Overheard 2

Alan Mak, Felix Chong

The story: Manson (Lau Ching Wan) is the frontman broker for a group of Hong Kong tycoons known as the Landlord Club. Their less-than-legal manipulation of the stock market is being monitored by the tech-savvy Joe (Daniel Wu), who has a score to settle with the head of the club, Tony Wong (Kenneth Tsang). Inspector Jack Ho (Louis Koo) has to find out who the bad guys are even as he is forced to do Joe’s bidding.

Despite the title and the return of key cast and crew members, Overheard 2 has nothing to do with the original 2009 film: the stories are not at all linked and the characters are totally different.

What they have in common is a thriller plot where modern surveillance technology is used and abused.

Previously, Lau Ching Wan, Daniel Wu and Louis Koo were on the same team. The situation in the current film is more complicated: Lau, the flawed moral centre of the first film, is more enigmatic here and you are never quite sure where his loyalties lie.

Koo is fairly sympathetic as a cop whose sense of justice is so strong, he even turns in his own wife. Unfortunately, the character is not developed enough.

Overheard 2 can be said to be Wu’s show as Joe employs cool technology in order to exact vengeance for past wrongs.

We are clearly meant to be rooting for him as he is the filial son trying to fulfil his mother’s wish before she topples over into the oblivion of Alzheimer’s disease. Wu also gets to show his stuff as an action leading man as he is involved in the car and foot chase that opens the film.

Writer-directors Alan Mak and Felix Chong are in their element in the tight action scenes – keep an eye out for how Wu wields his motorcycle as a weapon in yet another high-speed pursuit.

There is definitely an attempt to ramp up the thrill level in this chapter but the film still sags in the middle. And for all the high-octane goings-on, Overheard 2 feels less tightly knit and engaging compared to its predecessor.

At least Mak and Chong manage to bring things to an exciting end as Joe tries to outwit Tony Wong (a smug and scowling Kenneth Tsang) and his cronies at their own stock-market game.

With a credible follow-up in the bag, the Overheard series probably is not over and done with just yet.

(ST)