Synopsis: Handcuff is a biographical film about the life of Hong Kong gangster, Chan Wai-Man. In the film, Chan wants to quit the triads and retire to Europe, but his bosses have other ideas. (95 Mins)

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Views: The great Michael Chan Wai Man plays Ah Chang, a master assassin and martial arts expert known in the underworld as The Green Dragon. Chang works for Boss Chow Kwan – a Triad Godfather with an unforgiving reputation. While on a mission to kill another victim, a woman named Mung witnesses his actions. Determined to escape, Chang attacks her and quickly leaves, assuming she is dead from the head injury he gave her. The following day, Ah Chang finds out that she survived and heads to the hospital to finish off Mung in order to protect his identity. Unfortunately for him, the police catch him in the act and he is arrested on the spot. At the station, Chang is greeted by a familiar face – his old friend Inspector Chan. We soon learn that these mainlanders arrived together in Hong Kong many years ago, avoiding capture by the police and focusing on different ways to hide their illegal status. Inspector Chan assures Chang that he has nothing to worry about and removes his cuffs to ease the situation. Soon after though, The Green Dragon finds himself in a police line-up with Mung standing in front of him, starring blankly into his eyes. Worried that he is about to find himself in prison, Chang gets a shock when Mung keeps her silence and denies that any of the men in line were involved. Now a free man, Ah Chang takes this chance to retire as The Green Dragon with plans to marry his girlfriend Mabel, a club singer with a bitchy reputation. Boss Chow gives Chang his blessings to move on, with the ex-assassin soon finding work on a construction site. As fate would have it, Ah Chang soon finds that he can't escape a life of crime and violence as situations arise between his cheating girlfriend and some local thugs that quickly pull Chang right back into what he was trying to escape. It all leads to an action-packed finale and some brutal violence that tells the tale of an infamous Hong Kong gangster!

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The Handcuff tells the supposedly true story of its very own star, Michael Chan Wai Man, a popular triad-turned actor that has made quite the name for himself in Hong Kong cinema over the years – although its final scene does make you wonder just how true it is. And while some of it may be overly dramatized for the film (or perhaps even toned down based on some of his real-life crimes), the story tries to sell Chan Wai Man as some sort of hero when, ultimately, he's a stone-faced brutal killer who is pretty much giving a full confession to the world of the stuff he got up to. Regardless, the man rarely fails to entertain in a role and gives an entertaining piece here as he portrays, well, himself. Written and produced by Chan, The Handcuff has a slower first half, building up its story and characters – although not completely dry of any excitement from its Godfather inspired opening montage of assassinations to his attack on his girlfriend's lover (played by Cheng Kang Yeh), that sees him cut off his penis after catching him in the act. But by the halfway mark, things really take off as the story picks up, fights and stunt work become more frequent, and things get exciting making you wonder just what is fact and what is fiction in Chan Wai Man's biopic...

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The wonderful Wu Ma returns to the director's chair to look after the story of Chan. Although more popular for his roles in many hit movies, starring in over 290 films before his death in 2014, Wu Ma was actually the director of over 40 titles during the course of his career. The first would be Wrath Of The Sword, a decent swordplay drama that featured the likes of Shek Kin, Tang Ching, and a young Sammo Hung. By the time The Handcuff came about, Wu was well used to being behind the camera and I actually think it's one of his better offerings. Besides some strong direction, The Handcuff boasts a strong cast with the addition of Chia Lun as Inspector Chan – his first time staring alongside Chan Wai Man since 1976s fantastic, Jumping Ash. The lovely Nora Miao stars as Mung, the witness who later helps Chan after an injury. While she doesn't really have too much to do, it's always nice to see Miao on screen and she was no doubt cast due to her huge popularity at the time. Pauline Wong Yuk Wan plays Mabel, his cheating girlfriend who winds up getting smothered by the hands of Michael. Although rarely talked about by many Western fans of Hong Kong films, Wong has starred in many hits playing a sorceress in Mr. Vampire 3, a prostitute in Millionaires Express, a club hostess in Dragons Forever, and further roles in Mr. Vampire 4, Slickers Vs Killers, and Miracles. Kung fu stars Cheng Kei Ying and Lo Lieh appear in bit-parts, with each getting an extensive fight scene against Chan. The man with the biggest sideburns in the business gets to throw down in a dojo, with Cheng Kei Ying delivering some cool moves and proving to be a bit of a problem for the gangster, and Shaw Brothers legend Lo Lieh goes up against The Green Dragon in a rooftop battle that gets a little brutal towards the end of the film. A few other familiar faces pop up throughout such as the great Philip Chan, Yasuhiro Shikamura, Tang Ching, and more. Both Chan Wai Man and Cheng Kei Ying handle the fight choreography – evident more so in their dojo fight – with both providing enough exciting and gritty battles to keep kung-fu fans happy. While there are a few bouts of action throughout the first half of the film, the majority of the fights and stunts are kept for the second half with some impressive moments including Chan Wai Man's leaps from balcony's and bridges, a car chase through the city, and plenty of martial arts action. There's a pretty gruesome moment that sees Chan cut a bullet from his leg using a chopping knife before stitching it up with a needle and thread – most likely doubled with a piece of animal flesh, but very well done nonetheless.

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Although probably not as polished or talked about as Kirk Wong's classic, The Club, Wu Ma's film is certainly a solid piece of entertainment with decent performances from all involved and plenty of exciting action. While Michael Chan may not be to everyone's taste, he provides yet another great film and performance – even if it is a vanity project as such. The Handcuff is definitely worth the watch and one I would like to see restored and released on Blu-ray sometime in the near future!

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Overall: Gritty and well made, The Handcuff is a martial arts thriller worth a watch!