Honestly, after watching "Anti-Corruption Storm", who would have thought that it would be derived into a film series with four sequels, and now we see "Anti-Corruption Storm 5" is the final chapter of this Chinese action crime series that spans 7 years. Like previous films, this sequel is still led by the ICAC's Chief Investigation Officer, Lok Chi-lok (Koo Tin-lok). This time he confronts a brutal human trafficking gang that attempts to assassinate Chief Justice Emma Pang (Xuan Xuan), who is determined to expose his crimes.
In addition to Luk Chi-lien, other old characters who return to the sequel include Chief Inspector Liao Baoqiang (Cheung Chi Lin), ICAC Chief Investigation Officer Cheng Deming (Cheng Ka Ying), and Wang Lanlu (Cheung Jicong), who has been turned from a cellmate to an informant. The overall cast of the film is very strong, and new characters include Cheng Deming's half-brother Cheng FeiXiong (Wong Jong-taek), the drug lord-turned-terrorist leader Prayut Chan-o-chau (Malaysian actor Ross Yan Noi), and the mysterious criminal mastermind Xiao Zhuoya (Xie Tianhua) also joined the curtain call.
Audiences who have seen the first four films know that the series is mainly driven by plot, rather than character development, and "Anti-Corruption Storm 5", which is continued by director Lin Delu and screenwriter Huang Haohua, is no exception. The film opens with the skyline of Singapore's Central Business District, subtitled "A City in Southeast Asia", and then wastes no time in intertwining the fates of Luk Chi-lian and Judge Pang, who was the target of suicide bombers and gunmen at the so-called Asia-Pacific Anti-Corruption Research Conference, but was fortunately saved by Luk.
Back in Hong Kong, Cheng Andhming and other ICAC colleagues have been tracking the activities of customs officer Kwong Yik Loung (late actor Liao Kai-chi). Not knowing whether it was expediency or pure laziness, Lok immediately connected the incident in "Singapore" with Kwong Yi Lang, tracked Kwong from the West End Wharf to a warehouse, and after a brief exchange of fire, the ICAC team found a container filled with girls kidnapped from villages along the Thai-Burmese border. At the same time, Judge Pang was also invited to give a speech at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, paving the way for Hong Kong to become a focal point for crime and terrorist activities.
In fact, "Anti-Corruption Storm 5" is as mediocre as "Anti-Corruption Storm", and one can't help but wonder why Gu Tianle would be willing to continue to play the so-called special investigator of the ICAC, Lu Zhilian, in his sequels related to the theme of his next four films. It is also puzzling why Lin Delu and his well-established producer Huang Baiming were able to attract such a dazzling star cast with such a mediocre project, and every actor in the film has very few opportunities to appear. Now, the "Anti-Corruption Storm" series has finally officially ended, and I hope that Gu Tianle, Zhang Zhilin, Zheng Jiaying, Xuan Xuan and Xie Tianhua can act in some more attractive movies worthy of their acting skills.