A police car loaded with weapons - and cops - disappears, hijacked by shadowy terrorists. The incident, confusingly codenamed "Cold War", comes as the chief of police is out of town, catching the force off-guard.
Deputies Sean Lau (Aaron Kwok Fu-shing) and Waisee Lee (Tony Leung Ka-fai) jointly take charge, but the pair are rivals in a power struggle for promotion.
They must come together, with the lives of five colleagues on the line, to solve the case.
Cold War is an ambitious would-be blockbuster, featuring A-list actors and impressive staging. The plot has epic scale, and a brain-teasing twist.
On the downside, the debutant directors seem obsessed with detail in their quest for realism, even in the script. Jargon at times flies dauntingly thick and fast.
But, given that this is their first bash, and if only for their boldness and pyrotechnics, Cold War is still worth a watch.
YP Rating: 3/5