A policeman loses his pistol. He is an older, experienced policeman who is not far off retirement. It doesn’t look like a total disaster, but he does realise that his whole reputation is at stake. If his gun is used to commit a murder, his service record would be worthless. Colleague police officers understand the problem. A special PTU (Police Tactical Unit) even gets involved. One thing leads to another and soon the whole police force and the entire Hong Kong underworld seem to be involved in the hunt for the retiring officer’s handgun. Just as Hitchcock knew better than anyone that it is not about the gun (the famous McGuffin), in this case it is only an excuse to provide a flashy picture of the seamy side of Hong Kong. It has been said of this film that the style is more important than the dialogue. The film is told visually with a lot of action. The sparse dialogue is incomparably spoken by actors such as Simon Yam, Ruby Wong and Lam Suet: class actors who are part of To’s regular stable and who can play a police officer just as coolly as a gangster. (GjZ)
