Her Fatal Ways

Cheng and her nephew Hsiao-Sheng travel by coach toward Hong Kong, with Wong Ti using the arrangement to escape capital punishment. Wong is shown abused and packed in a small bag, his condition stabilized by an oxygen mask until police intervene. The moment underscores the brutality of the smuggling operation and the stakes of the case.

Superintendent Wu is tasked to handle the case and meets Cheng at the cross-border station. Inside Hong Kong, she visits the police HQ and questions the reliance on information technology after a lie detector malfunctions. The exchange highlights a clash between human judgment and machine-assisted policing.

Wu expects to accommodate Cheng in a hotel, but peak travel season forces them into a Kowloon Tong hostel. They encounter odd amenities, including simply programmes on TV and a vibrating bed, adding a note of comic discomfort to the serious case. The cramped living situation foregrounds the uneasy alliance forming between them.

Wong distracts and knocks down guards, then escapes again. Cheng resists hurriedly arresting him, while a phone call from Zhao Ziyang threatens exile to the Daxinganling if she fails to capture Wong. The pressure intensifies the political stakes of the pursuit.

Cheng confronts Su in his office, who refuses to discuss Wong and orders her out. Seeing the danger, Su sends henchmen to assassinate her, prompting Cheng and Hsiao-Sheng to move into protective relocation. The confrontation marks a turning point in the case’s danger level.

Cheng’s appearance sparks a micro civil war between Wu’s pro-Kuomintang father and Cheng’s presence. The two families wage propaganda warfare by singing patriotic songs through a wall, and they temporarily are mediated by Wu, who proves ambidextrous and symbolically neutral.

A witness’s clue points toward a village near Sau Mau Ping where Niu is known to frequent a karaoke bar. Cheng uses her interpersonal skills to blend with Sichuan-born villagers and extracts the address of the bar where Niu meets his lover, Hsuen-Pi. The surveillance team sets up to monitor their movements.

When Wu shows Cheng Hong Kong’s night view, she experiences a rare moment of personal warmth amid ongoing danger. A drinking contest with veterans ends in her victory, and a power outage moments later exposes the city’s fragility. In the dim glow, Cheng and Wu share a moment that becomes a quiet hint of love.

Cheng and Hsiao-Sheng pretend to be Niu’s lawful wife to obtain his contact from Hsuen-Pi. Niu is hiding in Hsuen-Pi’s house and, after a confrontation, escapes again. The deception demonstrates Cheng’s willingness to take risk to advance the case.

Detectives shadow Niu as he plans a jewellery shop robbery. A chaotic shootout erupts in the street, the cover is blown, and after a long pursuit, Niu dodges into a narrow corridor, slipping away once more. Cheng proves accurate with her marksmanship during the chase.

Mok imposes a three-day deadline for Wu and Cheng to arrest Niu, threatening to transfer Wu to Tai A Chau Detention Centre and to send Cheng back to China if they fail. The ultimatum concentrates the police effort and elevates the sense of urgency. The pressure reframes the stakes of every subsequent move.

Cheng volunteers to go undercover in a nightclub setting to listen in on Su’s dealings, and Niu reemerges in the conversation. Niu asks for three million dollars, and Su ultimately kills Niu after bargaining. Cheng escapes Su and heads toward the wrong San Yik Godown, beginning a dangerous misdirection.

Wu deciphers that the correct Sun Yik Godown stores cannabis. The squad assaults the godown, but Hsiao-Sheng is captured by Su’s workers, and the operation is nearly scuttled as Su arms his men to burn the witnesses. A blackout strikes the complex just as nationalist veterans appear to tip the balance.

With the crisis momentarily resolved, Cheng and Colonel Wu finally forge a cooperative path between Communists and Nationalists. At the border, she offers a sincere apology for her temper and reflects on holding a man’s hand as a precious memory. The film closes with hope for future cooperation after 1997.