Two underground gangs clash over the leadership of the casino business in Macao. Tony Leung plays a corrupt cop, Sam, who is in league with the gangs. Amidst doubts, conspiracies, trades, and secrets, he has the face of a cold assassin. Produced by Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image, The Longest Nite did not receive a lot of attention when it was initially released, but is a great hard-boiled crime thriller with the feel of a Hong Kong noir. A series of brutal images, the fragmentation and collision of shots drive the film relentlessly. The narrative clues scattered in the first half of the film come together into a big picture in the second half of the film. The intense showdown between Sam and the hitman, Tony, who tries to eliminate him, particularly the prison sequence and the shooting scene in front of the mirror, provide some of the film’s greatest highlights. A double agent, a doppelganger, and the futile ending—Tony Leung, who runs through the entire film in one breath, makes the film work. (JEONG Jihye)