The Big Heat (1988) – Review

As Chief Inspector Waipong Wong (Lee) wakes up in his squad car from a nasty nightmare, he gets a call about a hostage held on Duddell Street. He flips his siren on and smashes through traffic in his BMW. The hostage taker holds a man, and a shotgun, blasting at anyone close by as cops surround his position. Wong meets with Detective Ah Kam (Kwok), and they both pop out of cover, guns raised.

After a moment that the movie Speed will borrower a few years later, the hostage is alive, albeit wounded, and the suspect is dead. Waipong however starts having issues with controlling his right hand, which is tied to some spinal trauma. He considers resignation.

Over in Malaysia, gangsters show up to deal with former cop Tse Kwok Cheung and do a deal. Risqué blackmail photos and a shipping schedule are the topic at hand, but this deal goes badly for Tse. As these thugs move into Hong Kong, the stage is set for showdowns with authorities.

Tse however also happened to be Waipong’s old friend and partner. Maybe he can’t resign just yet… The doctor recommends a short break, and his fiancé is ready to marry. Problem is, he feels compelled to dig into Tse’s murder. As a group of cops begin to look into the death, other sinister plots emerge.

The Big Heat is a stylishly shot Hong Kong actioner. It features seriously bad villains and brooding cops. There is no comedic edge, so the atmosphere remains mostly dour. This fits the story, which is told with quality while moving fairly quickly. Acting is sound and despite multiple directors, the film is a cohesive time, though it can get a bit chaotic. I like Johnnie To’s stuff typically, and this one featured some of his trademark action shots and stylization. For me, this one worked pretty well as a dark crime story.