Cantonese: Goo Waak Jai Ji Yan Joi Gong Woo

Mandarin: Gu3 Huo4 Zi3 Zhi1 Ren2 Zai4 Jiang1 Hu2

Literally: Wise Guys: Man of the World

Producer: Manfred Wong (Man Jun)

Director: Andrew Lau Wai-Keung

Screenwriter: Manfred Wong (Man Jun), Dickey Yau

Cast: Dior Cheng Yee-Kin, Jordan Chan Siu-Chun, Gigi Lai Chi, Francis Ng Chun-Yu, Ng Chi-Hung, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Michael Tse Tin-Wah, Jason Chu Wing-Tong, Jerry Lamb Hiu-Fung, Suki Chan Sau-Yu, Lee Siu-Kei, Spencer Lam Seung-Yi, Cheng Cho, Deon Lam Dik-On, Heung Gong Hak, Tsang Siu-Yin, Tai Cheung

Cameo Appearance: Shing Fui-On, Choi Yip-Sun, Wang Lung-Wei, Chik King-Man, Ha Ping, Cow Man (Ngau Lo), Dickey Yau, Ching Siu-Lung

Running Time: 99 min

Type: IIB

This is an adaptation of the Chinese comic book 'Teddy Boy' by Cow Man (Niu Lo), who makes a cameo appearance here. Good up-and-coming actors, and an excellent director! The camera work is above average, especially the cool scenes in the neon nightlife of HK. The basis of the plot is typical: the story about triad life for young guys, the honor, revenge for the boss, brotherhood. But unlike other triad Hong Kong movies, this film is highly entertaining. Watch out for the performances of Jordan Chan, Gigi Lai, and Larry Lam, and ESPECIALLY Francis Ng as the scene stealing Ugly Kwan.

It tells of five young hoodlums, led by Chan Ho Nam (played by Cheng) who sing karaoke, kill other triad members, joke around, get beaten up, win and lose women, and learn the value of blind loyalty. A sour, stylishly glib and morally challenged movie, sporting state-of-the-art slick visuals. It's too tempting to attribute this to the black hand of Wong Jing, who knows how to make immensely entertaining films out of almost nothing. But the same producer/director team made the similar but vastly more substantial "film bleu" TO LIVE AND DIE IN TSIMSHATSUI, in 1994. That movie had some sense of the complex, ambiguous moral world that its underworld characters inhabited, or rejected. Y&D doesn't even care: image is all.

Cheng Yee Kin (center) as Chan Ho Nam

As the movie begins, we see a flashback of Chan Ho Nam and his four best buddies, Chicken (Jordan Chan), Yee, Pou Pee and Chou Pee being beaten up by Ugly Kwan when they were school kids. An intervention by Brother Bee prevented them from getting beaten up worse. The boys then decide to follow Bee, namely join a triad society, i.e. the Hung Hing society.

Cut to the present, as Chan gathers with his buddies (now rascals or fellows in the Causeway Bay branch of Hung Hing under Uncle Bee) for a mission: to kill a triad member. Memorable here is the scene where Chicken, who was en route to the fight, gets stuck in an elevator with a priest (Spencer Lam), who tries to talk him out of going and preaches to him the teachings of Jesus. In vain.

After their mission ends in success, Chan finds his car stolen. They track down the thief, a girl named Smartie (Gigi Lau), scam her into believing that they want to buy the car back from her and then kidnap her to a secluded place, where they force her to eat buns as punishment. Lots of buns.

Chan later develops a soft spot for her, but has to go on a mission in Macau (at the suggestion of Ugly Kwan who is now one of the branch leaders in Hung Hing). In Macau, they are ambushed (Chicken was missing as he was having a ball with two prostitutes at the time) and Chou Pee was killed in the ensuing battle. The injured Chan was taken and drugged by Kwan’s men, who then taped him with Chicken’s girlfriend (also drugged) making love. They were then left in the street.

Chan and the gang regroup and Chicken was blamed for the death of Chou Pee. But Chicken finds out about the tape and severs his ties with Chan. He then fled to Taiwan.

The tape was presented by Kwan at a Hung Hing leaders meeting. The Hung Hing big boss, Mr. Chiang (Simon Yam) orders Bee to punish Chan, an order which Bee had no choice but to comply. Chan is thus dishonored and was thrown out of Hung Hing.

Kwan now eyes the top position in Hung Hing. He forces an election and gets an almot total support for leadership. He ousts Mr. Chiang and becomes the big boss of Hung Hing.

Chan and his buddies, along with Smartie, then open a bar but it was blown to bits by Kwan. Kwan then abducts Bee and his family and murders them brutally. At Bee’s funeral, Chan and his buddies appear but the Hung Hing members shunned them. Chan was forced to crawl to Bee’s altar to burn incence. He pledges vengeance for his fallen boss. Kwan mocks him but the priest (who is now a regular member of Chan’s team) gives him a powerful kick in the ass.

Chan knows that Kwan is behind all this. But he only has himself and his two remaining buddies, Yee and Pou Pee. He was then surprised to find Chicken, who returns after 6 months in Taiwan, offering help. Apparently, Chicken is now a branch leader in a Taiwan triad society and can offer numerous men and weapons to back up Chan.

This takes us to the final confrontation between the guys (and hundreds more) and Kwan. They chase him out of his mother’s birthday party and pin him in an alley. But the final and fatal shot was delivered by a nerdy cop who moments ago was mocked by Kwan and his men for giving them a parking ticket.

All is thus well and Mr. Chiang returns to the top post in Hung Hing. Chan and friends are now part of Hung Hing again.

Ugly Kwan becomes the center figure again in a movie called ‘Once Upon A Time In A Triad Society’, which is an unofficial spin-off of ‘Young and Dangerous’. The movie tells of his humble beginnings and how he got to be the big guy he is (or was) in Hung Hing. Francis Ng is presents a tour de force performance as Kwan, just like he did in ‘Young and Dangerous’. Spawned a sequel ‘Once Upon A Time In A Triad Society Part II’.