Summary -

係 講 1999 年 o既 香 港 ， 不 單 政 治 經 濟 好 亂 ， 仲 加 埋 個 日 本 o黎 o既 反 社 會 份 子 ， 佢 叫 做 赤 虎 ， 就 連 日 本 山 口 組 都 買 佢 怕 。 他 一 到 香 港 就 開 始 攪 攪 震 ， 運 o左 大 批 「 液 體 炸 彈 」 ， 連 警 方 都 嚇 到 傻 ， 拿 拿 臨 開 大 會 。 由 曾 志 偉 飾 演 陳 Sir ， 查 到 赤 虎 仲 操 控 了 一 批 來 自 Generation X 的 罪 犯 ， 於 是 一 招 以 毒 攻 毒 ，搵 埋 霆 鋒 、 馮 德 倫 同 燦 森 三 個 被 踼 出 警 校 o既 學 警 ， 組 成 「 Gen-X 」 部 隊 。 點 知 三 人 查 到 ， 原 來 赤 虎 要 炸 毀 成 個 香 港 會 議 展 覽 中 心 ......

English Summary -

Oblivious to the pounding techno beat, Kit strides through a crowded night club, a leather and chrome jacket loose around his bare torso, pushing one of the dancing punters aside with disdain. He's a man with a mission, a young gangster on the first track to his first real score. Behind him strides his equally lean and mean right-hand man, Tooth. Tooth sports a shock of spray-hardened hair above a face that, if it didn't have murder in mind, would be almost angelic. Their style contrasts with that of Tiger. The Japanese crimelord favours designer coats over street tough chic, and follows his own cold code. He trusts no-one, manipulating people and events solely to further his own agenda. When he emerges from the shadows to issue his commands, he cuts a figure to fear. Its an old rule of the film industry that a hero is only as string as the villain he contends with. 'Gen-X Cops' features a rogue's gallery to match that of any other recent thriller. As is often the case, though, the adversary who is most awesome on-screen is most affable off. Japanese actor Toru Nakamura makes his Hong Kong movie debut with this film, but is no stranger to local audiences. The towering 15-year veteran of Japan's prolific film and television industry is a mainstay of several of the most popular Japanese t.v dramas to reach Hong Kong, including the recent hit 'Sleeping Forest'. Nakamura realised he was in for a tough shoot on 'Gen-X Cops' when he arrived at the location to film his introductory scene. The former Vietnamese refugee camp at High Island formed a suitably cold gloom and doom backdrop. "I'm really enjoying the experience of working here," he says, despite the bitter chill of the night air. "The style of film-making is very different. In Japan, you have the script and a very clear idea of what you will do, long before you start shooting. Here, there's more improvisation. The director (Benny Chan) is constantly consulting with the cinematographer or the stunt coordinator to have a different way to shoot the scene. You have to stay alert. It's very exciting." Nakamura was especially impressed with the 'look' of the film, created by veteran cameraman Arthur Wong's expressive use of light and shadow. Director Chan is similarly enthusiastic about the actor. "I knew, from the tapes I'd seen, that Toru-san was a good actor," he observes. "Working with him, I realised that he is an excellent screen performer. What I mean is that, after he does a scene and we play it back, there's ten times more energy on the film than there is from him in person. He doesn't waste his energy. He knows exactly how to move and talk for the camera." Daniel Wu plays Kit, the street-wise Hong Kong gangster who tries to work with Tiger, but later falls foul of him. Wu, who grew up in San Francisco, came to Hong Kong only a few years ago, and was thrown in the deep end, as an actor, when he was cast, almost immediately, in such high-profile films as 'Bishonen' and 'Young And Dangerous : The Prequel'. "This character, Kit, is actually the furthest from my own personality," he says, "but I've been the most comfortable I've ever been, as an actor. A lot of that is down to Benny. He's very organised but, at the same time, the set is very relaxed. We have a barbecue every night!" In contrast to his harder-than-nails screen persona, Wu turns up at the location doubling for Tiger's lair, a war-gaming facility in the New Territories, with his pet dog in tow. "My girlfriend and I picked her up down at the SPCA," he reveals. "Both of us are away working a lot, so she (the dog) is good company for whoever is left behind!" Despite his good looks and lady-killer charm, actor/singer Terence Yin has been cast as ruthless killers in both of his most recent film appearances. "I don't know what it is!," Yin laughs, when asked why directors see him as a bad guy. "Off-camera, I'm so quiet and normal, it's scary! I guess (they) see something in me that I don't recognise myself. Actually, those characters are often more fun to play anyway!" For his last big-screen role in the Golden Harvest sfx actioner 'Hot War', Yin had to bleach his hair, causing a lot of it to become brittle and fall out. "I'm glad it all grew back for 'Gen-X Cops'," he laughs, "or maybe I'd really start acting like a bad guy!" Traditionally, action films like 'Gen-X Cops' have appealed to a predominantly male, teenaged audience, but Benny Chan feels that the young and studly cast will broaden the audience. "This film brings together a whole generation of handsome young guys," he observes. "If you're the kind of girl who likes good guys, you've got Nicholas Tse and Stephen Fung. If you like bad guys, there's Daniel and Terence. If you like weird guys, we've got Sam Lee. There's someone for everyone!" Kai Tak airport, and the ghosts of Hong Kong past hang in the wind above the eerily empty runway. The silence is disturbed by an unexpected thunder, as, like some fast mirage, a row of Ferraris race into view, driven in perfect formation. On cue, they squeal to a halt, burning rubber where once the wheels of mighty 747s touched tarmac. Beyond the impact of this powerful visual image lies the fact that, in a field as lifeless as this Kai Tak deserted runway, these cars herald the arrival of a the new hope for Hong Kong cinema. "What makes this film different is that we have the very best of everything," muses director Benny Chan, as he surveys the gleaming row of fast metal. "We've got the best cinematographer, and the best camera equipment, the best possible locations, the best action coordinators, the best of the new wave of actors." Chan, director of Jackie Chan's hit 'Who Am I?', is no stranger to epic film-making, but this is the first time he has worked with such a young cast. "Just from the title, 'Gen-X Cops', you can tell we've cast young, fresh faces," he says. "That's good, because this is the next generation of Hong Kong stars, but it also means you have to work a little differently, differently to how you might work with a more experienced film actor." Most of the heroes and villains of 'Gen-X Cops' look like they might be IDed if they tried to order a 'real' drink at a Hollywood bar. This fits the premise of the film, in which an embittered veteran (Eric Tsang) recruits a team of young police academy drop outs to help him avenge the death of his son. The de facto leader of the Gen-X Cops team, Jack, is played by actor/singer Nicholas Tse Tin-fung, son of veteran actor Patrick Tse Yin. Despite his youth, Nic seems comfortable in the high-tech, high-pressure environment of this big-budget thriller. "I guess, growing up around it, I was always prepared for this kind of career," he says. "I can't really remember ever wanting to do anything else. When I was a student in Phoenix, Arizona, the thing that kept me sane was my music, playing guitar and drums. When I came back to Hong Kong to start my singing career, I started getting offers to make movies." Nic made his film debut in last year's 'Young And Dangerous : The Prequel'. "There's no comparison between that movie and this one, though," he observes. "Here, I'm shooting, fighting, doing stunts... Its like all the things you dream about doing in real life, but you get paid for it!" Standing alongside Nic on the Kai Tak runway is Sam Lee. Lee, who won Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his debut performance in Fruit Chan's 'Made In Hong Kong', sports a bushy set of dread-lock hair extensions in the film, together with a wardrobe that Jimi Hendrix would have worn with pride. "This is my first real action film," he admits. "I got to fire a gun in 'Beast Cops', but that's been about it! I trust our action director, though, so, and I do as much as I can myself. The good thing about this (hair) is that it's easy for them to stunt double me!" Both Lee and his double were in the firing line for one potentially dangerous action sequence, set in a boat-yard in Hong Kong's Aberdeen. The scene called for Lee and actor Stephen Fung to exchange gun-fire with the bad guys from a boat suspended high above the stone floor. The stand-out stunt sees Fung leap backwards, firing a machine-gun as he does so. "At the time, you're too focussed on all the details to really think about it," recalls the handsome singer/actor. "It was only when I saw the stunt on the trailer that I realised how risky it was! Its fun, though. I never really thought of myself as an action hero, but, with this film there's so much energy on the set, you really get into all the running and fighting and shooting." Like the cars they stand beside on the Kai Tak runway, the talent involved in 'Gen-X Cops' seems geared for high-performance. Whether the finished product will deliver on this early promise remains to be seen. One thing's for sure : It won't be for lack of nerve, effort and horsepower.