Young and Dangerous (Jeune et dangereux)

This Hong Kong crime drama is centred of Chan Ho Nam, 'Chicken' Chiu and their friends. They are young men growing up in a crime infested part of Hong Kong who get involved with the Triads, working for Uncle Bee. Their work is often violent and brings them into conflict with Kwan, the leader of another Triad group. After a job in Macau goes tragically wrong things get more dangerous. Kwan is on the rise and his actions will force Nam and Chicken to seek revenge.

I enjoyed this film; while there is some violence this is more a story about friendship and loyalty. The main characters are all pretty solid. Just about everybody is somehow involved in crime; Nam only met his girlfriend, Smartie, because she stole his car! The violence is less brutal than most Hong Kong crime dramas I've seen thanks to the way it is filmed; I assume this was meant as a nod to the stories comic book origins. The story does provide some surprises, which I won't spoil. There are some comic moments; notably how Smartie is punished for stealing Nan's car. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters' to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Hong Kong crime drama.

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