The Stool Pigeon

Inspector Don Lee often works with informants to solve his cases, with stool pigeons. In a ploy to convict the notorious jewel thief Barbarian, Don smuggles Ghost Jr, recently released from jail, into his gang. Lee is plagued with scruples; an informant from an earlier case whose cover was blown now leads a destitute and traumatized life on the streets. Lee has also ruined his wife’s life with a slip-up. When Ghost enters dangerous waters, Lee decides to step in. With his most recent film, Dante Lam, whose “Beast Stalker” was shown in the 2009 Forum, presents a sophisticated genre piece that successfully lends its characters emotional depth. The tragic love stories of three couples appear against the backdrop of surveillance and wild chase scenes, giving the plot a crucial change of direction. But above all Lam uses real-life places in Hong Kong for his visually stimulating scenes. The modern architecture plays just as important a role as the small labyrinthine markets with their wooden sheds and an abandoned classroom piled up with tables and chairs. –Berlinale