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Daniel Wu stars as Fung, a country boy who travels along with his close friends, brothers Kang (Liu Ye) and Hu (Tony Yang) to bustling Shang ( more )
Daniel Wu stars as Fung, a country boy who travels along with his close friends, brothers Kang (Liu Ye) and Hu (Tony Yang) to bustling Shanghai to make their fortune. The three are good friends and sworn brothers, and once in Shanghai they get the chance to put that to the test. Both Fung and Hu start as rickshaw pullers, but are soon introduced to the swank environment of Club Paradise by Kang, who works as a waiter there. Club Paradise is owned by Boss Hong (Sun Hong-Lei), who soon lets the hick trio into his inner circle after they steal a shipment of guns from a rival gangster. However, the trio's brotherly bond begins to crack following the heist. Fung is upstanding and a bit naïve, and seems to object to being a hired thug for a Shanghai crime boss. That bit of moralizing puts him at odds with the power-hungry Kang, who gets off on being a gangster, and begins to exhibit a cruelty that's frightening to his friends. Somewhat similar to Fung, Hu is uncomfortable with their new jobs, but his loyalty to his brother is a factor, too. Hu ends up registering his protest by becoming a stumbling, useless drunk.
Fung's conflict is understandable, as he's initially forced to violate some of his morals simply to preserve the lives of his two friends. This theme - the compromising of one's values for the sake of your loved ones - is a potent one, and could explain why the upright Fung still joins Hong's gang despite his personal objections. However, that theme does not explain why Fung behaves so stupidly. Despite Kang being a lackey for Boss Hong, Fung is slow to realize that Kang has drawn he and Hu into a criminal scheme. You'd think Fung would notice a red flag a lot sooner, but he doesn't even register a protest until the smoking gun is practically in his hand.
Also, Fung befriends Mark (Chang Chen), Hong's number one lieutenant and potential betrayer, in a spectacularly dumb way. Mark stumbles out of Club Paradise, shot and bleeding, after a botched hit on Hong, and shoves a gun into Fung's face threateningly before collapsing in the snow. In return, Fung takes Mark home and treats him nicely. Um…yeah, that's a smart move, isn't it? Fung's innane kindness is ultimately justified because Mark is a damn cool individual and he's played by the charismatic Chang Chen, but how is this knowledge supposed to reassure Fung when they first meet? Why would someone as righteous and seemingly averse to illegal activities as Fung help a potential assassin? ( less )
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