Kung Fu Cult Cinema

Story: Wong Jiang and Seven-Up were close friends in the police force. While Seven-Up (Lau Ching Wan) was an honest cop, Blind Chiu (Francis Ng) was receiving bribes from a gangster. One night a police sting is underway and goes to warn Seven-Up. The two run away but are stopped by Wong Jiang (Anthony Wong), an old friend, who is now Police Chief. A small scuffle ensues and ends with a few gunshots and only Wong knows what happened that night on the rooftop. Years later, Seven-Up’s son has become a police officer and Blind Chiu’s son is now a top gangster boss. The two soon become embroiled in a conspiracy that will unravel more than a decade’s worth of mystery and deceit.

Review: Much like the renowned “Infernal Affairs” movie, Colour of the Truth follows in the same gritty formula of plot twists where all is not what it seems. Many have compared this movie to the latter, but I feel it’s a different movie altogether. I dare to even say that I enjoyed this movie much more than I did Infernal Affairs. It’s got enough action, revelations, and twists to keep me satisfied, and I dare anyone to watch it and say they didn’t enjoy it in the slightest. Yes, the premise has been done before to a different extent, but Colour of the Truth has enough to stand on its own.

Francis Ng and Lau Ching Wan are excellent in their limited roles. They bring a certain lightness and humor to their parts while at the same time maintaining the seriousness and integrity of the movie. Raymond Wong who plays Seven Up’s son (nicknamed Cola) gives somewhat of a mixed bag in terms of performance. At times, he’s very convincing as a vengeful young man looking to bring his father’s killer to justice, but most of the time; he just looks like a lost puppy not knowing where he’s going. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Jordan Chan plays a supportive role as the son of Blind Chiu, but manages to simply shine in this movie. The problem here is that his presence diminishes Raymond Wong’s credibility and performance. Even so, Jordan Chan’s aura actually makes the movie a bit more enjoyable aesthetically and ups the overall quality masking everyone else’s shortcomings.

The action and drama are also done fairly well. Colour of the Truth keeps you guessing til the very end what happened to set off the chain of reactions. It’s not your typical Wong Jing type of production. Maybe because it’s a joint venture between Marco Mak and Wong Jing that make it a cut above his previous works. There are rare instances in this movie that seem overly dramatic and things don’t just happen for any apparent reason. Action is depicted with style and substance. The characters aren’t just shooting in some direction for nothing. When I say the action is stylistic, I don’t mean like Fulltime Killer where practically every shot is a pose. It’s just done very well and manages to steer clear of unbelievably bad action territory.

In conclusion, Colour of the Truth is an enjoyable and entertaining variant to Infernal Affairs. It has enough to stand on its own with its intricate plot twists, action and suspense factor. If you were let down by the hype of Infernal Affairs and want a worthwhile crime drama, Colour of the Truth is perfect for you. If not, it’s still a movie worth watching for its captivating story and cast performance.