Four years after their debut feature Cold War became the most successful local release of 2012, writer-directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk deliver a second round of tense confrontations and explosive altercations within the upper echelons of the Hong Kong Police Force. Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai return, headlining a cast packed with local star power, most notably Chow Yun Fat as a no-nonsense litigator who is brought in to grill Kwok’s police commissioner after a high-profile prisoner escapes.

Cold War 2’s roster of top-tier players, which also includes Eddie Peng, Charlie Young and Janice Man, should entice audiences back for more, while the film’s up-scaled action quota will help it compete in a crowded summer marketplace dominated by Hollywood blockbusters. Opening day-and-date in Hong Kong, China and North America on July 8, as well as in a number of Asian territories, will also help the film make a strong impact. The only cause for concern may be if Hong Kong audiences, still reeling from the police’s heavy-handed behaviour during 2014’s Umbrella Revolution, prove reluctant to embrace heroic law enforcers again so soon.

Read my full Screen Daily review here