For example, the Koreans have an ethics debate on whether or not to hand Fan Ka-Ming to a criminal in exchange for vital information, with Choi Min-Ho getting hot and bothered about how doing so would be dishonorable. The film does have other, more common themes, but nothing really sticks. For less inclined audiences, the ideas are abstruse and likely won’t resonate. These discussions about Hong Kong and China are relevant and even darkly funny, but work primarily as pandering towards Hong Kong audiences, who get what it’s like to be China’s political football. Helios drops its political discussion on the table and isn’t overt about what the “correct” opinion should be. There’s a bit of China-fluffing going on, in that the plot twist asserts China’s power, but the film is not as pedantic or pretentious as Cold War, which used grand speeches and an appearance by Andy Lau to imply that governmental transparency isn’t all that necessary. At this point, Helios enters Cold War territory, with high-stakes verbal jousting and characters pontificating on Hong Kong’s complex relationship with China. The Koreans aren’t so hot on the idea either, but Eric Lee and Fan Ka-Ming suck it up and do their jobs. Song An’s plan is basically to use DC8 to remind the world that China is in the driver’s seat, and Professor Siu is incensed at this power play. Mainland official Song An (Wang Xueqi) arrives from Beijing and blocks the planned return of DC8 to Korea, much to the dismay of anyone who’s averse to the idea a nuke in Hong Kong. Then the turn arrives, and it smells like office politics. Helios announces itself as an international-level action thriller and after this first act, it seems on track to justifying that claim. Leung and Luk have seemingly taken a step forward from the office politics-obsessed “action” of Cold War. The following scene where the Korean agents defuse DC8 at the Tsimshatsui Promenade – with absolutely no onlookers or press present – completely lacks credibility, but international audiences probably won’t realize that, and the film moves fast enough to help suspension of disbelief. Composed of firefights and motorcycle chases, Chin’s action is sharp and well-edited, with explosive climaxes that stretch but don’t shred credibility.
The opening act of Helios builds to a lengthy action sequence and the recovery of DC8, and action director Chin Kar-Lok mounts the action well. Thanks to a concerted effort from this team and lots of bullets flying, DC8 is recovered and the bad guys skulk off to lick their wounds and plot retaliation. Siu (Jacky Cheung), a bowtie-wearing physicist who offers his opinion on a mini-nuke being in Hong Kong. After meeting their Hong Kong-stationed colleague Sin Mi-Kyung (Yoon Ji-Ni), the Koreans join forces with the Hong Kongers to comprise a fabulous fivesome of terrorist-tracking, nuke-defusing do-gooders.Īlso helping is Professor C.Y.
Arriving from Korea are Colonel Choi Min-Ho (Ji Jin-Hee), who has particular expertise with DC8, and his subordinate Park Woo-Cheol (Choi Si-Won).
The Hong Kong players are CTRU (Counter Terrorism Response Unit) leader Eric Lee Yan-Ming (Nick Cheung) and his subordinate Fan Ka-Ming (Shawn Yue). That is, unless a coalition of international agents can work together and retrieve it. Now in Hong Kong and in the possession of a Korean arms dealer (Chang Chen) and his deadly assistant (Janice Man), DC8 will be sold to the highest bidder within the next week. The story concerns the theft of DC8, a South Korea-developed nuclear weapon that’s small enough to fit in your carry-on bag – a serious problem for totally obvious reasons. Not as good as its pedigree indicates it should be.įrom Sunny Luk and Longman Leung, the filmmaking duo responsible for the award-winning and overrated Cold War, comes Helios, another big-budget action thriller about urban terrorism and guys in suits arguing with each another. Also, the inconclusive ending is a real turn-off and may ruin the film for those who actually expect movies to end. The references to Hong Kong-China relations will hold interest to inclined audiences while others may snooze at the talky exchanges. The makers of Cold War bring us this initially fine action-thriller that gets abstract and then frustrating. Ho-Man, Paul Fonoroff, Gill Mohindepaul Singh, Mike Leeder, Ben Yuen Foo-Wah, Hedwig Tam Koo Mei-Wah, Feng Wenjuan, Lee Tae-Ran, Kim Hae-Sook, Philip Keung Hok-Yau, Nick Cheung Ka-Fai, Chang Chen, Shawn Yue, Wang Xueqi, Janice Man, Ji Jin-Hee, Choi Si-Won, Yoon Ji-Ni, Josephine
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