The Mission (1999)

There's somebody out to kill Mr Lung. His brother hires five bodyguards to protect him from the unknown assailants -- that's the mission.

The five comprise bar owner Roy (Ng), valet Mike (Cheung), hairdresser Curtis (Wong), Shin (Lui) and firearms expert James (Lam Suet). Each is expert in personal protection and surveillance, and the five do their bodyguarding business to a tee. Without any fuss, director To throws them straight into a tense plot of alleyway and shopping mall shootouts, personal business, honour and internal rivalry as they protect Lung from would-be assassins.

The Mission is that straightforward. And it doesn't let up its grip for 86 minutes. Drama is staged at a slow-paced tension and To isn't afraid to use no movement on the screen, frequently. A standstill shootout is an odd concept until it plays out here in panning widescreen. So much can be done with so little, and it's just one of the many moments that set The Mission far from anything in production company Milkyway Image's portfolio. The casting is suitably tight with alternately dark and playful scripting never letting them stray from their course. Audience members are thrown cuts of gags and humour but that's about as mainstream that The Mission gets.

The President Theatre's painted billboard for The Mission

Credits:

Directed by Johnnie To
Starring Francis Ng Chun-yu, Lam Suet, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, James Lui, Roy Cheung and Simon Yam