Talking about ratings may not be the most appealing of review openers, but the Hong Kong ratings board just makes it so easy. Either they hand out restrictive ratings like Spring Festival red pockets, or they blithely choose to ignore stuff that in other markets would have raised red flags, and none too festive at that.

Which one is the lesser or greater evil, that's up to each viewer to decide Protégé contains some very explicit drug use depictions and a pervasive mood of terror more fitting in a genuine horror flick. Frankly, there's more scary content here than in the typical Asian frightener. Thus, we're counting our blessings that the board didn't notice. Maybe they just missed this one? Well, whatever the case may be, you shouldn't.

This is a powerful movie, coming from a powerful team of filmmakers headed by Derek Yee, Hong Kong's greatest directorial hope right now and the guy that gave us the excellent One Nite in Mong Kok and Drink Drank Drunk. Naturally, his latest brings back Daniel Wu for another round of effective temperance and reserved menace, although this time the guy is accompanied by the type of performances that tend to drown out the most potent of thespians.

Seriously, sit down to behold Protégé and enjoy Oscar-caliber acting from some unexpected, surprising angles. As often happens, it's not the leads that shine more than everyone else, but rather their supporting cast. It helps to have the film bestowed with melodramatic but subtle visuals, heaps of startling moments of violence and a distinct aversion to holding back. All these combine to a product of impressive properties, even if it doesn't tell the most innovative of stories.

And the story is where Protégé could have done somewhat better. It fields a slightly formulaic recounting of the antics of undercover cop Nick, who over the course of seven years managed to infiltrate the drug producing enterprise of appliance seller cum chemist Banker (Andy Lau). The criminal mastermind isn't just adept at shirking narcotics and customs agents, he's also a dedicated family man and suffering from diabetes-related kidney problems. Thus, the Banker's looking to leave his business in the right hands, trusting Nick with the job (hence the title).

But Nick is a man of conflicts and everyday alertness to the suffering this world purveys left and right, and so begins to notice his pretty female neighbor (Zhang Jing Chu) and her delightfully cute little girl as they exist in poverty's uncool squalor. Aside from cooking up a few instant noodle packs to keep them from starving, Nick also realizes the neighbor is quite seriously on the needle and hooked on heroine, the same substance he's been in effect helping the crime syndicate put on the streets for years.

His moral dilemma becomes acutely obvious when the neighbor's de facto husband (Louis Koo) shows up one day and proceeds to cause trouble. There begins Nick's resolution to truly bring his beloved mentor down, having decided that it's not merely doing business when you're making your money keeping people addicted and weak.

There's a substantial component of valuation to Protégé as it delves into the reasoning behind drug dealing, using narcotics and the things these contrast with, such as loyalty, family ties and the path each individual either chooses or is forced onto.

None of it is really too deep, but you won't mind, since the movie dishes out whatever ammunition it was given with great aplomb and style. As mentioned before, it's no ordinary crime also-ran. There's more here to do with various horror and mystery genres than with the average triad epic, but that's only the beginning. From quite early on one comes to respect Zhang Jing Chu's uber-believable performance, she's that good. From the wracking convulsions of trying to kick the habit, through the fake frailty of needy junkies to the heart-breaking desperation of a mother, she's got it all down pat brilliantly.

And words can only begin to describe Louis Koo's input. The guy's just so good this writer almost went out of the theater to go get him a statue. He's so adept at suspending disbelief it takes a while to even recognize him for the slick pop star you thought he was. But that's all over with now that we've seen his full range. The man simply shines and it breaks us up that, like almost all Hong Kong motion pictures, the world at large will dismiss this occurrence as secondary to other sources.

That's the thing with Hong Kong actors, we get so used to seeing them in Mahjong Girlfriend 12 and My Left Ear Loves Demons 5, and then they come out with this brutally touching sort of quality. Go figure.

There's also memorable scenes with crime movie veteran Liu Kai Chi (SPL, Colour of the Loyalty, Infernal Affairs 2), whose semi-demented jocular conduct fits perfectly with the role of a cruel but sympathetic customs agent.

On the downside, Protégé doesn't bring anything new to the collective literal psyche, it just tells an old story better than most. It does commit the sin of stereotyping, not only with respect to the tormented cop and lovable crook brackets, but also when showing a trip the two take to Thailand, where everyone's either a warlord or a demure, destitute supplicant.

But such minor glitches are easily forgiven in an otherwise amazing release. Watch it and learn a thing or two. Class not dismissed.

Rating: * * * *

One of the best films I've seen in years. (The director, Derek Yee, wrote and directed the excellent ONE NIGHT IN MONGKOK)

Watching it was like going into a surreal alternate universe--part horror, part human drama, part cop story.

The plot description does not do it justice, as it sounds like a typical HK action drama, or at best a copycat of INFERNAL AFFAIRS, or TRAFFIC.

This harrowing film is complex and has its own vision. Addiction, despair and betrayal are at its core.

The cop-mole plot is only part of the story. The world of heroin is explored on several levels: poppy growers, "cookers", suppliers, an amazing sequence in Thailand in the heart of the "Golden Triangle", and --best of all-- a look inside the world of a young mother and heroin addict-- which is shot with such a dreamlike but gritty reality you are horrified yet entranced.

The cinematographer and production designer should be commended for creating such a fascinating universe for the actors to inhabit.

The actors all give strong performances, but it's Zhang Jing Chu who is mesmerizing and heartbreaking as Jane, who plays the heroin addict as if she were a "living ghost."

The Hong Kong crime movie genre has another worthy addition to its collection, hot off the heels of the Infernal Affairs creative team's Confession of Pain. While movies of the genre of late are almost always gearing toward sophistication, Protégé plays out its story in surprisingly straight forward fashion, although the characters are draped in shades of grey. What makes the movie compelling, are the relationships formed between the principle characters.

If any synopsis suggests anything complex in the cops-and-robbers treatment of its key characters, it sure didn't play out that way. Daniel Wu is Nick, an undercover cop spending the last 7 years working for Andy Lau's "Banker", one of the top drug lords in HK. Ill health has forced Banker to look for a successor, and as all crime lords without natural heirs go, it sure is difficult to trust an outsider to takeover the business without stabbing you in the back. In fact, instead of Asian superstar Andy Lau, Protégé as the name implies, is actually a Daniel Wu vehicle, as we see events unfold through his eyes, and in two concurrent threads. The first being his contacts with the suppliers, and the second, his personal relations from someone who is part of the demand pool. If you were to add an additional dimension, his allegiance with the law enforcers serves as a minor subplot. No wonder Nick is one confused chap!

In contrast to the slick production look of its peers, Protégé turned out rather grimy, in deliberate fashion, as much of the time we're stuck in the doldrums of society, the ready market of those willing to abuse drugs for that quick fix in escaping their woes. And it is in this part of society that we spend much of our time in. Nick befriends a single mom played by Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, who is a drug junkie, unable to break out of her habit, try as she might. They form a reluctant friendship, more because of the fact that Nick takes pity on Jing-jing the little girl, the innocent sufferer of her mom's ineptness to break out of addiction.

Written and directed by Derek Yee, Protégé covers the whole spectrum of the heroin supply chain, from the farmers right down to the individual junkie, and examines the concerns of each layer. It's basically a roadmap 101 to drug production, with loads of cash to be made, especially for those willing to take big risks in dealing, trafficking and producing. It's a showcase on the drug operations, with its low tech, high manpower operations in the extensive network of runners, and its compartmentalization of roles and responsibilities. You can't but be impressed by how things are run, akin to any large organization, only clandestine, led by businessmen in it for the money, with warped morals and a sense of being the bridge for sellers to satisfy demand.

Despite top billing for Anita Yuen and Louis Koo, they actually have only bit parts in the movie, the former as the pregnant wife of Banker, and the latter as yet another junkie, husband to Zhang Jingchu's Jane. Somehow, with the audience I'm with, Louis Koo seems to be the one drawing in the laughter, perhaps for his general wardrobe and make up in the movie. Zhang Jinchu's performance managed to highlight the plight that junkies go through, in either trying to resist their urges, or succumbing to temptation, and the natural willingness to lie their way, even sell their souls, just for that quick fix. It's one thing to show compassion and trying to help, but totally a different ball game altogether as professional and sustained rehabilitation seems the only way to go. Hers and Louis' roles are probably to send out strong anti-drug messages.

On the other hand, Andy Lau's role, although muted in some ways, seem to want to endear him to audiences, with his character's penchant for candy, and all round nice family man. Never one who spends extravagantly on home turf, you'll probably not even suspect he's the head honcho of a multi-million dollar syndicate. And it is this harmless facade, that complicates Nick's relationship with his mentor, should he embark on following through with his mission. The mentor unreservedly showing you the ropes, making you a rich man in the process, and that his family takes a liking for you as well, but as the undercover, how could you draw the line, especially when its dealing with human emotions, of deep friendship, trust, and betrayal?

Daniel Wu played his role really well, and I'm surprised that he's super charismatic here, holding his own against Lau by playing the many facades of Nick excellently. His role too offers a comparison between members from both sides of the law, of trust and loyalties amongst in the force, albeit from another division, who spare no hesitation in using him for personal glory, and contrasted against the unwritten law of brotherhood, anonymity and trust of those in the illicit business.

One of the biggest movies hitting screens in Asia during this Chinese New Year period, it won't be difficult for Protégé to make a killing at the box office, given its powerful, engaging storyline which doesn't complicate, and the star-studded cast. As Raintree Pictures had a hand in co-producing the movie, expect to see one scene shot here, which reiterates our long no-nonsense approach to drug traffickers.

P.S. While I'm quite surprised at the many cinematically detailed instruction of drug production and drug use that remained intact in the version shown here, what was snipped instead was a sexy scene (damn!). What gives? Yes, so besides having to watch this movie dubbed in Mandarin, it's an edited version to boot.