Synopsis: Tao is a ruthless loan shark, whose brother (Fu Sai Hang) is the captain of the police. When Tao gets killed by some local gangsters Fu sets-out for revenge, aided by his girlfriend (Hor Yee) to bring down the gangsters and get justice for Tao! (98 Mins)

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Views: Norman Law's 1990 action-thriller is a film similar in vein to many Hong Kong films of this time, such as The Dragon Family with Alan Tam and Andy Lau, or Frankie Chan's brilliant Burning Ambition, made just the year before. The fantastic Shing Fui On plays Tao, a loud mouthed loan shark who finds himself in trouble with some local gangsters – as well as the cops. As it happens, his brother Fu just happens to be a captain in the police force, something that often causes rifts in their family life. As Fu tries to grow his new found relationship with Hor Yee, their love is pushed to brink when Tao's antics start to involve his potential in-laws. A corrupt officer (Koo) who has it in for Tao, abuses his power to make Fu's life a nightmare, from harassing his informants to fighting with him outside of work. After one of Fu's gangster suspects escapes custody, Koo takes it upon himself to interrogate Fu and land him in a lot of trouble – setting him up to get at his brother, Tao. As things snowball out of control fast, Fu soon learns that his escaped suspect (Wei) is the same man who murdered both his informant Chung and brother, and sets-out for revenge along with his girlfriend and family members in a fantastic and lengthy showdown at the docks!

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While the late Norman Law Man isn't always the first directors name you would think of when talking about Hong Kong cinema, it would probably surprise most fans in knowing what he has been behind. Starting life in the film industry as a make-up artist in Shaw Brothers, Law ran a 4 year stint as the assistant director to Yuen Woo Ping with Seasonal Films on classics such as Secret Rivals 2, Invincible Armour, Drunken Master, and more. After working on Tower Of Death (Game Of Death 2) in 1980, Law stepped up to deliver his directorial debut with Lackey And The Lady Tiger, produced by Ng See Yuen and starring the wonderful Hwang Jang Lee along with Mars in the leading role. From there, Law would follow with a string of great films including A Hearty Response with Chow Yun Fat, Walk On Fire with Andy Lau, (Ninja) Vampire Buster with Jacky Cheung, Kung Fu Scholar with Aaron Kwok, and many more, as well as working as a planner on most of Wong Kar Wai's mid-90s titles...

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Aside from being neatly directed and well-written, Family Honour boasts a great cast with Wilson Lam playing Officer Fu, the unfortunate brother to Shing's loan shark, Tao. Although he gets to kick things off as a light-hearted character of sorts, Fu's story soon takes a dark turn giving Lam the chance to flex his acting chops between comedy and drama. While I've never been the biggest fan of Wilson Lam's, I can't say he really does a bad job – and especially here. From The Fortune Code to Magic Cop, Angel Force to Kickboxers Tears, it's fair to say that Lam can be a decent actor when called for, even getting in on the action where possible. Shing Fui On, who I miss dearly, adds a little more depth to the usual thug-like character he is most often known for, flitting between violence and funny without a problem. Although he died in 2009 and starred in over 230 movies, I do miss seeing him pop up in more modern Hong Kong movies. Michael Miu Kiu Wai plays Officer Koo, the pain-in-the-ass detective who seems to cause everyone trouble and thrives in playing a darker role than he would more normally be known for. The awesome Dick Wei stars as the main villain of the piece, although flits in and out until the finale where he gets to proves to be a force to be reckoned with. The handsome Max Mok gets an interesting extended cameo as Chung, an informant friend to Fu whose cover has been blown and meets his end after a violent death by the hands of Wei. A wonderful supporting cast help strengthen the film even more with the hilarious Richard Ng, Meg Lam, and wonderful Lisa Chaio Chiao playing family members. Lo Lieh cameos as a triad boss, with Ronald Wong and Laung Sap Yat as Tao's sidekicks. Script writer and producer of Family Honour, Barry Wong, cameos as an ICAC Officer, and popular comedic character-actor Kay Lee (aka Curry Lau) also appears. And I can't forget the gorgeous Joey Wong of course, who plays Lam's girlfriend Hor Yee. While mainly by his side for more dramatic scenes, Wong gets in on the action in the grand finale and continues to look good doing it.

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The brilliant Tony Leung Siu Hung looks after the action, providing a nice mix of violence and martial arts in that late 80s/early 90s way we all love. From rooftop scuffles to alleyway battles, gangster beatings to car-park fights, Leung keeps action fans happy with some pretty sweet choreography. It all leads to a massive closing battle with some incredible gun-play, lots of explosions, fire stunts, martial arts, and stunt work, that leaves action-fans extremely happy and closes Family Honour with a finale worth talking about! Brother to the legendary Bruce Leung Siu Hung, Tony has been behind the action of some of my favourite Hong Kong movies as a director or action choreographer, with titles such as Guns Of Dragon, In The Line of Duty 3, Magic Crystal, Angel, The Tigers, and even Ip Man – as well as appearing in many classics like Enter The Fat Dragon, 36 Crazy Fists, Five Superfighters, The Master Strikes, Ip Man 1 & 3, and much more. Family Honour is a worthy addition to his filmography, and a fantastic film overall...

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Overall: Hard hitting Hong Kong action-thriller that is neatly directed and well worth checking out!