The Brotherhood of Rebel Movie Review: Hong Kong Gangster Drama – the Purported ‘Sequel’ to 2012’S Triad – Is Surprisingly Watchable
By Maya Lin-Takahashi
Review | The Brotherhood of Rebel movie review: Hong Kong gangster drama – the purported ‘sequel’ to 2012’s Triad – is surprisingly watchable
3/5 stars
Most people don’t watch gangster movies for their ingenuity. Which is why Triad, the 2012 Hong Kong film directed by Daniel Chan Yee-heng, was considered good fun even when it left no genre cliché untouched in its story of three blood brothers rising through the ranks in the criminal underworld.
Notwithstanding a confusing Chinese title that misrepresents it as a sequel to Triad, The Brotherhood of Rebel tells an unrelated story with a different director (Terry Ng Ka-wai), two new screenwriters (Ronald Chan Kin-hung and Leung Chung-fai) and an almost completely different cast.
While that earlier effort delivered its thrills via the dramatic ascent to power of its young protagonists in a crime syndicate, Ng’s film is refreshing in the way it makes light of this part – before its title card appears – and spends the rest of the duration charting its characters’ slow but inevitable downfalls.
Having pulled off the assassination of a rival gang leader in the opening scenes, Chai (Bosco Wong Chung-chak, an actor for Hong Kong broadcaster TVB), Kam (Carlos Chan Ka-lok) and Mao (Louis Cheung Kai-chung) are the fastest-rising members of a triad faction headed by their amiable leader Yau (Kenny Wong Tak-bun).
Everything changes when Mao takes up a dubious freelance gig as a gang driver – only to discover on the scene that it is a hit ordered on his own boss. Chai and Kam soon capture their hapless buddy on the run, but the former believes in Mao’s innocence and helps him go into hiding.
As Yau’s injuries leave him crippled for life, the sensible Chai is given the responsibility to take over from his boss and pivot the faction towards legitimate business. Meanwhile, the hot-headed Kam can’t stop getting into trouble with his reckless shenanigans on the side.
It all comes to a head when Mao discreetly returns to Hong Kong with his pregnant partner (Michelle Wai Sze-nga). Yau’s wife, Nam (Niki Chow Lai-kei), has sworn vengeance on anyone linked to the attack – despite her husband’s readiness to forgive.
A character-driven movie that largely forgoes the genre’s usual resort to hero worship, The Brotherhood of Rebel instead revolves around several flawed and broken individuals whose fortunes just keep getting worse.
The emerging filmmaker has reportedly already finished shooting the next “sequel” in this gangster series. Given the glimpses of flair that he has displayed so far, I’d be eager to see whatever he chooses to do next.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
