Director: Alan Mak

Mak paces the narrative in a very delicate way, choosing to build the romance between his leads rather than just rely on ‘big scenes’ to do the work for him.

The film has one of the best stories I’ve seen in quite a while and the cast and crew all produce some of their finest work to date.

The linear narrative and lack of real danger in the story may limit what would otherwise be a sure-fire hit.

The result is every bit as slick as viewers have come to expect from the film-makers, but severely lacking in genre staples like tension or excitement.

Interest is created in ‘Lady Cop & Papa Crook’ by its style and verve, yet the story and characters are successful in doing the opposite.

A well-scripted, superbly executed thriller with a formidable triumvirate at the centre, this could well be one of the best genre films to have come from Asia in the past few years.

While ‘Overheard’ was an excellent homage to the great American conspiracy films of the 70s, the in-name-only sequel is a more routine two hours with a far less incisive denouement.

Wordy, but with nothing to say, this is a verbose movie populated by monumentally dull characters and bland ‘twists’ that fail to hold the attention.

Alan Mak’s uninvolving film lacks a real narrative hook and an empathetic romance, but most of all it lacks the needed sentiment that covers a multitude of cinematic sins.

Eschewing any flashiness for a more old school and care given to character and pacing approach, Chong and Mak craft a beautifully shot and finely acted period piece.

Although nobody could say ‘The Silent War’ has a vice-like grip on the viewer, it features a few moments of genuine excitement and gathers quite a momentum by the final third.