Mongkok is the hotbed of illicit business in Hong Kong, where merchants and shoppers congregate in an area that never sleeps. A quarrel over territory between two rival triad gangs ends in the death of one the gang’s leader’s son causing uneasiness. Roy (Daniel Wu) is hired from mainland China to eliminate the rival gang’s leader. To pull off the hit, Roy is given money, a gun and a mobile phone in a seedy hotel in Mongkok. Whilst surveying his target, Roy accidentally meets Dan (Cecilia Cheung) a prostitute who he saves from the vice of street thugs. The news of an assassin from China, Roy, causes tension amongst the Mongkok triad gangs and the police. Who will be the first to discover Roy? The film begins with the death of gang leader’s son ‘the day before yesterday’ And ‘today’ is Christmas Eve. Starting with Roy’s arrival in Mongkok and following the events of one night, the tension of the film is unrelenting. The dreary images portray the characters and their circumstances as they chase and are chased. People on mobile phones, a money lusting human traffic dealer, a young mainland China youth who kills for pennies, a callgirl from the same province and the head of criminal investigation unit and a rookie detective. Images divided of these sorrow filled characters using sleek and speedy editing allowing the director to consummately expand the complex characters and story. One Nite in Mongkok is highly critical of the rampant corruption that exists in Hong Kong. When the night and chase is over, a blood soaked Roy falls with a scream onto the streets of Mongkok where he is gruesomely exposed. The performances of Daniel Wu and Cecilia Cheung as mainland Chinese is very convincing and also Alex Fong’s portrayal as the head of the crime investigation unit is very appealing. (Ellen KIM)