Today’s quick review: S Storm. Following an anonymous tip, Investigator William Luk (Louis Koo) of the ICAC searches for proof that an employee of the Jockey Club, Hong Kong’s premier sports gambling company, has been taking bribes. But when a hitman (Vic Chou) kills Luk’s top suspect, turning the case into a murder investigation, Luk reluctantly joins forces with Inspector Lau Po Keung (Julian Cheung), a disgraced police officer.
S Storm is a Chinese action movie about a gambling investigation that turns deadly. Luk, working for the well-funded anti-corruption agency ICAC, and Lau, a washed-up officer with the city police, must put aside their rivalry to unravel a sprawling conspiracy. S Storm features an elaborate plot backed by a fair amount of action. However, the movie picks its plot twists poorly, preventing the audience from caring about the investigation.
S Storm has a bad habit of introducing new characters whenever it gets stuck. Instead of working with the characters and plot threads it has already established, the movie throws everything out to chase after someone new. This process repeats itself several times, killing the momentum of the plot and turning what should be a taut conspiracy into a tangled mess.
S Storm does have a couple of saving graces. The action scenes are a modest hit, the usual assortment of car chases and shootouts. Individual stages of the investigation work well when taken in isolation. Louis Koo and Julian Cheung are fine leads with a few good scenes together. But the whole is considerably less than the sum of its parts.
Give S Storm a shot only if you have a craving for some popcorn action and do not mind a convoluted plot. From moment to moment, S Storm is a fine pick that has a bit of excitement and just enough plot twists to keep things interesting. But looked at as a whole, the movie has no clear direction and resorts to the same bait-and-switch tactics a few too many times. Most viewers would be better off with something else.
For a Chinese action movie that handles a similar story with more skill, try Police Story or its sequels. For one with similar flaws but more polished execution, try Line Walker.
[5.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5998744/). I give it a 5.5 for fair action and a muddy plot.