In Hong Kong’s ruthless, neon-lit gangland underworld, a small-time mob enforcer finds himself torn between a burgeoning romance with his ailing, beautiful cousin and his loyalty to his loose cannon partner in crime, whose reckless attempts to make a name for himself unleash a spiral of violence.

Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau are caught in a crossfire between love and loyalty in Wong Kar Wai’s intrepid debut, his first of many invites to Cannes. With this stylish crime drama à la Mean Streets, the budding romantic auteur of 1990s cinema took a shine to the perilous underworld of Hong Kong.