New Police Story (2004) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

After the bank robbery where five youths killed his entire police squad, including Hong, the younger brother of his girlfriend Ho Yee, Chan becomes consumed by guilt and grief. He is the sole survivor of the massacre, and unable to cope with the trauma, he resigns from the force and spends a year drowning his sorrows in alcohol, letting the case go cold.

• chan kwok-wing
• police massacre
• guilt
• alcoholism
• resignation

Frank Cheng is not a real police officer. He never passed the police exam and was never assigned as Chan's partner. He fabricated his identity, claiming to be the son of a deceased squad member. His true background is revealed when Superintendent Tai confirms no partner was ever assigned to Chan. However, it's later revealed that Frank's father was killed when Frank was a child, and Chan had comforted him as an orphan, explaining why Frank wanted to repay Chan and help him solve the case.

Foreshadowing: Frank's desperate need to prove himself and his unusual dedication to Chan hints at a personal connection beyond their supposed partnership.

• frank cheng
• fake identity
• police impersonator
• backstory

Sam Wong is fatally wounded during the rooftop confrontation at the X-Games event. While Chan and Frank pursue Fire and Sue, Sam is attacked and killed by Fire, who shoots him before escaping with Sue. Before dying, Sam reveals to Chan that he was blackmailed by the gang into ambushing Chan’s original squad during the bank raid, he had no choice but to participate in the setup that led to the officers' deaths.

• sam wong
• fire
• rooftop
• murder
• blackmail

Joe is the son of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, coming from a wealthy family. Despite his privileged background, he orchestrates the bank raids as a twisted online game, treating violent crimes as performance art. The gang records their heists and turns them into online video games, treating murder and robbery as entertainment. Joe's motivation appears to be a destructive desire for power and thrill-seeking, using his father's influence to operate with impunity.

Foreshadowing: The X-Games pursuit and online-game conceit that threads through the gang's actions hints at Joe's performative, dangerous mentality from the start.

• joe
• gang leader
• deputy commissioner son
• online games
• wealthy families

Ho Yee is seriously injured when the gang plants a bomb on her and sends her to the police station. The explosion knocks her into a coma, escalating the stakes for Chan. She later recovers in the hospital and accepts Chan's marriage proposal, giving the ending a hopeful but bittersweet tone.

• ho yee
• bomb
• coma
• hospital
• marriage proposal

After Chan defeats him in the rooftop showdown, winning the pistol assembly race by loading the bullet directly into the chamber, Joe finds himself cornered with no escape. Faced with capture and the exposure of his crimes, including his father's resignation, Joe chooses to commit suicide by cop, firing at Chan and aiming at his own father before being stopped.

• joe
• suicide
• rooftop
• capture
• defeat

Sam Wong reveals that the gang blackmailed him into setting up Chan’s squad during the initial bank raid. The gang forced Sam to help orchestrate the ambush that resulted in the police team's death, using some form of leverage over him. This explains how the gang knew exactly where the police would be and managed to wipe out the entire squad.

Foreshadowing: Sam’s mysterious behavior and his provision of clues about the gang suggest he carries a heavy secret throughout the investigation.

• blackmail
• sam wong
• police massacre
• ambush
• gang setup

The final confrontation between Chan and Joe becomes a race to assemble a semi-automatic pistol. Chan wins by loading the bullet directly into the chamber rather than using the standard magazine loading process, giving him a split-second advantage. This demonstrates his renewed tactical skill and calm under pressure after overcoming his trauma.

• rooftop duel
• gun assembly
• pistol
• joe
• final battle

The gang records their real-life bank raids and transforms them into elaborate online video games, treating violent crimes as thrilling performances. Joe, as the leader and son of a powerful official, uses this online-game conceit to choreograph heists that shock and leverage power. The games serve as both a recruiting tool and a way to mock law enforcement, making the gang's crimes a disturbing form of entertainment.

Foreshadowing: Sam Wong’s clue about the gang enjoying X-game style raids and online games early in the investigation hints at this pattern.

• online games
• x-games
• heists
• performance
• video games

When Frank is a child, his father is killed, leaving him an orphan. Chan, who was then a young police officer, comforted the grieving Frank. This traumatic childhood experience is why Frank is so determined to help Chan and wants to repay him, by assisting in solving the case that has haunted Chan for years. Chan discovers this memory at the end, understanding why Frank was so driven to work with him.

Foreshadowing: Frank's intense loyalty and willingness to risk everything for Chan seems disproportionate to their supposed partnership, hinting at a deeper personal motive.

• frank
• childhood
• chan
• orphan
• repayment

Chan learns through the online game that the gang's next target is the Bank of Hong Kong. To prevent another massacre, he orders the public removed from the building's vicinity. More crucially, he brings in the gang members' parents, including Joe's father, the Deputy Commissioner, to confront the consequences of their children's actions. This strategy creates leverage and accountability, helping to break the gang's operation.

• bank of hong kong
• siege
• parents
• strategy
• leverage

Tin Tin, one of the gang members, is shot and killed during the Bank of Hong Kong raid. He becomes a victim of Joe's friendly fire, Joe accidentally shoots Tin Tin while aiming at the police. This moment highlights Joe's willingness to sacrifice his own teammates to achieve his goals, showing the dark reality behind the gang's performative unity.

• tin tin
• joe
• friendly fire
• bank raid
• death