A modern-day Fagan (Eric Tsang as “Papa”) posts bail for an orphaned group of five lifelong friends whose style and loyalty he admires, hoping to mold the kids into an adult team of elite mercenaries. At its heart, this unofficial entry into Hong Kong’s Young and Dangerous series functions best as a gentle and agreeable (give or take a few dead civilians) update of a Prohibition gangster pic. Instead of stealing enough cash to pay for an operation to restore sight to the leader’s blind baby sister, our gang of Sherwood Forest soldiers of fortune heist an armored car filled with government gold earmarked to fund political coups. (Their ill-gotten gains would go towards purchasing medicine for sick children.) Silly sounding? You bet! But Chin Ka Lok directs with one eye set on delivering the goods in terms of action, and the other on threading a sense of heart into his characters. He succeeds on both counts! With Erik Cheng, Michael Tse, and Jordan Chan. (2018) — Scott Marks
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