Synopsis: A corrupt red oil kingpin enlists the aid of a female police officer to help find his missing son. (92 Mins)

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Views: Suffering from relationship problems and the realisation that she may never be a mother, lady cop Maureen Szeto is assigned to the case of a missing child. The child, however, is the son of a triad boss (John) who deals in illegal red oil between Hong Kong and the mainland. Along with his men, John finds it very difficult to work with the police, nervous of them taking advantage of the situation. As the case progresses, Maureen does indeed keep a close eye on what John and his men are up to, yet at the same time, reveals a conspiracy that's a little too close to home for the triad boss that has lead to the kidnapping of his son. On top of that, a vengeful cop from China is determined to get his hands on John after his men caused the death of a child during his last visit to the mainland. Together, both sides of the law must pull together to help rescue the boy and get over their own problems to solve the case!

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It's taken me over a decade to want to watch Lady Cop & Papa Crook. While I enjoy watching Sammi Cheng and Eason Chan, they aren't the kind of stars that make me want to rush out to see their films, and the same could be said for Chapman To who also appears here. A lot of critics who have reviewed this over the years seemed to be a bit more concerned on Sammi Cheng's 'return' to the film world since taking a break after the critically slammed Stanley Kwan film, Everlasting Regret, but I couldn't care less. It was only 3 years – a period of time Daniel Day Lewis sleeps for between most of his projects. The film is written and directed by both Alan Mak and Felix Chong, who between them have brought fans some incredible titles over the years such as the Infernal Affairs Trilogy, the Overheard Trilogy, Confession Of Pain, and Project Gutenberg/The Counterfeiter with Chow Yun Fat and Aaron Kwok, all of which are very stylishly made and very well written – as well as proving to be massive hits for the two film-makers. It's obvious that they wanted to bring that same style and flavour to Lady Cop & Papa Crook, but this time adding a healthy dose of comedy. Most of that humour falls on the shoulders of sassy cop Cheng, who does offer some genuine laughs and is enjoyable to watch, with other members of the cast getting into situations that are quite funny at times. And while I've long championed the blending of genres from Hong Kong cinema over the years, it seems that not many fans and critics today are open to that madcap mix that once made these films so special. It's almost as if they expect Hong Kong movies to be a little more like their Hollywood counterparts and stick to a straightforward story or theme, which is unfortunate. I know we will never have the golden era of HK film back anytime soon, but one can always hope. And aside from the critics, it also seems like a lot of modern Hong Kong filmmakers are quite happy to deliver a more polished, western-looking production than that of their predecessors which has seen a dramatic shift in style with the movies we have seen produced in the last 20 years. The point I'm getting to (eventually) is that as much as I enjoy the blending of genres, the comedic moments just seems lost among the cold filter and dramatic tone that accompany most of Lady Cop & Papa Crook. Imagine seeing clips of Tokyo Raiders popping up throughout Infernal Affairs and you'll understand what I mean...

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Of course, it's not completely dreadful and boasts an interesting cast – albeit with many cameos for the most part. Richie Ren cameos as a camp Ricky-Martin-wannabe nightclub dancer and gigalo, along with Chow Sing Chi regulars Tenky Tin Kai Man and Vincent Kok, director of Forbidden City Cop and Jackie Chan's Gorgeous. The late Liu Kai Chi pops up as a gangster who gets on the wrong side of John, and prolific actor/director Joe Cheung – the man behind The Incredible Kung Fu Master, Pom Pom & Hot Hot, Flaming Brothers, and Return Engagement – stars as one of the triad bosses right-hand men. There's appearances from Emotion Cheung, the sushi-chef zombie in Bio-Zombie, popular actors Patrick Tam and Conroy Chi, with Chinese actor Zhang Guoli playing the cop from mainland China. As well as starring in many hits since the early 80s, including Feng Xiao Gang's Cell Phone, Aftershock, and Kung Fu Yoga, Zhang has also directed a number of his own titles over the years. Of course, Sammi Cheng and Eason Chan really need no introduction at this stage and carry their roles quite well, with Chan surprising me in his role as the fatherly kingpin with a heart. And Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Nicky Li, handles the films action sequences which, to be honest, offered nothing overly exciting that could easily have been directed by someone lesser-known in the industry.

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I think it's fair to say that, while extremely well made, well-acted, and entertaining enough, Lady Cop & Papa Crook does come across a little uneven at times. I did get to see the uncut version (with the Chinese version having been cut by 6 minutes) and was bored a few times, but I'd hardly say it was unwatchable. That said, I would have been disappointed had I paid the money to import it from Hong Kong upon release, and will probably never watch it again in my lifetime!

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Overall: Although watchable and entertaining at times, Lady Cop & Papa Crook isn't the best we've seen from directors Alan Mak and Felix Chong!