Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Thomas Tokmenko The material isn't anything new, however the plot combines two age-old Hollywood stories to create a hybrid drama which gives it the fresh feel. On one end of the plot we have our central protagonist Daniel Wu dealing with the isolation of being an undercover cop and his past trauma with drug abuse. On the other end of the plot is his infiltration into Andy Lau's heroin ring, and his attempts to become the successor to the operation in order to solidify his case. Unfortunately the story on its own is fairly stale, although what polishes the movie greatly is the excellent cinematography and standout performances from Wu and Lau. There are some fantastic visuals which capture the mood of the characters and run down environments around them. In addition the audience can tell Wu and Lau are really passionate about their roles and they react to their dialogue and environments genuinely to where you understand what each is thinking without a word needing to be said. The execution of the crime-drama material here is superb and feels on par with that of Johnnie To. The various DVD covers of this movie are deceptive however, and in no way is this an action feature. This is a slowly paced drama about one cop's different confrontations with heroin and it's many users. In that sense the film is flawless, and does what a good drama should, but at the same time the conclusion doesn't offer any surprises. -8/10

webmaster-3017 It's a great film, so stop using that needle… It's May and it's about time and once again director Derek Yee delivers quite possibility one of the best movie of 2007. Yee have created a powerful film, an almost flawless display and once again showing what a real HK film should be like. It is full credit to Yee's ability to extract the best from the potential filled Daniel Wu, a touch of lost flair from Andy Lau, capturing the innocence of Zhang Jingchu and perhaps a career boost for Louis Koo to finally step out of his comfort zone. It is Yee's ability to combine the above comments with relevant social concerns and in turn creating a powerfully driven and emotionally charged movie about the consequences of drug and beyond. It's been a while, since Neo clapped his hands and the effort that Yee and producer Peter Chan puts in deserves a lot more and in the progress showing to the HK audience that HK movies are still worth watching. Now that's something to be proud of.It is a magical feeling that allows the audience to reflect upon the consequences of their actions and inactions. Yee goes beyond the undercover genre and miles above the drug industry, by using the imageries of birds as a focal point of humanity. Remember the days of the bird flu, and all of a sudden people are afraid of bird. Is it the bird's fault that they have caught the flu or is it the fault of human nature. As a result, we have to kill the birds and dispose of them, in order to stop the problem from getting worst. So why didn't we stop the problem, before the problem even arises? Such are questions that Yee tries to portray and after all, why do people take drugs. We all know drugs are bad, but yet people still addict into it. So does the fault goes towards the drug addicts for wanting it in the first place, or does the fault lies in the ones who create and sell them. This is where Andy Lau comes in and somehow he managed to portray the character in a manner that you do not usually see Andy as. Then again, he could well be right, perhaps it is all about supply and demand – they want it, so I sell them.Going into the film, I had no idea who directed it, but within seconds, you could feel the atmosphere and style of direction that only Derek Yee can manage. Daniel Wu should be proud of this performance, even though at times it's seemed like a rehash of his previous role in A Nite in Mongkok, but still it is easily Wu's best ever performance. It is his ability to carry the film on his shoulder with Andy Lau looking on, is an image that shows the fact of Wu's finally coming of age. It is great news for HK cinema and his facial expressions and acting have steadily improved. Not unlike Andy Lau's protégé, Wu is just as hard working and as Neo claimed from day one, you can see the effort that Wu tries is clearly his best. It shows that hard work might not make you a natural talent, but at the very least it does make up for it. Another person worthy of praise, is the scene stealing cameo performance from Louis Koo, who for the first time in years, he is able to step out of his shadow within the blink of romantic comedies. It is bravo effort and an immensely tense display of druggie. Andy Lau has decided to take a step back and allow a young protégé in Wu to shine and in the progress he is able to portray a character and a personality that you rarely see in Lau's work. It is different from his acclaimed performances in Infernal Affairs and Running Out of Time, but instead this time his outsmarted and those moments in the toilet reminds us of what Lau is capable of.It is also worthy of noting the return of much missed Anita Yuen, and while her role is almost non-existent and irrelevant, it is a welcoming return and clearly acted beyond her limited script. Last, but not least and quite possibility one of the most memorable performance in 2007, it is Zhang Jingchu. Zhang, who shined so brightly in Tsui Hark's Seven Swords, depicted a menacing display of being torn into a world of drugs and the tension of being a mother with an air of innocence in seducing Wu. It is ultimately a portrayal between the beauty and ugly side of human nature.All in all, Protégé is a powerful film that leaves the audience thinking and continues to think. Drug is a bad thing, but sometimes it makes you wonder whether it is the feeling of emptiness caused by human nature and events that is far worst. Drug by itself is never a bad thing, but it is the people and their actions towards the drug that makes it a bad thing. Yee have shot a beautiful film and the use of birds to ultimate express the core of the film is nothing short of brilliance. With a team of Yee and Peter Chan, it is hard to imagine what can really go wrong and not surprising together they have created something important. It is probably not flawless, but in Neo's honest opinion, he can not find any. Perhaps you can criticize the lack of development of some characters, but really it isn't worth noting. Yee have created something special and delivered a present to the doorstep of every eagerly awaiting HK cinema lovers. It may sound cliché, but Neo just love it…I rate it 10/10www.thehkneo.com

sidyaqub One of the highly anticipated films of the year, Derek Yee's 'Protege' brings together Andy Lau and Daniel Wu in a tale centred around the world of drug trafficking in Asia.Nick (Daniel Wu) is a young and ambitious cop who has been working undercover in a drug ring headed by diabetic crime-lord Lai (Andy Lau). During a long course of being undercover, Nick has been able to gain the trust and support of Lai by doing may things against his duty as a policeman - and he is chosen to be his 'protege'. During this he meets Jane (Zhang Jingchu), a young mother who has become an addict due to her husbands' (Louis Koo) actions. While expressing sympathy for Jane's daughter, Jane ends up falling for Nick - but he cannot see past the point that his actions are responsible for people like her becoming addicts. Thus Nick feels the need to reform and do his bit for society.The film itself resembles Steven Soderbergh's award-winning 'Traffic', the world of drug trafficking is shown in different perspectives. Derek Yee uses detailed character work, exploratory cinematography and visually impeccable locations. Like his previous film 'One Nite In Mongkok' Yee uses the camera and characters to bring the locations to life - highlight being scenes shot at the Golden Triangle - an area of Hong Kong where a lot of the drug-trafficking and production takes place.Daniel Wu seems to improve with every film he does, this time he plays a rather mixed up man that is guilt ridden by his actions.. where as Andy Lau plays a negative character with ease, looking at the drug trade as pure business: supply and demand. Zhang Jingshu steals the show from everyone as a junkie mother living in a run-down apartment. For instance, the opening shots where she's shown shooting up - no dialogue yet physically expressing her character with such brilliance (her daughter coming into-the shot just touches so deep, hard to not be compelled). Louis Koo proves to be above average as a very unlikeable addict and manages not to overact at times. Support cast such as Anita Yuen and Mei Tan-Hei are underused and represented as one-dimensional characters. The script is rather tightly wove, that is until the end where it just follows a conventional ending and stating that 'Drugs are bad', which does make the effort seem rushed. But amazing direction, notable performances and a rather interesting point makes 'Protege' a one-of-a-kind Hong Kong movie. There are some action sequences which carry tension,and the chemistry between the main cast carries off as really convincing. This is the kind of movie that a lot of film buffs would love to see: its smart, gritty, intense and shocking. One of the best Hong Kong movies of the year, if not one of the best movies of the year.Highly recommended.

wanderingstar After being impressed with Andy Lau and Daniel Wu in other great films (Wu: Banquet, Lau: House of Flying Daggers, Infernal Affairs), I was excited to see them in this one. Daniel Wu plays "Nick", a cop who has spent the last 7 years undercover, gaining the trust of drug boss Lau ("Kwan") in order to bring down his heroin operations.Kwan prepares to hand off leadership of his heroin business to Nick, and their discussions of the market, economics and an trip to Thai poppyfields reminded me of the films Scarface and Blow.The "love interest" comes in the form of Jingchu Zhang (heron addict "Jane") who has a cute little daughter. "Jane" adds an interesting and sexual element to the story but her situation with her addiction, and how it is affecting her little daughter, feels like we are being hit over the head with an anti-drug message. There is no subtlety in the message nor is it presented in an original way. Ditto a conversation Nick has with Kwan when he asks "don't you feel bad about all the people you're hurting?"Actually many times the plot seems a little contrived. Jane's husband was really an unbelievable character for me, almost a ridiculous caricature of a drug addict/abusive husband.On the plus side, it's shot quite stylishly, and Andu Lau and Daniel Wu give great performances.