I've now seen this film a couple of times and enjoyed it. However, can I just affirm that its portrayal of the culture and methods of the Hong Kong Police Force is pure fiction. I acknowledge that a bit of poetic license is given for the creative process, but this film is so far off the mark its laughable. Having said that, the cinematography is impressive, bringing out the best that the Hong Kong skyline has to offer. The acting is impressive, except for Micheal Wong. He is his usual staid self and unappealing in portrayal of the Commissioner. Wong neither has the acting chops or the gravitas to fill the role.

All the way from the beginning of the film up to the point of the taking over of power from the 2 brass cops were fairly well done. Then the movie tries to get smart. Too smart.*spoilers ahead*The story is about an incident that triggers an internal power struggle between the .. shall we say... brains and bronze side of the HK police force. So that's setup, very fast pace, so fast that in the opening credit they distinctively shows you an org chart dividing left and right to make sure you see the split.Then the story twists into who is the behind it all and the resolution. But there are so many holes to this story it isn't funny. And the open ending asks for an sequel is pitiful.Holes: - the commish can't be reach in such an emergency? really? - how did the plotter know Aaron will override the case? - if they want to kill Aaron on the highway why bother with the plot? - if they have the guts to kill head of Treasury with car bomb, why not kill Aaron in the process as well? - why did Albert (a top brass himself) goes up with 1 hand gun, to the roof when there's a SDU gun fight with explosive ? - if Aaron don't want to blow this up, why all the cops near the end to capture the son?Man, the rooftop explosive sequence is sooooooooooooo unnecessary and badly filmed and choreography that it took me right out of the movie.It is more logical Albert is the devil behind the scene. Save him for the sequel for a second attack or revisit theSigh. Maybe 2 more draft of the script.

Not really a bad HK movie, although the storyline is way out there. A son plans a kidnap and ransom so that his father can become CP?Production and editing are both B+. However, seems disjointed at times. Leung Kar Fai's character is Gene Hackman and Aaron Kwok's character is Denzel Washington in the 1995 US submarine movie Crimson Tide. At the end, Denzel ran out to say goodbye to Gene (leashing his dog). Cold War's ending is similar. Coincidence or not, it's up to the viewer. There seems to be a few too many crime movies taking place at the HK Police HQ. The look and feel of the HQ are too corporate. The lack of the "precinct" feel makes the movie less authentic.

An explosion in the heart of Hong Kong city and the mystery disappearance of an EU van with five armed policemen onboard kick start a series of events that not only threaten the innocent citizens of Hong Kong but also the cohesion of the police force.Heavenly King Aaron Kwok plays Lau, the Deputy Commissioner of administrative services of the HK police force while Tony Leung Ka Fai plays Lee, the Deputy Commissioner of operations. With the Commissioner (Michael Wong) away on a conference in Copenhagen, Lee assumed the position of officer-in-charge and authorized an immediate rescue operation (codenamed Cold War) of the kidnapped officers. However, Lau has doubts over Lee's authority and a fight over the commanding position ensues. With the clock ticking including the safety of Lee's son, Joe (Taiwanese idol Eddie Peng) being one of the kidnapped police officers, operation Cold War is still a go despite the differences. Co-helmed by first time directors Sunny Luk (who serves as one of the writers and second assistant director on movies such as "Full Alert" and "On the Edge") and art director Longman Leung, "Cold War" is an intense crime thriller that collectively packed a lot of stuff into a compact 100 odd minutes. Taking into account the countless familiar faces that the duo has assembled, this factor probably already worth the admission ticket alone. The summary above only accounts for the first half of the movie, yes you heard that right. You got an electrifying scene between Lau and Lee's character. Two Heavenly Kings, one by the name of Andy sharing a scene together after their last collaboration in "Lee Rock II" almost two decades ago and a nail-biting scene involving Lau bringing a whole bag of cash to meet the kidnappers and ends with a gunfight on a busy road. Another gentle reminder, all these happened in the first half of "Cold War" and we have yet reached the end. Luk and Leung take a fresh spin on the usual crime genre and gave it a new life during the process thus instead of a straight out actioner liked Benny Chan's "EU Strike Force", we have a layered cop drama in the league of "Infernal Affairs". The story is also the duo's love song to their beloved homeland, a country that is run on a respected common law jurisdiction and enjoyed freedom of speech and accountability which is a stark contrast to the People's Republic of China. The two filmmakers refuse to rest on their laurels that they have to introduce a young ICAC rookie, Cheung (Aarif Rahman from "Bruce Lee, My Brother") in the next half of the movie to investigate Lau's alleged involvement in the missing ransom which in turn question the existence of a mole in the force. This is not to say the scripting of "Cold War" is perfect. In fact, in an enthusiastic move to generate more twists and turns, a couple of missteps including too many false endings and a CG filled finale actually hamper the overall enjoyment a little.After being lambasted for his cheesy acting in "Murderer" and "City Under Siege", Kwok equipped with a salt-and-pepper hairstyle is surprisingly believable as the calm, confident Lau while the award- winning Leung shines in a role that screams for more. The other supporting cast includes Gordon Lam Ka Tong playing a role that he can virtually portrays in his sleep and action choreographer Chin Ka Lok doubling as Lau's subordinate, the ever pretty Charlie Young pops in as Head of Public Relations with Andy Lau in an extended cameo as the Secretary of Security. I can't say much for Eddie Peng but this young man unquestionably is a shining star to watch out for.Even without the financial involvement of Mainland investors, "Cold War" is an impressive feat for the two relatively new filmmakers. The lush production values and picturesque aerial shots are examples of that. Although it doesn't feature wall-to-wall action (think "The Viral Factor"), "Cold War" is a recommended title proving the crime genre which the HK movie industry is famous for is still very much alive.