Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Andy Lau, Daniel Wu, Jingchu Zhang, Mei-tian He,
Cheong Cheung, Tung-Shing Yee, Louis Koo, Anita Yuen,
Nirut Sirichanya, Kai Chi Liu
Written by Tung-Shing Yee
Certification UK 18
Runtime 106 minutes
Directed by Tung-Shing Yee
It’s a good week to compare the latest Hollywood offering in the crime thriller genre with this effort from Hong Kong. Street Kings is an entertaining and bombastic take on coppers pushing themselves too close to the line and getting justice one way or the other. In Protégé, our "hero" begins deep undercover and seems unable to decide what is right and what is wrong. Both films merit viewing, but Protégé edges a tough call thanks to its subtlety and unflinching portrayal of the effects of drug abuse.
Special Agent Nick (Wu) has been working deep undercover with local drugs boss Quin (Lau). He has a genuine fondness for the kind but ailing Quin, who has taken him under his wing and paid him handsomely. The plan is for Nick to inherit the business and thus allow him to expose the drug ring from bottom to top; unfortunately he has been working this way for eight years and questions are being asked at higher levels. Things get complicated when he gets romantically involved with a junkie neighbour and begins to look after her and her daughter. The professional criminals have always maintained a distance from the drug users, seeing them as customers with Quin openly despising them, but now Nick can see firsthand the effects of what he is doing. When a botched customs raid exposes a mole in the business Nick has to act fast to convince the suspicious Quin he is genuine, but at what cost?
Plotwise we don’t really get anything too original here. Nick is a likeable if impressionable character, although Wu portrays him with great aplomb. Lau’s kindly kingpin is also something of a caricature, and yet the ruthless menace needed to portray the role is present and correct. The real star however is the writer/director Tung-Shing Yee, who exposes us very leisurely but in vivid realism to the seedy underworld of all the characters. The scenes with the young girl and her junkie mother are heartbreaking, and constantly remind us what the ramifications are for the bystanders in this power play struggle between the "good guys" and the "bad guys".
The film loses its way for a moment when it tries to expand the scale of its story. The idea of trying to imply the global scale of the narcotics trade is misjudged but this is a blip. Don’t go in expecting high-kicking martial arts, or even action-packed shootouts — this film is far too honest for that. The moments of drama are so well paced and placed throughout that they leave a real impact. It’s not exactly enjoyable, but the performances and style mean that it comes highly recommended.