Cold War (2012)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Cold War |
| Original title | Cold War 寒戰 / 寒战 |
| Country of production | Hong Kong |
| original language | Cantonese |
| Publishing year | 2012 |
| length | 102 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Longman Leung , Sunny Luk |
| script | Longman Leung, Sunny Luk |
| production | Bill Kong, Mathew Tang, Ivy Ho |
| camera | Jason Kwan, Kenny Tse |
| cut | Kwong Chi-leung, Wong Hoi |
| occupation | |
| |
Cold War ( Chinese 寒戰 / 寒战 , Pinyin Hánzhàn , Jyutping Hon 4 zin 3 - "cold war, shiver, shudder") is a Hong Kong- produced police thriller from 2012 directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung with Aaron Kwok and Tony Starring Leung Ka-fai . The film is about the police investigation into the kidnapping of an emergency vehicle, which is made difficult by an insider in the police apparatus.
Cold War won a total of nine awards at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards . In Germany the film was released directly on DVD and Blu-ray. A sequel was released in 2016 under the title Cold War 2 .
action
An explosion occurs outside the Broadway Mong Kok Cinema in Hong Kong. That same night, a Hong Kong Police Force Emergency Unit van disappears along with the five-man crew. Since it is assumed that the two cases are related, a terrorist threat situation is assumed. Because the police chief is on a business trip in Copenhagen , his deputy MB Lee takes over the investigation under the code name Cold War and declares a state of emergency . His son is one of the five police officers who disappeared.
When the police believe that they have located the kidnapped police officers on a ship in the port based on radio signals on their uniforms, they are accessed by SWAT units . The ship's crew tried to flee, but the suspected location of the abductees revealed that they were misled by the perpetrators and found only five dolls there. A video of the police chief praising the safety of the city of Hong Kong is shown on an old television.
When Sean Lau (another deputy chief of police) notices that Lee is interrogating one of the ship's arrested sailors without letting him in, he fears that Lee is acting too rashly out of concern for his son.
The kidnappers send a video on an SD card in which they demand a ransom that is equal to the value of the police officers and the team car. Lau and Lee calculate the "value" of the police on the basis of the compensation payments for the families of police officers killed on duty at HKD 93 million. One of the five police officers (the driver of the car) is injured by the kidnappers and thrown unconscious on the street in front of a hospital and dies some time later.
Lau discusses with the other members of the police leadership and they release Lee (who has meanwhile tightened the state of emergency, but does not want to announce it to the population) from the investigation. Lau takes over the command of "Cold War" himself. They obtain the requested ransom in cash, but the kidnappers come forward and only demand 33 million. Another condition is that Lau hand over the money personally. The police marked them so that they could follow the kidnappers. The remaining 60 million cash will be returned to the bank.
Lau is instructed several times over the phone by the kidnappers to change modes of transport and directions, so that he also has to shake off police officers covering him. Over a bridge he is instructed to discard the money, the pocket bursting open and the bills swirling through the air. The terrorists approach in a car and start shooting at Lau. Lau can drive them to escape, but the police officer Tsui (one of Lau's confidants from the police leadership with whom he had dismissed Lee), who was also driven to the scene, is killed in the firefight. Meanwhile, Lau was informed by telephone that the kidnappers had captured the remaining 60 million (which, in contrast to the money dropped, were not marked) by the perpetrators when they were returned to the bank. Then the perpetrators inform the police where the stolen police car can be found along with the remaining, tied police officers.
The internal anti-corruption unit ICAC received an anonymous complaint against Lau a week later for accepting benefits in connection with the dropping of money from the bridge. Lau is then arrested by ICAC officer Billy Cheung in the middle of a meeting. Cheung learned of Operation Cold War from an anonymous source and suspects a mole within the police force. He accuses Lau of having intentionally badly organized the repatriation of the ransom and of having embezzled the money himself. Since there is no further evidence, Lau is temporarily suspended from duty until the allegations have been clarified. Lau then tries to clarify the circumstances of the money transfer with the manager of the bank, but he is killed by a car bomb shortly afterwards .
Cheung receives a CD from an informant with extensive, secret information on the structure of the police. This shows that the current police chief will retire in two and a half years and that Lee and Lau may be his successors. While Lee is more popular within the police force, Lau has more political backing because of various management reforms. Cheung therefore suspects that Lee wants to use the failure of Cold War to ruin Lau's prospects for a promotion to police chief. Cheung and his ICAC colleagues interrogate Lee; However, he rejects all allegations and threatens his good connections.
The investigation of the car bomb shows that it was made of black powder , which is normally only used for fireworks . Traces lead to a pyrotechnician . However, when it is accessed, the police are lured into a trap and all police officers involved are killed.
Forensic investigations finally reveal that Joe, Lee's son, was behind the kidnapping of the emergency vehicle. Lau informs Lee and also reveals to Lee that it was himself who passed the information on to the ICAC; Since the ICAC is outside the jurisdiction of the police, the mole within the police was not aware of the investigation.
Lee confronts his son, whereupon he admits to having carried out the deeds with some colleagues within the police to secure the post of police chief for his father. The savings made by Lau would have ruined morale within the police force. Lee sees his own values betrayed and renounces his son. Joe refuses to name his co-conspirators and is shot when the police attack (Lee and a SWAT unit were ready).
The next day, the acting police chief and Lee announce their early retirement and Lau is nominated as the new police chief.
The film ends with Lau receiving a phone call informing him that his wife and daughter have been kidnapped to obtain Joe Lee's release.
reception
The film had the highest grossing of the 2012 film produced in Hong Kong, but was largely reserved with critics.
Richard Kuipers from Variety summed up the "from the beginning overloaded plot on the verge of confusion will get going better later, but the false start will keep many from dealing with the complex plot." (English: "Overstuffing the plot to the point of." confusion early on, Hong Kong crimer 'Cold War' warms up considerably thereafter, but its false start will likely prevent many auds from fully engaging with the drama's complex maneuvers. ")
Michael Kienzl from Critic.de came to the conclusion, “It's about solid genre cinema that works over its duration. The problem with the film is more how calculating it is. The directors and scriptwriters don't take any risks, they can't because too much depends on the success of such an elaborate production. "
Web links
- Cold War in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Cold War at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Cold War (2012) at hkmdb.com (Chinese / English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of Release for Cold War . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , April 2014 (PDF; test number: 144 369 V).
- ↑ The character han ( 寒 , hán ) in the term hanzhan ( 寒戰 / 寒战 ) means, as a single character, "cold", "the cold" and can be put together as a play on words for both "cold war" and "shiver" or "shudder" translated, Chinese / English: [1] on zdic.net, accessed on February 19, 2018 - online
- ↑ The character zhan ( 戰 / 战 , zhàn ) in the term hanzhan ( 寒戰 / 寒战 ) means "war", "fight" or "battle" [2] or as a synonymous character of chan / zhan ( 顫 / 颤 , chàn, zhàn ), "tremble", "shudder". Put together as a play on words, it can be translated as "cold war" as well as "the chill" or "the shudder", Chinese / English: [3] on zdic.net, accessed on February 19, 2018 - online
- ↑ Term "Hanzhan (寒戰 / 寒战)", Chinese / English: [4] on zdic.net, accessed on February 19, 2018 - online
- ↑ Term "Hanzhan (寒戰 / 寒战)", Chinese / English: [5] on leo.org, accessed on February 19, 2018 - online
- ↑ 'Cold War' Cracks 2012 Top 10 Hong Kong Box-Office List. Wall Street Journal, accessed July 22, 2017 .
- ↑ Cold War. Variety, accessed July 22, 2017 .
- ↑ Cold War. Critic.de, accessed on July 22, 2017 .