SECRET SIGNS, with Mok Siu-chung and Gigi Lai Chi. Directed by Dicky Tso Kin-nam. On Regal circuit. SECRET Signs was the last film produced by Choi Chi-ming before he was murdered in 1992. The story of the rise and fall of a gangster, Secret Signs seeks to justify triad violence, or at least make mobsters appear more sympathetic than the law enforcement officers hunting them - somewhat ironic considering Choi's fate. The script focuses on an illegal immigrant, Yung (Mok Siu-chung), from his arrival in Hongkong to his climb through the ranks of triad leadership. Little insight or introspection is employed in telling Yung's unconvincing saga. The lack of perceptiveness is hardly compensated by an excess of violence, earning Secret Signs a category III rating. An element of romance is inserted when Yung falls in love with the big boss' god-daughter, Jackie (Gigi Lai). He displays a sense of righteousness by protecting her from petty criminals demanding protection money. The film-makers fail to find the irony that Yung preys on others in the same manner. Incredibly, Secret Signs is presented as a docu-drama. The first 15 minutes is a mini-documentary on the triad scene in Chinatowns around the world. The documentary bears almost no relationship to the story that follows. But then again, Secret Signs bears a warped relationship to the reality it claims to portray.
