The System (Director's Restored Version)

The System is a groundbreaking crime drama that exposes the entrenched rules of the game governing our system of law and order during the colonial era. Writer-director Peter Yung had conducted extensive research on the drug trade for an earlier documentary and he brilliantly funnels his knowledge into the story, making every detail of the film sings with authenticity. Especially captivating is the rapport between his two main characters, one a police officer, the other a mob consigliore . Theirs is an ambiguous friend-and-foe relationship between two professionals, both sandwich characters wedged in the middle of conflicting values and allegiances, both using and respecting each other in a game of cat and mouse in which roles are frequently reversed. The gangster is played by Cantonese cinema icon Sek Kin, who turns in a memorable performance, building on the audience's familiarity with his long-established persona and adding humanity to that persona.