ReviewCold War 1994 movie review: Hong Kong crime thriller prequel is a star-studded blast
Terrance Lau leads this unrealistic but fun 1990s-set actioner that’s stuffed with stars including Aaron Kwok, Chow Yun-fat and Louis Koo
3.5/5 stars
The blockbuster prequel Cold War 1994 delivers exactly what it promised. Viewers come for the ridiculously overstuffed cast but stay for the relentlessly – almost ostentatiously – convoluted tale of power, corruption and betrayal. While you may not find its plot realistic, it is undeniably entertaining throughout.
The furiously paced film then spends the rest of its runtime in the good old days of 1994, when policemen and gangsters could still become best buddies, Britain was the natural “big bad”, and screenwriters did not feel obliged to dedicate their mega-budget action spectacles to praising Hong Kong for upholding the common law system.