Seung hung

The hypnotism angle adds a fresh spin to this otherwise familiar Hong Kong-set story of cops 'n' robbers and one dedicated detective's fight for justice. The complex, nothing-is-what-it-seems storyline involves police collaborating with an imprisoned former colleague who has a talent for hypnotism; together they must track down a criminal mastermind who seems determined to get his hands on some ultra-valuable gemstones.

What follows is an action-packed movie layered with an effective story and some finely-directed moments of mayhem and high-rise peril, all handled by genre maestro Benny Chan. HEROIC DUO is slightly cheesy and dated on occasion, with dollops of overladen melodrama thrown into the mix and lots of extra emoting, but in the end it proves to be a film that's never less than an enjoyable experience.

Former popstar Ekin Cheng acquits himself well as the dogged detective, banishing memories of his overt posturing in the likes of TOKYO RAIDERS in favour of something a little more mature and mannered. Leon Lai is given a better role as the conflicted hypnotist, torn between family ties, pressure from an unwelcome source, and doing what's right; he does a decent job of it. Francis Ng's bad guy is extremely one dimensional but fun, while the female characters aren't given a great deal to do; still, you can't have everything. HEROIC DUO is an above average film for the genre with bags to energy to keep it flowing merrily along.