Panorama HK Blu-ray Synopsis: Reckless police inspector Dong (Zhang Jin) is on a mission to crack down on criminal Cheng's (Shawn Yue) gold smuggling scheme, yet fails to arrest him. As Dong continues his manhunt, he discovers Cheng's involvement with triad boss 'Boss Kui' (Yasuaki Kurata), who hides on a casino cruise ship on the high seas. Cheng has been involved in a power struggle within the smuggling ring, and is forced to kill his adopted father. He also loses his share of the gold smuggling to Boss Kui. To get even, Cheng appears on the cruise, while Dong is there to hunt for him... (99 Mins)

 

Views: Often considered a hot-headed and reckless officer, Sai Gau finds himself imprisoned for some time after killing a criminal he was after. Once released, he has his sights set on bringing gold-smuggler, Jiang Gui Sheng, down hard and put a stop to his criminal activity. Learning that his next move is to steal the gold from a feared triad boss, Sai Gau takes to the high seas to hunt him down. Naturally, things don't exactly go to plan, and all hell breaks loose as both very determined men do what they can to win! If ever there was a Hong Kong action film that could claim the crown for most under-seen or underrated, then it has to be The Brink – a pulse-pounding, slickly made, hard-hitting action-thriller from 2017 that was the incredible debut of Jonathan Li Chi-Chun. Serving as an assistant director on films such as Infernal Affairs 3 (2003), Silver hawk (2004), Initial D (2005), Dog Bite Dog (2006), Shamo (2007), The Lost Bladesman (2011) and so much more, Li took the next step with The Brink which earned him a nomination for Best New Director at the 2018 Hong Kong Film Awards. Oddly, and given just how incredible this film is, it would be another six years before his next feature, Dust to Dust (2023), would follow and then another two years after that for his third, Behind the Shadows (2025), which is his most recent to date at the time of writing...

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The film is produced by prolific producer Paco Wong and popular director Soi Cheang – both of whom have worked extensively together over the last couple of decades – The Brink carries all the class, big budget look, and slick direction of the latter's most cherished works. From Dog Bite Dog (2006) to SPL 2: A Time of Consequences (2015), and from Limbo (2021) to Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), The Brink should have been a bigger hit all round. Beautifully captured by Kenny Tse; DOP of hits like Beast Stalker (2008), The Viral factor (2012), Unbeatable (2013), Ip Man 3 (2015), SPL 3: Paradox (2017) and others – you can tell how much support Cheang and Wong gave Li as director throughout this production, as the film looks incredibly professional on every level. Perhaps one of it's only weaknesses lies in the script, penned by Lee Chun Fai who also wrote the aforementioned Dog Bite Dog a good decade before this. Having only written five features over the last 20 years, it's perhaps only fair to say that there are a number of areas where things do thin out, but it's far from a deal breaker in the grand scheme of things. I mean, honestly, with this wave of hardcore Hong Kong actioners over the last two decades launched with the likes of SPL (2005) and it's sequels, most modern Donnie Yen action-thrillers since, Invisible Target (2007), Legendary Assassin (2008), Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), The Shadow's Edge (2025), and even The Furious (2026), I think it's only fair that this little gem should always be mentioned in the same breath.

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Of course, one of those big things is the amazing cast on offer while another is the intense, violent, and wonderfully choreographed fight action on offer. This is handled by the amazing Nicky Li Chung Chi – one of the finest action-choreographers of the last 20 years, and an official member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team since the late 80s. Having appeared and worked on most of Chan's films from Project A 2 in 1987, Li has appeared in and choreographed some of the finest titles of Hong Kong cinema winning him awards for his action work, with The Brink earning him the nomination for Best Action at the 2018 Hong Kong Film Awards. And while Sammo Hung scooped the award for his choreography on SPL 3: Paradox (2017), I'd say that it was absolutely a tough call not to name this as the winner. Here, Nicky Li is supported by fellow JCST members Ma Tengfei and the wonderful Chris Lee Kin Sang. Together, they deliver some of the most hardcore, fast and furious, brutal martial arts fight-action that challenges even the finest on offer from Donnie Yen and Kenji Tanigaki. From it's intense opening fight scene that introduces our hero as a no-nonsense, fast-kicking edgy cop to it's powerful, rain-soaked and violent grand finale on a boat, martial arts-action fans certainly won't be disappointed with what's on offer in The Brink!

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The handsome and often over-looked Max Zhang Jin leads the way as hot-headed cop Sai Gau – a character I could easily see paired with Donnie Yen's characters from SPL (2005), Flash Point (2007), or Special ID (2013). He charges through life with a violent streak that almost seems villainous in its own way, but it suits him and certainly makes him stand-out against the other pencil pushers of the force. This could easily have starred Donnie, or even Nicholas Tse for that matter, but I do believe that Zhang was right for the job. Even throughout his flurries of impressive moves, we see emotion – he's just a strong-minded, overly confident guy that takes no shit! I've always championed Zhang Jin (sometimes known as Max or John), and I could never understand why he hasn't become the star he really should be – similar to how actors like Chin Siu Ho or Fan Siu Wong should have been in their prime. This wushu wonder-boy was lucky enough to join Yuen Woo Ping's action team at the turn-of-the-century, doubling for Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A year later, he got his first starring role in Douglas Kung's fun Chinese Heroes (with Woo Ping as executive producer) followed by Undiscovered Tomb (2002), and then the groundbreaking Hero (2002) from director Zhang Yimou. Plenty of roles would follow, although nothing that ever really showed his full potential for almost a decade until films like The Grandmaster (2013), Rise of the Legend (2014), SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (2015), Ip Man 3 (2015), it's spin-off Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018), and The Brink really started showing his worth. He managed to get a taste of Hollywood with roles in Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) and Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019), but only a few after that have really stood out for me – namely The Wild Blade of Strangers (2024). For me, The Brink still stands as one of his best action roles to date...

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Here, Zhang is joined by the talented Shawn Yue, an incredible and versatile actor that has worked under Soi Cheung, Jonathan Li, and Paco Wong many times. Entering the business at a similar time to his co-star, Yue has always impressed with things really taking off for him since Infernal Affairs (2002). He got his first real taste of martial arts when he starred as the awesome Turbo Shek in Wilson Yip's hugely entertaining Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) before going onto impress in Benny Chan's incredible Invisible Target and Soi Cheang's Shamo a year later, continuing with a run of action hits that showed just how adaptable he was. In The Brink, Shawn plays Sheng; the dead-behind-the-eyes villain of the piece whose character arc runs a similar parallel to Zhang's – the yin and the yang I suppose. But face to face, Sheng proves to be more than a match for the angry cop, and certainly gives it his all in the final battle. And then we have the great Wu Yue, a popular Chinese actor who appeared in films such as Looking for Jackie (2006), Little Big Soldier (2010), Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010), Cold War 2 (2016), God of War (2017), Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), and Sakra (2023) among others. But also, this same year, he played a fantastic role in the Soi Cheang produced SPL 3: Paradox, directed by Wilson Yip, and got to take part in that award winning action by Sammo Hung. But here, that continues, and Wu Yue gets to show his talents once again in a couple of battles throughout – one of which is the aforementioned grand finale – and he doesn't disappoint. This leading trio are supported by a great cast including the wonderful Gordon Lam, fan-fave Tai Bo, legendary Yasuaki Kurata, Janice Man, Cecilia So, and Derek Tsang. A fantastic cast for fantastic – if not very overlooked – modern classic of Hong Kong cinema!

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Overall: Beautifully made, brutally entertaining and totally underrated, The Brink is well worth your time and a must for action fans!

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Panorama Blu-ray Extras: Making of Featurettes, Trailer