bog-ve-kdo When i first saw just a label on this DVD, my first thought was, another karate film with some gang stuff. But i must tell you that i am not often so pleasantly surprised about one movie, like with this one. It is not only dark world of heroin users,dealers, cops etc. this movie is much more. It is a very deep story which keeps you in it for a whole movie and makes you feel despair,wonder,ill and even sometimes makes you laugh. It is not possible that this movie will not touch you deep in your heart, the scenes with addict mother and her small daughter, are simply heartbreaking.Specially recommending for people who had some personal drug experience.

misterhappy-1 I saw this movie in the Hong Kong IFC mall before I got the train to the airport. It is one of the best films I have ever seen. I am a huge Daniel Wu fan anyway, and I related to his relationship with his smack-head neighbour straight away, having lived with a smack-head with a little daughter. Some of the "it's not my fault" statements by the neighbour and her slimy husband seemed very familiar to me. Judging by the reaction of other (Chinese) people in the cinema, it was familiar to them as well. I expect this film to be available soon on DVD. When it does I will buy it instantly. I can recommend it totally to any HK film fan, and to anyone else who appreciates films that make you think.

Harry T. Yung With a good, solid story, a movie doesn't need an "Infernal affair" type of convoluted script to succeed. "Protégé" is a perfect example. There are two strong story lines, none of them particularly novel, converging on drug-busting undercover cop Nick (Daniel Wu). After seven years' hard and dangerous work, he is close to winning full confidence of heroin kingpin Kwan (Andy Lau), ready for the big kill. At about the same time, he starts to develop a delicate relationship with pretty single mother Jane (Zhang Jingchu), starting out as his innocent good-natured intention to help her and her little daughter. And three cheers to the movie makers for sparing us yet another trip into the realm of undercover-syndrome complex. Thank you very much - there's been more than enough. Nick is a good guy, period.Some say that the true protagonist in this movie is heroin, and that is not far from the truth. Very apparently, a lot of effort has been put into researching the subject. Close-up, we see production of the stuff in the "kitchen" (i.e. the secret factory) with such detail that it look like a chemistry lesson we had in high school. We are then given some rather disturbing insight into how Kwan's organization operates, by absolute compartmentalization for maximum security – the "need-to-know" rule is applied to the utmost. Finally, on the global scale, we are shown the massive poppy fields in the Golden Triangle, and at the same time brought to understand that heroin is really a "sunset industry", giving way to youth-oriented drugs. There are also shrewd remarks such as the UN's reports on drug dealing becoming drug dealers' "marketing guide".But this is not a clinical documentary. It's an intensely human story. To carry it, we need some good acting, and we have it.Wu, as mentioned, plays a simple good guy which is not a huge challenge. He delivers. Andy Lau fans should enjoy his role here, which is quite unlike anything he had before. Here is an interesting portrayal of an evil criminal into an almost sympathy-earning character – a devoted family man who is also a continually suffering invalid. The most interesting bit of psychology is his self-absolving logics, putting the blame on the end-users with such vehement intensity that the self-serving mentality is only too clear. Kwan (and all of the few in his closest confidants, for that matter) is squeaky clean when it comes to drug usage. To him, this is only a business of supply and demand. If some junkie out there wants the stuff, someone is going to sell it to them and get rich, so it may as well be Kwan himself. The movie comes dangerously to letting such a criminal getting away easily with such atrocity, had it not been for another character, Jane.Jane is just such a junkie, and through Zhang's heart-wrenching portrayal, the audience see what drug addiction really is and the monstrosity of the people behind it. That is truly an infernal affair. Those who have seen Zhang in "Seven swords" know how good she is in portraying a character in an neurotic state of mind (in that movie it was shock from nearly being killed by a sword swinging bandit). But those who have also seen the little-known movie "Huayao bride in Shangrila" know further that she is an extremely versatile actress, as she plays there a witty, playful, mischievous young bride that delights at every turn. Zhang Jingchu is one Mainland actress to keep an eye open for.It's quite true that this movie is formulaic and predictable, but it works, thanks to Yee Tung-shing's capable direction. But even a director as traditional as Yee cannot avoid putting in one or two grotesque "shock" scenes (think Johnny To's "Election" series). Here, we have humour as black as you want with a guy's hand not chopped off by a knife, but smashed off by repeated blows from a hammer. Owner of said hand is one of the best character actors in town Liu Kai-chi, whose "Fu Bo" is still among the top local indies. While on such matters, I must compliment Louis Koo Tin-lok on his delightful portrayal of a character that is beneath contempt, Jane's junkie husband.

Lee Alon Talking about ratings may not be the most appealing of review openers, but the Hong Kong ratings board just makes it so easy. Either they hand out restrictive ratings like Spring Festival red pockets, or they blithely choose to ignore stuff that in other markets would have raised red flags, and none too festive at that.Which one is the lesser or greater evil, that's up to each viewer to decide Protégé contains some very explicit drug use depictions and a pervasive mood of terror more fitting in a genuine horror flick. Frankly, there's more scary content here than in the typical Asian frightener. Thus, we're counting our blessings that the board didn't notice. Maybe they just missed this one? Well, whatever the case may be, you shouldn't.This is a powerful movie, coming from a powerful team of filmmakers headed by Derek Yee, Hong Kong's greatest directorial hope right now and the guy that gave us the excellent One Nite in Mong Kok and Drink Drank Drunk. Naturally, his latest brings back Daniel Wu for another round of effective temperance and reserved menace, although this time the guy is accompanied by the type of performances that tend to drown out the most potent of thespians.Seriously, sit down to behold Protégé and enjoy Oscar-caliber acting from some unexpected, surprising angles. As often happens, it's not the leads that shine more than everyone else, but rather their supporting cast. It helps to have the film bestowed with melodramatic but subtle visuals, heaps of startling moments of violence and a distinct aversion to holding back. All these combine to a product of impressive properties, even if it doesn't tell the most innovative of stories.And the story is where Protégé could have done somewhat better. It fields a slightly formulaic recounting of the antics of undercover cop Nick, who over the course of seven years managed to infiltrate the drug producing enterprise of appliance seller cum chemist Banker (Andy Lau). The criminal mastermind isn't just adept at shirking narcotics and customs agents, he's also a dedicated family man and suffering from diabetes-related kidney problems. Thus, the Banker's looking to leave his business in the right hands, trusting Nick with the job (hence the title).But Nick is a man of conflicts and everyday alertness to the suffering this world purveys left and right, and so begins to notice his pretty female neighbor (Zhang Jing Chu) and her delightfully cute little girl as they exist in poverty's uncool squalor. Aside from cooking up a few instant noodle packs to keep them from starving, Nick also realizes the neighbor is quite seriously on the needle and hooked on heroine, the same substance he's been in effect helping the crime syndicate put on the streets for years.His moral dilemma becomes acutely obvious when the neighbor's de facto husband (Louis Koo) shows up one day and proceeds to cause trouble. There begins Nick's resolution to truly bring his beloved mentor down, having decided that it's not merely doing business when you're making your money keeping people addicted and weak.There's a substantial component of valuation to Protégé as it delves into the reasoning behind drug dealing, using narcotics and the things these contrast with, such as loyalty, family ties and the path each individual either chooses or is forced onto.None of it is really too deep, but you won't mind, since the movie dishes out whatever ammunition it was given with great aplomb and style. As mentioned before, it's no ordinary crime also-ran. There's more here to do with various horror and mystery genres than with the average triad epic, but that's only the beginning. From quite early on one comes to respect Zhang Jing Chu's uber-believable performance, she's that good. From the wracking convulsions of trying to kick the habit, through the fake frailty of needy junkies to the heart-breaking desperation of a mother, she's got it all down pat brilliantly.And words can only begin to describe Louis Koo's input. The guy's just so good this writer almost went out of the theater to go get him a statue. He's so adept at suspending disbelief it takes a while to even recognize him for the slick pop star you thought he was. But that's all over with now that we've seen his full range. The man simply shines and it breaks us up that, like almost all Hong Kong motion pictures, the world at large will dismiss this occurrence as secondary to other sources.That's the thing with Hong Kong actors, we get so used to seeing them in Mahjong Girlfriend 12 and My Left Ear Loves Demons 5, and then they come out with this brutally touching sort of quality. Go figure.There's also memorable scenes with crime movie veteran Liu Kai Chi (SPL, Colour of the Loyalty, Infernal Affairs 2), whose semi-demented jocular conduct fits perfectly with the role of a cruel but sympathetic customs agent.On the downside, Protégé doesn't bring anything new to the collective literal psyche, it just tells an old story better than most. It does commit the sin of stereotyping, not only with respect to the tormented cop and lovable crook brackets, but also when showing a trip the two take to Thailand, where everyone's either a warlord or a demure, destitute supplicant.But such minor glitches are easily forgiven in an otherwise amazing release. Watch it and learn a thing or two. Class not dismissed.Rating: * * * *