appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Richard James Havis

Starring Ekin Cheng Yee-kin and Jordan Chan Siu-chun as glamorous and trendy triad members navigating the Hong Kong criminal underworld, the Young and Dangerous series of films were smash hits between 1996 and 2000.
Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung and based on Cow Man’s popular comic book Rascals (also known as Teddy Boy), the mainline series spanned six instalments alongside numerous spin-offs and rip-offs. As the first three films mark their 30th anniversary in 2026, the franchise remains a cultural touchstone.
The films were “the most sustained series to emerge in Hong Kong cinema since the industry spiralled into a depression in the mid-1990s”, South China Morning Post critic Paul Fonoroff wrote in 2000.
Here, we revisit the original film and its five “official” sequels.
Young and Dangerous (1996)
3.5/5 stars


The series began with a simple premise: make the triad members sexy. Lau described them as “five handsome boys, young and beautiful and smart”, a sharp contrast to the manly, weather-beaten gangsters depicted in earlier films.
Part one aims to establish Chan Ho-nam (Cheng) and Chicken (Chan), junior members of the Hung Hing gang, as caring and sensitive youths who just happen to be triad members.
This unlikely scenario frames the duo as “good triads” who care about people and refuse to sell drugs. Alongside their three pals – played by comedian Jerry Lamb Hiu-fung, and Michael Tse Tin-wah and Jason Chu Wing-tong from the boy band Wind Fire Sea – they battle “bad triads” engaged in antisocial activities.
At first, it is difficult to reconcile this stance with the quintet’s penchant for brutal violence and sexual harassment. However, these extreme character traits are moderated as the series progresses.
The film was shot on location across Hong Kong without official permits, which were rarely granted in the 1990s, leading to Lau’s frequent clashes with the police.
However, the director noted that real-life triads left the production alone because they liked the idea of a film about them; rumour has it that some crowd-scene extras were actual gangsters.
Young and Dangerous 2 (1996)
4/5 stars


Reluctant to make a sequel after an exhausting first shoot, Lau was convinced by investors following the original’s massive success. The sequel was shot in just 12 days, a schedule that included filming in Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand.
Although the smutty humour that proved a major selling point remains, Young and Dangerous 2 adopts a more serious tone. Elevated by increased screen time for veteran performer Simon Yam Tat-wah as the gang’s Big Brother, the narrative edges towards a more traditional triad story.
The first film had made Chan a star, and his character Chicken takes centre stage for the sequel’s first half, which flashes back to his rise as a successful triad lieutenant in Taiwan. This intersects with the present-day plot when his Taiwanese boss uses Chicken as a pawn to usurp the Hung Hing gang’s Hong Kong territory.
The film benefits from an over-the-top performance by Anthony Wong Chau-sang as a louche, nose-picking gang leader whose eccentricities enliven the film.
Seemingly reacting to public criticism that the franchise glamorised criminal life, Wong’s character delivers a poignant speech warning that joining the triads only leads to tragedy.
Young and Dangerous 3 (1996)
4/5 stars


Part three sees Ho-nam try to quietly run Causeway Bay, only to face a new threat from the vicious Crow (Roy Cheung Yiu-yeung) of the rival Tung Sing gang. More recently, the memorable villain is best known for popularising the Nazi salute among young Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong.
A mishmash of revenge and turf wars, Young and Dangerous 3 takes an extreme turn when Crow kidnaps and murders Smartie (Gigi Lai Chi), the love of Ho-nam’s life. Personal retribution soon intertwines with gangland politics, culminating in a chaotic mass fight.
The young thugs in part three begin losing interest in traditional triad “codes of honour” and show little respect for their elders, this writer noted in an SCMP review at the time. “What they have is plenty of youthful energy. Therein lies the strength of the series.”
Young and Dangerous 4 (1997)
3/5 stars


This below-par instalment takes the series deep into soap opera territory, with Ho-nam and Chicken both moping over their inability to cope with new challenges to their power.
Chicken is attempting to lead a triad branch in Tuen Mun, but faces fierce competition from a brutal rival called Barbarian (Chan Chi-fai). Meanwhile, Ho-nam is still grieving Smartie’s murder and feeling conflicted about his lifestyle. He takes a job as a substitute teacher at a high school, where he tries to convince pupils to stay on the straight and narrow.
“It is an entertaining, if exaggerated reflection of society’s underside,” Fonoroff noted in his review.
Young and Dangerous 5 (1998)
3.5/5 stars


The series perks up when calculating Tung Sing gang member Szeto Ho-nam (Mark Cheng Ho-nam) moves into Causeway Bay to challenge Chan Ho-nam’s rule, culminating in a gripping freestyle boxing match.
Set after the 1997 handover, Young and Dangerous 5 sees Ho-nam advised by his bosses to adopt a more corporate approach to business, avoiding street fighting to keep crime under the authorities’ radar.
Venerable actor Danny Lee Sau-yin, best known for playing police officers, is given a well-written role as an anti-triad detective, adding gravitas to the proceedings.
“The movie is a raw look at the underside of Hong Kong society, with a realistic veneer that nonetheless gives a romantic sheen to life in the underworld,” Fonoroff wrote.
Born to Be King (2000)
4/5 stars


The sixth and final official Young and Dangerous film is a stylistic departure: a gangland drama set in Taiwan around the 2000 election that prioritises political strategy over outright action.
“Born to Be King is more a political than an action tale,” Fonoroff wrote. “There are still a number of rumbles, but the focus is the double-dealing and back-stabbing (both literal and figurative) that take place during a Taiwanese leadership struggle.”
When Chicken is framed by his Taiwanese gang for the murder of his boss, Ho-nam comes to his aid. While in Taiwan, Ho-nam meets a teacher who bears a striking resemblance to his beloved Smartie (played, unsurprisingly, by Gigi Lai).
The series is put to bed in a neat fashion, replacing the expected explosive action finale with poignant self-reflection.
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


Why the Young and Dangerous film series remains the ultimate 1990s Hong Kong triad saga

How Hong Kong’s wuxia drama ‘princess’ Michelle Yim has kept her star shining for 55 years

How Sharla Cheung excelled next to Stephen Chow during Hong Kong cinema’s 1990s golden age

Classic car stunts in Hong Kong cinema, from Jackie Chan’s Police Story to Initial D

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

(From left) Jordan Chan, Michael Tse, Ekin Cheng and Jason Chu in a still from Young and Dangerous (1996). Jerry Lamb also stars. Photo: Golden Harvest

Sharla Cheung Man in a still from the Ming dynasty wuxia drama Swordsman (1990). Photo: Fortune Star Media

Shawn Yue in a still from Motorway (2012), a cops-and-robbers revenge tale that puts car handling at its centre and one of the titles on our list of the films featuring Hong Kong’s best car stunts.

The history of Hong Kong triads

Police load suspected Sun Yee On members into a police van following a raid during an initiation ceremony of the triad society in Hong Kong in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Inside 14k: how a Hong Kong triad grew into a global crime syndicate

Police arrest suspected 14K triad members at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1995. The 14K began life as an openly pro-Kuomintang society in mainland China before becoming a global criminal organisation based in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

Kuomintang Lieutenant General Kot Siu-wong was the founder of what would come to be known as the 14K.

The 1956 Hong Kong riots resulted in 59 deaths while more than 500 people were injured. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Gordon Lam, Zhang Jin and Sean Lau in the 2017 film Dealer/Healer.

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

As Young and Dangerous turns 30, we look back at the six-film series that marked a shift in how gangsters were portrayed


As Young and Dangerous turns 30, we look back at the six-film series that marked a shift in how gangsters were portrayed.


Why the Young and Dangerous film series remains the ultimate 1990s Hong Kong triad saga

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As Young and Dangerous turns 30, we look back at the six-film series that marked a shift in how gangsters were portrayed

Young and Dangerous (1996)

As Young and Dangerous turns 30, we look back at the six-film series that marked a shift in how gangsters were portrayed