Movie Title: 98 Chasing the Dragon
Movie Language: Mandarin
Movie Category: Hong Kong/Taiwan Movies / Mandarin Dubbed / Action Movie
Director: Alan Mak
Starring: Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Qi Shu
Plot Introduction
After 1997, with Hong Kong's return entering a new era in history, under the leadership of Cheung Tin-yim, the Hung Hing Society also advanced into a new age according to the changes in political and social conditions. Two new figures arrived in Causeway Bay: one is Situ Haonan (Cheng Haonan) from the Dongsheng Five Tigers, the other is Inspector Li Sir newly appointed in Wanchai district. Both of them came for Haonan. The relationship between Li Sir and Haonan developed a slight sense of mutual respect amidst constant confrontation and animosity. Additionally, Causeway Bay could not accommodate two Haonans; Chen Haonan and Situ Haonan were ultimately bound to have a showdown...
Chen Haonan, after experiencing the loss of being "invincible," once again revived his spirit under the guidance of Jiang Tianyang. Jiang's main theme of "low-profile gangs, high-profile earning" might be either pragmatism after going through hardships or a strategy to peacefully get through 1997, or perhaps both.
In the previous episode, when I heard Jiang Tianyang say "Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law" at the Hung Hing Gang conference, I almost fainted, and this episode further illustrates the integration of gangsters into mainstream society by having Chen Haonan report incidents to the police to resolve conflicts. From then on, we see these little ruffians put down their machetes, start trading stocks, buy real estate, and even open accounts at HSBC Bank with dignity. If the existence of underground order is to balance the helplessness and anger brought about by rigid and inflexible legal systems, then the gangsters who are unwilling to merely hang out on the streets and collect protection fees must also use the above-ground order to achieve their life goals.