they continue to let the stream of quality films continue, with this being near the top. The film follows the hunt by a set of policemen chasing a hit-man, who unbeknown to them is a young inexperienced hit-man. If he is not stopped it could lead to all out gang warfare, as he is hired to kill after gang tensions lead to the death of the son of a head gangster.

The hit-man is though the main character ultimately, and he is tagged with a prostitute who by coincidence also comes from a poor region in China. Both contrast each other, but are two sides of the same coin with respect to their current roles. Film builds up using the surroundings of the congested dog-eat-dog world of Mongkok, and takes us on a blind tour of the district and its world where anything and everything is for sale.

Its a film that will intrigue and disturb in equal measures, but don't let that put you off. The film is brilliantly acted, and it is hard to know at times who is on the side of right and wrong, reminiscent of Heat in that sense. Tense, twisting and intelligent, this is a must-see and surely must rank with some of the best that have come out of the HK stable this decade.

Welcome to the dark underbelly of neon-lit Mongkok...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 20 May 2012]

They say that New York is the city that never sleeps? Well obviously whomever came up with that phrase never set foot in Hong Kong, or much less set foot in Mongkok.

As an avid fan of Asian cinema and Hong Kong cinema, and having lived four years in Hong Kong and going shopping twice or thrice a week in Mongkok, it was with some interest that I sat down to watch "One Night in Mongkok". And it was really nice to sit and watch the movie and recognize the occasional place and location, that was a trip down memory lane for me. However, I think that the movie essentially fails to fully show just how populated Mongkok really is, which would be essential, especially as they proclaim that it is the most densely populated place in the world as the movie comes to an end.

Anyway, the story in "One Night in Mongkok" was a bit jumpy and going to and fro, and never really fully closing up the story lines that it opened up. The movie was trying too much, but didn't fully manage to accomplish all it was setting out to do. I was left with a bit too many unanswered and unfulfilled things in the movie that I would have liked closed or brought to peace.

If you are familiar with Hong Kong cinema, then you will see a bunch of known (and somewhat familiar) faces. They had put together a rather good ensemble of actors and actresses for this movie. Normally I am not a fan of Daniel Wu (playing Lai-fu) as he usually comes off a arrogant and aloof, but he actually managed to put on a great performance in this movie, and I think, that it is actually, to date, the best performance I have seen him do. However, he wasn't alone in carrying the movie alone; Cecilia Cheung (playing Dandan) and Alex Fong (playing officer Milo) really helped the movie along as well. It was nice to see Cecilia Cheung in a more serious and mature role than what she usually do (which is basically romantic comedies).

"One Night in Mongkok" is a rather brutal and honest movie, that cuts straight to the bone and doesn't wrap things in plastic. This is the story of people making a living in the seedy underbelly of the flashy and neon-lit streets of Mongkok. But it is more than that; it is also the story of Mainland Chinese trying to get by in Hong Kong, and trust me, the Hong Kong Chinese does treat the Chinese from China as if they are lesser beings, sadly enough (yeah, I have seen that type of racism when I lived there). But more importantly, it is also a story of being human and trying to get by with the cards that you are dealt by an often unfair and harsh life. And, of course, it is a story of 'cat after mouse'.

"One Night in Mongkok" is good entertainment, combining action with drama and suspense. And it actually comes together well enough for a full story, though there are bits and ends hanging here and there unfinished and unanswered. But in overall, "One Night in Mongkok" is a good movie. And if you like Asian cinema with a story that is a bit more compelling and in-depth than your average action and Kung Fu movie, then "One Night in Mongkok" is well worth picking out for a watching.

All is well in HK cinema

[filmmakr03 · 9/10 · 22 February 2007]

When I placed 'One Nite in Mongkok' in my DVD player, I was pretty sure that the film would be an above average cat and mouse thriller. However, like my 2005 Oscar ballot, I was far from hitting the nail on the head. The film is a very effective film that succeeds in doing what very few films can: keep you guessing.

Daniel Wu is very convincing as a rookie assassin from Mainland China looking to reunite with his long lost love and help in raising her grandmother. His journey in the film mirrors that of Tom Cruise in 'Collateral', yet in this instance, we are rooting for Wu's character to succeed in goals as he decides not to go through with his assignment. Cecilia Cheung is very good as the prostitute/guide/conscience, although she is too gorgeous for me to fully accept her in the role. When the two characters meet, it starts a chain of events that have ironically tragic undertones. Alex Fong is excellent as the cop who is the common link to every character in the film. The supporting cast is very appealing, most notably Lam Suet as the seedy handler Liu and Anson Leung as the trigger-happy and tragically compulsive cop Ben.

The film, overall, is a study into what happens when people don't think twice about their actions. I recommend it to anyone looking for a film that doesn't subject the audience to unbelievable circumstances and entertains and as well as informs.

Michael Moore would have applauded

[harry_tk_yung · 31 October 2004]

One Night in Mongkok stands out in one particular aspect: it's treatment of the subject of shooting to kill, particularly by the police.

Granted, you see many things in this movie. There is the 'West Side Story' style opening of small skirmishes escalating into big brawls. There is the 'Godfather' style development of gangster warfare. There is the familiar-looking pair of fugitive from both the police and the underworld: hit man with cool head and prostitute with good heart. Betrayals, violence and generous supply of blood. Yes, we have all that. However, the most important element in the movie, at least the way I see it, is a subtext that is perhaps more than a subtext – what shooting and killing someone do to a policeman.

While the act of putting a bullet through someone thereby ending his life is made commonplace in some movies and glorified in others, it is treated with earnest seriousness in ONIM. Instrumental to this treatment are two policemen: old hand and leader played by Alex Fong Chung-sun and bright young protégé. Although a seasoned veteran, the officer played by Fong is forever shadowed by an experience of shooting someone dead in the course of work. The young officer, on the other hand, although still relative green to the force, had already had a similar experience, but polarized reactions – he is proud of killing.

The most memorable scene in the entire movie is when a group of policemen, led by Fong, breaks into a room occupied by a suspect. Once the door is open, trigger-happy young officer fires at the suspect, killing him instantly. This is a scene that provided Fong with the opportunity to put up his 4-star performance.

While the other police officers are furious and petrified at this reckless folly, Fong is cool as ice although he must be filled with disgust. Calmly and resolutely, he orders everyone away to guard the entrances, giving them clear instructions to say to anybody asking that they are not present at the shooting. Then he tells his second-in-command to go to look for something 'useful'. With no luck such as finding guns on the victim, they at least find a kitchen knife, which they place in the victim's hand. THEN, he finally turns to the young officer and in icy coldness, instructs him to say that as soon as the door opened, the victim rushes out and attacked the policemen with the knife.

They get away with this one because by a stroke of luck, they turn up hidden in the room drugs that worth a huge fortune. So a bungled up blunder turns into a big hit while the shooting is easily forgotten. There is disgust written all over Fong's face when he is surrounded by flattering congratulations.

The young officer is easily forgiven by his comrades although it remains to be seen if he emerges as a sadder and wiser man. This, however, we never see. The biggest irony is that in the next confrontation just a few hours later, the young officer's momentary hesitation (undoubtedly because of the effect of the earlier shooting on him) costs him his life.

Subtle but Very Critical Story Element Missed by Many Viewers

[wongsaur · 9/10 · 11 August 2005]

While long-time Hong Kong residents dismiss Dan Dan & Lai Fu as mainland country bumpkins, Dan Dan portrays herself as being a tough & sophisticated pro to Lai Fu. She mocks Lai Fu's sweetheart as a prostitute and at the restaurant she also brags about her own earning power where she claims she has already made $8,000 in 3 weeks. Of course all the while she is showing what a gold digger she is too. However after the purse snatching incident when Lai Fu says that he will pay Dan Dan for her trouble and time as his guide in Mongkok, she asks for $3,500 and is promptly paid. Dan Dan later suffers cramps during that fateful night and asks Lai Fu to buy Panadol at the drugstore and to get some smaller bills in her purse, Lai Fu goes to get the money and sees that she doesn't have a huge wad of $8,000, only the small bills and what money he had previously paid her. At the end of the movie when she departs HK territory, she looks in her purse and realizes that Lai Fu had given her all the money that he had. It basically raises the possibility that Dan Dan had never even turned a trick while in Mongkok, that she was exaggerating her own past history, or that at the very least she may have prostituted herself but never made any substantive profit to take home to her village.

Hong Kong cinema does it again!

[Angelus2 · 10/10 · 13 October 2008]

Lai-fu (Daniel Wu) is a hit-man hired to kill a Triad boss but on his arrival the man who is supposed to be his guide, Milo; is arrested by the police and now Lai-fu must find a way to complete his mission without his guide and the help of a greedy but friendly prostitute.

I found this film very thrilling and just like Infernal Affairs I found myself jumping at times, especially the chase scene; Daniel Wu captures the audience as he tries to adapt to his surroundings...A bustling city with more then one criminal. A long the way he becomes friends with the most unlikely of people a prostitute who helps him complete his objective, while the police hunt him down.

One Night in Mongkok is actually three days but still it keeps you entertained, the ending is especially sad and shocking but thats what makes a great film, a film should have you staring at the screen with your mouth open in shock and sadness...And Mongkok does not disappoint.

Truly a contender against the great Infernal Affairs Trilogy.

A Sad Film

[blanc0 · 8/10 · 7 December 2006]

After watching this film it left me with the impression that all the main characters were left in despair, there is tragedy at every turn. Before the film has started two brothers have fallen out over a death, then gang-warfare occurs and a tragic accident. The hero arrives seeking revenge for his brother's imprisonment and his lost love, even the cops have a tragic past. But aside from nobody having a happy ending I got to admit the style and edit of the film didn't leave me depressed and I would watch it again. I wonder if there are going to be any sequels or prequels to tie up the story of the two brothers and whether the cops ever get their men.

One Night Too Many In Mongkok

[benjamin_lappin · 4/10 · 4 September 2007]

Set over the course of three days and two nights, One Night In Mongkok sifts through several stories weaving together the joint themes of fate and sin coupled together with the violence that is inevitably associated with the genre. While being heavily praised, and winning various awards at the ever increasingly dubious Hong Kong Film Awards, One Night In Mongkok is a pretty timid affair, which sacrifices continuity, gripping characters and more over a worthy plot for pretty cinematography and an over inflated sense of self important philosophy.

Throughout the duration of its two hour course, Mongkok shows promise sporadically as it never maintains the gritty integrity that it does eventually manage to capture in varying moments. The distaste for the film derives from an extremely languishing start which crescendos into a severely incoherent plot that will make the most ardent Tartan Asia Extreme fan scratch their heads in bewilderment. That's not to say the plot is incomprehensible, merely that it jumps around from scene to scene veering off at random tangents away from established story lines to eventually, and only just, making 'a' point of sorts, but never arriving at the destination from which it set off from in the first place. The director does show that he has a penchant for framing a shot, and indeed highlights his ability to create stirring and gripping moments which do provide something fresh to the crime thriller genre. However, fifteen minutes of footage is not sufficient enough to compensate for a severely Luke warm story which sets itself out as a different prospect from its contemporaries, but comes across as severely generic.

That which is most infuriating about the film, is the fore-mentioned sense of self importance. While ostensibly a crime drama, Mongkok quickly descends into a morality tale of quite obvious proportions, and chooses to opt for brashness instead of subtlety when it comes to sledgehammering its point across. What point you ask? Again, the point is fairly well devised to an extent, but is extraordinarily generic, as it claims that 'good guys' are not always righteous as they appear, and that nor are the 'bad guys' as unemotional as they may be perceived to be. It also throws around a sense of karmic justice as the "it's fate would have it....and so would sin" line resonates off key throughout the films latter stages, therefore providing a justification for the director to cram home the 'twists' and 'turns' (the apostrophe's denoting a sarcastic appraisal of the terms).

The director, Tung-Shung Yee comments on the social failings of the police force in Hong Kong, which culminates in a wonderfully constructed scene involving a bungled arrest turned cover-up by the police. Unfortunately his spoken text, the passing down of 'wisdom' from senior police officer to his junior proves to be a double edged sword, as it provides for the irony in the films closing moments. The problem with Mongkok is that Yee wishes to have his cake and eat it. He cannot decide whether or not he should be praising the police, or condemning them, making the audience sympathise with Lai Fu and then be forced to feel little for him. It's indecisive cinema which aims high but punches well below its weight.

The main problem with Mongkok lies in that it does try to be a successful piece of cinema, it tries to be a blistering affair, and to be fair it does succeeds, but to the annoyance of the viewer only momentarily. There are unnecessary moments throughout this film like the battering ram philosophical approach or the unnecessarily chrome start to the film when the cinematography throughout is crisp and well composed. Its chopping and changing story is severely unrefined, and while the story itself can be perfectly understood it provides for rather static viewing when the story need be flowing. One Night In Mongkok sets its aims high, and that cannot be taken for granted, for rather a failed film with noble intentions than a profitable success which will forgo the integrity. But what really grates is the incessant comparison by Film Review, lower brow newspapers and certain IMDb reviewers with the simply brilliant Infernal Affairs. Having been swayed initially by the extract on the front which compared Mongkok to Infernal, I find myself not disgusted just severely disappointed with the effort. I steadied myself for a rip-roaring epic, a film worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Infernal, and I got an Infernal Affair for all the wrong reasons. To be frank there are much grander films in the Tartan Asia collection which supercede this effort, A Bittersweet Life springs instantly to mind, and while the film may appeal to some it lacks the longevity to truly compete with which it sets out to emulate. By all means have a look but you'll be checking out once you realise that one night truly is too long a stay in Mongkok.

Welcome to the Ugly Side of Hong Kong

[J_Charles · 13 August 2010]

Mongkok - usually cited as the most densely populated neighbourhood on earth. Having visited there a few times I concur. Even at 11 PM the area seems to be wall-to-wall people, all in a rush.

Amid this setting is the story of several characters whose fates are all intertwined. The assassin, the prostitute, the gang members, the police, they all have their stories told in bits and pieces. At first they seem to be all separate, unrelated, a jumble of characters. But as the film progresses you start putting the pieces together and eventually you can see almost predict how this is going to end before it finally does.

The filming is superb. The gritty look matches the story. This movie is intent on showing the ugly side of HK, the human trafficking, corruption, drugs, and the triads hold on the entire island. And the shots reflect that.

The acting is uneven but overall does not distract from the story. I gave it 8/10. It wasn't a pleasant film to watch (most of my memories of Hong Kong are very positive). But it tells a story that's all too true to many of the residents in the underbelly of Mongkok.

Why not?

[black_pheonix_666 · 8/10 · 8 March 2005]

yeah i watch a lot of foreign films here in Canada and this one caught my eye, the beginning was slow and boring but it really got the suspense and had a lot of scary truth to it... i loved this movie and i wish i could own it...i think i would die if i could. Too bad Kong Kong can't make more of these awesome movies. It starts off in Black in white, they could of done this better because the lighting was atrocious. The Camera angles were what got me going , they were gritty and down to earth and not a lot of directors know how to use a camera besides point and shoot. Cecilia's performance was breathtaking and well done, but she doesn't sound like she is from south china. Her naivety does well as the good hearted prostitute. I wish i could see this movie again well done... one actually has sympathy for the bad guys...well sometimes.

One Night in Mongkok

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 15 August 2020]

This film opens with a minor confrontation between two groups in Hong Kong; this leads to a car crash that kills the son of a local gang leader and hospitalises a young woman. He calls in a man from Mainland China to get his revenge. This man, Lai-fu, has another reason to come to Hong Kong; he wishes to find his fiancée, who has gone missing. As he searches he crosses paths with other gangsters and ends up rescuing a prostitute, Dandan, who was being beaten; this leads to her staying with him throughout most of the film. Meanwhile the police have heard that a killer has arrived in the territory and they are determined to find him.

I really enjoyed this Hong Kong crime drama. The characters are less clichéd than one might expect; the 'killer' is surprisingly sympathetic and the police are morally ambiguous. Filmed in Mongkok the action feels real... I particularly liked a scene where a police sidearm is discharged in a confined space and those present are left with ringing ears; something I'm sure would happen but I don't recall seeing in other films. The film is fairly gritty for the most part but it still manages to provide some unforced laughs which nicely lighten the tone... and make the darker moments all the more shocking. The cast does a fine job; most notable Danial Wu and Cecilia Cheung as Lai-fu and Dandan. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Hong Kong crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the film in Chinese with English subtitles.

Solid thriller but not quite as tight, urgent or interesting as it could have been

[bob the moo · 6 May 2007]

A simple street fight over a girl turns into a car chase which leaves one of the drivers dead. The dead driver is none other than Tiger, son of criminal gang boss Tim. Tim sits down with rival gang leader Carl, who's men caused the accident that killed Tiger. However a parley turns violent as Tim strikes out in revenge – killing Carl's man but letting him escape in the confusion. The police are called into the middle of the investigation as a dangerous standoff between the two gangs commences. Meanwhile Tim calls in fixer Liu to bring in a hit-man (Lai Fu) to take out Carl. The police get word and it is a race against the clock to stop Lai Fu as they know that another death will spill the standoff over into all out gang war.

Although it benefits from praise and high voting from users who have mostly probably sought it out and thus have likely voted with the air of "everything foreign and little seen is cool", this thriller is still a solid proposition that is worth a look. The plot is a little messy perhaps but the layers of action are interesting as we follow hit-man, cops and criminals all living out slightly different parts of the same story. This creates a strong foundation as I found each character interesting and I was as taken by Lai Fu as I was by Milo. Likewise the film keeps a relative tension as the clock ticks down and the net tightens around Mongkok and Lai Fu.

The downside is that both aspects take away from one another. It is not totally a character driven film because it is making sure that it remains a cop thriller; but conversely it isn't as tight a thriller as it could have been because it has the characters forming part of the narrative and does break up the flow and the urgency. This means it is not as good as it could have been but the two aspects do still work well together and it is engaging enough even if it does occasionally fall short of the mark. Director Tung-Shing does a great job in the delivery, shooting everything in a stylish fashion as well as using music (and silence) to good effect. The cast are mostly strong as well with Fong, Wu and Cheung tending to be the strongest turns. Lam's Liu is amusing while Milo's men are mostly well played.

Overall then, perhaps not as strong as the praise here would have you believe but I suspect that the nature of it being foreign and not that well known has bought it some good will and forgiveness from those that have seen it. The mix of thriller and characters give it a good balance but one does detract slightly from the other, preventing the film from reaching its full potential in either aspect. Still good as a whole though and I found it a solid, if not brilliant, thriller.

A stunning direction

[TheBigSick · 13 March 2019]

The tension building is quite successful. The direction is suspenseful, atmospheric, and assured. The audiences just keep wondering what would happen next from start to finish. There are four acts. The first act is a slow setup. There are three enthralling action sequences in the rest three acts, each of which has its buildup and climax.