While an elite cop is working undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug ring, his plan is compromised when a rival agency with a grudge attacks during a trade, killing the gang’s leader. Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all.
Originally titled “Undercover vs. Undercover,” “Undercover Punch & Gun” gets a Blu-ray release along with a cumbersome new title. Produced by Gordon Chan, this Hong Kong set action flick focuses on an undercover agent determined to take down a meth dealer.
Wu (Philip Ng) narrates the critical rules to survive as an undercover agent. The first rule, “don’t give up you’re real name” is rather obvious for undertaking clandestine operations. As Wu begins to recount the previous two days, the film cuts to a junkyard where a large mob boss named Bob is smoking hookah. The two are quite close since Wu is dating Bob’s daughter. Another big-shot mobster arrives with his gang of goons to sell Bob meth.
Wu’s team of fellow officers, led by the gorgeous Eva (Wenjuan Feng), watch nearby as the deal goes down. Afterward, Eva uses a sonic ray that shoots out debilitating sounds on all the men below. A shootout ensues leaving every gangster dead except for Wu and Hou (Vanness Wu). Hou is an informant who becomes loyal to Wu for having saved his life. Officer He, Wu’s superior, wants his agent to take down a meth lab that’s operating on the high seas. Wu will do anything legal to maintain his cover while pursuing the nautical drug dealers.
Every scenario where Wu is almost caught has some cheap resolution. In “Infernal Affairs” and its American remake “The Departed,” both featured plenty of tension for the lead characters who were undercover. Here, the thrills and acting are underwhelming. I found myself not caring about anyone or what happened.
This was filmed over six years ago, which makes sense for its “Breaking Bad” homages including meth cooked with hyper-edited sequences but it doesn’t work. I’d prefer more homages to Hong Kong legends like John Woo or Jackie Chan. Let’s get back to the productions of ’80s/’90s action films where using squibs, dangerous stunts, and, most importantly, bold style was commonplace.
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