Review | Film review: S Storm – Julian Cheung, Louis Koo in frivolous graft-buster sequel
A sequel to the laughably unrealistic Z Storm, this largely forgettable film turns the first movie’s premise on its head as police and ICAC team up to crack an illegal gambling gang and a series of murders
2 stars
While nobody was dying for a reunion with Louis Koo Tin-lok’s monotonously incorruptible graft-buster character, the revelation of a generic big boss at the end of Z Storm – First Shot director Lam’s first feature in 15 years – all but guaranteed an encore. Again scripted by Wong Ho-wah from a story by Lam, S Storm is another awkwardly paced, mildly diverting and largely forgettable film that doesn’t even bother to explain its title (Z Storm, by comparison, was named after a major operation, as was Cold War).
After ICAC principal investigator William Luk (Koo, bringing continuity to the role with his poker face) witnesses the assassination of a suspect, he crosses paths with notoriously lethargic police detective Lau Po-keung (Julian Cheung Chi-lam). Their teams swiftly join forces, as Luk seeks to bust an illegal bookmaking ring and Lau, a former gambling addict, suddenly decides to solve his first big case in a long time.
