Triangle review

A cinematic relay race for three of Hong Kong’s leading action filmmakers, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Jonnie To, who each directed roughly a third of this dynamic crime caper before handing the narrative baton on to the next. The resultant experiment is surprisingly seamless and effective, although the trio’s signature styles and sensibilities are readily apparent in this tale of indebted drinking buddies Sam (Simon Yam), Fai (Louis Koo) and Mok (Honglei Sun). The trio plan to rip off a priceless antique, but don’t factor in Sam’s cheating wife, her crooked cop lover and some persistent gangsters. Hark’s rapid-fire opening third sets the tone, leading into the gritty realism of Lam’s psychologically driven middle before To’s stylishly choreographed, action-led finale wraps things up with a blackly humorous and suspenseful stand-off in an outdoor restaurant.