Review: If you are a fan of Hong Kong cinema, then you probably aren't a stranger to the ensemble crime drama. The first and foremost expert of this genre is, without a doubt, Johnny To. With such films as THE MISSION, FULLTIME KILLERS, PTU, and BREAKING NEWS, Mr. To has the genre nailed. However, with his recent films, it just seems like he's recycling the same formula over and over again, never offering anything new. Also, it's unsettling that the best ensemble crime drama of recent years (INFERNAL AFFAIRS) was brought to us by the makers of AVENGING FIST. Has all the creativity been milked from this ailing genre? Is there anything new that can be put on the table? Is it time to shelf these cat-and-mouse crime chases?

Enter Tsung-Shing Yee.

When ONE NITE IN MONGKOK came out, I was expecting a Johnny To-lite. In most Johnny To films, there's always that one moment where no one speaks, and they just skulk around, trying to boost the "cool" factor of the scene. In THE MISSION, it was the kicking of a paper ball between the killers. In PTU it was the silent creeping of the PTU's up the stairs. In BREAKING NEWS it was the cop squad creeping around the hallways. To me, those moments are always borderline dumb. It was refreshing to see ONE NITE completely free of these moments.

Tsung-Shing takes us to the nitty-gritty right away. He immediately throws the conflict in our faces when the first scene rolls. Rather than take time to introduce the characters, Tsung-Shing lets us become acquainted with them as they fit into the story. The story molds these characters, not the other way around. This approach of story-telling is obviously not exclusive to this film, but it's very admirable that Tsung-Shing incorporates it so well with his writing, directing, and pick of cast.

Usually with these films, the cast controls how the story progresses. It always feels like SOMEONE is in control of the court, and the story moves along to their pace. With ONE NITE, the characters have no control of their situation. No matter how strong they are, no matter how weak, everyone is at an equal advantage (or disadvantage if you're a cynic).

Aside from the spectacular job on Tsung-Shing's side, the cast is really something to brag about. Out of her long-spanning career, I think it's safe to say that the best of Cecilia Cheung has been brought out by Tsung-Shing. Their previous collaboration was the award-winning LOST IN TIME. Her take as the prostitute-by-choice-but-innately-sweet-girl is taken to perfection. I even enjoyed a Daniel Wu performance! His usually stilted acting fits comfortably in his shy virgin assassin persona. I could go on giving applause to the rest of the cast, but I think you get the picture.

While everything up to this point has been nothing but praise, there are a few quirks. For one, the story itself is, for the most part, the hackneyed bad-guy-isn't-that-bad-but-good-guys-don't-care formula is once again recycled without much variation. That isn't saying the story is bad. By all means, its still grabs the audience's attention, but I just wish there was something else. Maybe if the bad guy can be just pure bad for once, or hell, if just ONE person was deviously evil. Because the conclusion is practically the same each time in this genre! While the journey was excellent, the finale left more to be desired. But, on a high note, the last scene had an essence of Polanski's CHINATOWN.

ONE NITE IN MONGKOK certainly has its moments, but even amongst all its triumphs, the film is still, at its core, a simple ensemble crime drama. While this film hasn't injected new life into the genre, it has certainly raised the bar. Regardless, this film still is one of Hong Kong's best in an era after INFERNAL AFFAIRS and SHAOLIN SOCCER.