Diagonaldi Very well executed

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Thomas Tokmenko The Longest Nite follows Tony Leung as a corrupt detective struggling to keep his head above water when he ends up caught in a crossfire between two gang rivalries. Meanwhile a mystery begins to unravel where Leung faces some serious career-ending dangers in which he must take specific actions to avoid. Lau Ching Wan plays a riddle in an enigma who hides in the shadows to conduct and puppeteer the actions of many other characters. Leung is consequently one of many mice who must compete to stay alive through what might possibly be "the longest night" of his life. This is a very strongly written thriller with moody cinematography throughout the nighttime streets of Hong Kong, an excellent film of Johnnie To's one of his best. The performances by Leung and Lau are great as well they really make great adversaries like you'd expect from the cover. Although the reason I don't rate this thriller higher are some erratic moments of absurd bloodshed which are almost comical in execution. "R-rated Looney Tunes styled death sequences". They only last but seconds, regardless they were enough to take me out of the film. Another detractor is the sense of limited closure on specific characters which I would have liked to see more development on in the conclusion. Besides a few minor complaints I still love this movie, and will enjoy watching it again. -8/10

SpearheadBT The Longest Nite is really something. If you, like me, love those violent, dark and gritty - evoking an almost apocalyptic atmosphere - Hong Kong crime films, like The Big Heat (another Johnnie To film even if Tsui Hark had a firm hand on the creative process), then you ought to get glued to the screen in a similar fashion. But unlike The Big Heat, the comedy here is totally nonexistent. The city of Macau depicted here is ridden with criminals and corrupt cops, who sometimes associate themselves with one of the two major gangs. Both have been at each other's throat for some time, making some businesses go down in the process which displeased an old but powerful triad boss who owned a lot of them. He then threatened both to stay low and to preferably leave the city. Tony Lung delivers a very good performance as the protagonist, a corrupt cop – violent but surprisingly calm – who tries to keep the peace between both gangs. Unfortunately a price is put on the head of one of the two bosses, and it is rumoured it could be the other one who did so. Things then become sour, setting the stage for this gripping crime thriller. Lau Ching Wan plays this badass outsider – a mean one, but not from the cool breed – with a mysterious purpose. He initially seems more like a nuisance to Tony Lung's character, Sam, but as the movie advances his unknown motives start to feel all the more distressing. In the bleak world of The Longest Nite, there's no real good characters to root for. Sam is the closest to a good guy as you'll find, but early on his bad side is more obvious as he is not the victim he'll become later, the story taking unexpected turns and unfolding in a fashion reminiscent of Se7en. The film starts with a short narration briefing you on the situation right before throwing you deep into the mess. Afterwards, you'll need to assimilate as much as possible of what is happening to understand well what is happening, and it can sometimes become hard to follow when you forget which boss is who. Anyway, the filming style is great too, the camera often looks around while not being so steady, giving a certain grounded feel, making you feel a witness of the events the movie shows you. The title being quite appropriate, the whole thing mostly takes place during a single night. The film isn't that long so things can become a bit hectic; not rushed, but you can feel how stressed and always on the edge the characters probably are. All this can be felt through the visuals too. Almost the totality of the film is taking place at night, occasionally under the neon lights of the Asian city. Add in smoke here and there, some other lighting work and the likes, and you've got everything to love about the aesthetics of Hong Kong crime cinema, further reinforcing the gritty and bleak mood conveyed through the story and characters.The Longest Nite is an essential viewing for anyone into these intense, violent and gritty Hong Kong crime films. Not necessarily like the more romantic and theatrical work of John Woo – feeling almost like Greek tragedies – but more down to Earth stuff even if it's quite unrealistic in how bleak the whole thing is.

dbborroughs This is a bleak dark nasty ugly film of the sort Hong Kong no longer makes. Tony Leung plays a corrupt cop who is trying to make a peace between two of three powerful crime lords on Macau. Things are going from bad to worse as word hits the street of a contract on one of the crime bosses. A tall bald headed fellow is wandering about and seems intent on collecting the cash reward no one knows who is offering. Worse for Leung is the fact that someone seems intent on making his life miserable beginning with a naked dead man in his apartment. Things only go down hill from there as Leung tries to unravel the plot and stay out of increasing trouble.A fever dream of foul things this was started by one director, Patrick Yau, who shot five scenes before hitting a creative brick wall and then was finished by the producers Wai Ka-fai and Johnnie To who stumbled around trying to stitch it together. The result is a really violent, bloody affair with no hope and no light. Much of the film operates in a seeming dream logic as it becomes clear that a greater power is operating just beyond Leung's view. Its all comes together in the end but until then its like being trapped in blood soaked nightmare with an occasional severed head. I'm kind of at a loss for words, this movie operates on a level somewhere underneath the surface and sends out shock waves.I really like the film but at the same time find it rather disturbing. Its the sort of bleak rough edged crime drama that Hong Kong excelled at in the 1980's and 1990's but which it seems to have stopped making.Recommended if you can find yourself a copy and like rough edged mind warping crime dramas.

marquis de cinema Tony Leung Chiu Wai is cast against type as the corrupt and violent Police officer in this Noir thriller. He gives his most deepest and powerful performance since playing the mentally tough protagonist of John Woo's Bullet in the Head(1990). In the tradition of the pessemistic noir pictures of the 1940s. A complex and thrilling story with surprising plot twists. Mixture of Martin Scorsese, Fernando Di Leo, John Woo, and Takeshi Kitano. Another fabulous movie from Patrick Yau with his tight and taut direction. Has Patrick Yau done anything recent as it seems he hasn't done anything since Expect the Unexpected(1998). The most talented director from Hong Kong of the late 1990s. Involved in the production was Johnny To who is known for his dark and grim action and crime thrillers. The sequence in the warehouse is stunning. Ching Wah Lau is terrific as the cool and enigmatic stranger. The whole gangster poltics in the movie echos the ideas of Martin Scorsese's mob flicks and Fernando Di Leo's Italian Crime movies especially Il Boss/The Boss(1973). The gunbattle between Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Ching Wah Lau reminds me of the best of John Woo. The final scene reminds me a lot of the final sequence from the Takeshi Kitano movie, Violent Cop(1989). The Longest Nite(1997) is more closer in tone to Takeshi Kitano than John Woo.