Year: 2007
Runtime: 110 min
Language: Chinese
Director: Johnnie To
In 1998 Macau, as Portuguese rule transitions to Chinese control, a criminal underworld thrives on the promise of easy money. Two weary hitmen from Hong Kong are dispatched to eliminate a former colleague who is attempting to start a new life with his family. Their mission is fraught with danger, as old alliances shift and former partners seek to obstruct their path, plunging them into a world of betrayal and violence.
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In 1998 Macau, former mobster Wo Nick Cheung lives quietly with his wife Jin and their newborn, attempting to leave a violent past behind. Yet the peace is fragile: a vengeful mobster, Boss Fay, who Wo once tried to assassinate, sends a pair of aging hitmen to erase the quiet life he’s built. To protect Wo, his childhood friends and hitmen—Blaze Anthony Wong, Fat, Tai Francis Ng, and Cat—reunite and lay down their weapons, sharing a tense meal as they reconnect after years apart.
Reunited and hungry for one more score, the group visits a fixer named Jeff, who lays out a double set of ambitions: to kill rival boss Boss Keung and to recover a vast cache of gold being moved for a corrupt official. Wo makes the gang promise that if anything happens to him, Jin and their child will be looked after. With that uneasy pact, they set their sights on a dangerous haul and a way out of the life they once shared.
Their path leads to Boss Keung’s restaurant where the plan is set in motion, but Boss Fay crashes the meeting, seeking to seize Keung’s territory for himself. Fay’s indignation at Blaze—whom he spots in the restaurant—erupts into a brutal confrontation. Blaze survives a direct shot thanks to a bulletproof vest, and Wo acts quickly, opening fire before Fay can finish the job. A frantic gunfight erupts, leaving Fay with a leg wound and Keung with an arm injury. The two bosses reach a fragile, grudging agreement to divide the territory and profits, while a vengeful plan to crush the gang is set in motion.
Wounded and pressed, the friends rush Wo to an underground clinic for treatment. After a tense negotiation with the doctor, Wo’s wounds are attended to, but the arrival of Fay and Keung at the door forces the group to hide. As the doctors work, the police and underworld mingle in a tense standoff, and the friends scramble to keep Wo alive. When Fay storms in and forces the doctor to treat Wo first, the others fight off the henchmen. In the chaos, Fay throws Wo from a high window, pinning the others down and scattering them across a back courtyard. Fat maneuvers to pull Wo to safety on a tarpaulin just as the gang makes a desperate escape, but Wo’s injuries prove fatal, and he dies soon after in Jin’s arms.
Jin returns to the city to confront the life her husband sacrificed for. Grief-stricken, she opens fire on Blaze and Tai when they are found, but she ultimately cannot bring herself to end her own life and instead destroys the house, builds a funeral pyre for Wo, and leaves with her son. The remaining friends press on, seeking the gold, and encounter a heavily guarded gold convoy. A coin toss saves them from a hijack, but a rival gang ambush reveals themselves to be the least of their problems. The quartet chooses to help a crack-shot policeman at the dock, splitting the gold with him before heading for a hidden pier to slip away to the mainland and a fresh life.
Back in the city, Jin’s hunger for vengeance grows. She tracks the gang down, and Jeff alerts Boss Fay, who captures Jin and forces Blaze to a midnight rendezvous. Blaze, warned to stand down, is ordered to face consequences anyway. At the rendezvous, Jin shoots Blaze, but the bulletproof vest keeps him alive. Tai signals Jin to hurry to a boat and to drive there, ensuring Jin’s safety while the others hold their ground. With Jin on the way, the friends—outnumbered and cornered—open fire one last time. In the ensuing shootout, all of them are killed, including Boss Fay and Boss Keung. As they lie dying, the surviving friends share a final, weary smile, knowing they kept their promise to Wo.
Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:57
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