省港旗兵 100 min., 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese, Czech and English subtitles Director: Johnny Mak
A group of immigrants from Mainland China is planning a robbery of a Hong Kong jewellery store, but their quest to get rich quickly and start a new life is derailed by a harsh reality check. Two years before John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow shook the foundations of the action genre, Johnny Mak made a film that was ahead of its time and has since become one of the most iconic works of Hong Kong cinema. Through a naturalistic fusion of action crime cinema with social drama, Long Arm of the Law (1984) uncompromisingly portrays the disillusionment of many immigrants coming to Hong Kong.
Action-wise, Long Arm of the Law is a masterpiece, although its true focus lies in exposing the hostility of Hong Kong’s social hierarchy. The protagonists long for a better life, but their Hong Kong dream is thwarted by their status as outsiders. Mak’s picture captures the zeitgeist remarkably well and reflects issues that are still relevant today. More importantly, its stylized action, marked by aggressive camera movements and rhythmic editing, laid the groundwork for action films of John Woo or Ringo Lam. The film feels like a naturalistic portrait of 1980s Hong Kong, with its final act composed of the hidden corners and dark alleyways of the no-longer existing Kowloon Walled City.
