Lifeline

No superheroes in this firemen’s film, just ordinary and hence heart-warming firemen. Lau Ching Wan, one of the most popular Hong Kong actors of the 1990s and a regular actor with To, plays the commander of a fire brigade that has a reputation for bad luck and putting itself unnecessarily in danger. That is not how they see it. They take their duty to save lives very seriously, whether it is the lives of humans or pets. The brigade forms a tight unit that would do anything for each other. On one of their unlucky days, the commander is seriously injured. His job is taken over by a very authoritarian commander with totally different ideas about saving lives. For him, the lives of the firemen themselves are most important, civilians come second place. His style and morality cause tension. The firemen yearn for their old commander.
The film has been made by To with more than skill for the production house of the famous Shaw Brothers. He seems to identify with the firemen who give more than is asked of them. The sets engulfed in flames are animated and breathtaking. (GjZ)