Fridae

Written and directed by Derek Yee (One Night in Mongkok), this ambitious multi-strand drug drama stars Daniel Wu as an undercover cop who has successfully infiltrated one of the biggest drug operations in Hong Kong, run by the drug baron known as Banker (Andy Lau). Banker is extremely ill and wants to find an heir to take over his business.

The smart and charismatic Daniel seems like a natural choice. So Banker grooms him as his successor, and in the process tempts the morally ambiguous Daniel to discard his badge for good. Meanwhile, Daniel becomes involved with a female junkie (Zhang Jingchu) because he feels sorry for her young daughter. But the return of her drug dealer husband (Louis Koo) into their lives complicated the picture...

Although Andy gets top billing for the picture, Prot�g� is � as the title suggests � Daniel's movie. Surprisingly, he rises to the challenge to give a charismatic and convincing performance � which is more than one can say for his anemic turn in his last high-profile film, The Banquet.

The rest of the star-studded cast delivers the goods: Andy as the ailing crime lord, Anita Yuen as his beleaguered wife and Zhang Jingchu as the desperate junkie. Only Louis Koo comes across as something of a caricature in prosthetic teeth and darkened eyebags, prompting laughter at the press screening over his antics.

Still, Prot�g� is one of the best films to come out of Hong Kong of late. Its depiction of the vast drug trade is startlingly vivid, from the farmers who grow the plants to the mobsters who deal in them to the junkies who consume them. We wouldn't be surprised if, like Infernal Affairs, the remake rights to the film were promptly picked up by Hollywood because, well, it's that good.