Xuan lao zuo
Directed by:
Herman YauCast:
Chapman To, Anthony Wong, Philip Keung, Kathy Yuen, Ken Hung, Leander Lau Ho-Lam, Carlos Chan, Vincent Wai Lam, Deep Ng, Cinda Hui, Kenny Wong, Bonnie Xian (more)Plots(1)
Fans of Hong Kong cinema who miss the "heroic bloodshed" films of yore: You're in for a real treat. The godfather (stalwart actor Anthony Wong) of the gang Jing Hing is dying from cancer. Before his passing, he and the senior "uncles" need to select a new Dragon Head to run the daily operations of the five gangs under their control. Chuck, a previous leader of the metal gang, has recently been released from serving five years in prison. A lifelong member of Jing Hing, his dream is to be Dragon Head, yet his wife wants him to leave the criminal life and spend time with their only child, born while he was in prison. Wulf, a pretty-boy former cop and leader of the fire gang, also wants the job. These two must battle it out to persuade the uncles that one of them is the right man for the job. But when Chuck calls for the gang members themselves and not the "uncles" to vote for the next Dragon Head, he dangerously steps over a line that no one should cross, causing the uncles to crack down in a round of assassinations, beatings, and bloody mayhem to reinforce their authority. A thinly veiled allegory of China's "one country, two systems" policy, The Mobfathers is brimming with machete-wielding outrage for Hong Kong's ongoing desire for universal suffrage. (Seattle International Film Festival)
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