Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms

The second of Milkyway Image’s PTU spinoffs to see release, Tactical Unit: Comrades In Arms features the return of director Law Wingcheong, who also helmed Tactical Unit: The Code.
However, Comrades In Arms is immediately more promising than its predecessor. The Code was shot on HD-video and only found play at film fests, while Comrades is shot on film and received an actual theatrical release. Original PTU composer Chung Chi-wing is back on board (Tommy Wai handled the score for The Code), and the script by Au Kin-yee and Yau Nai-hoi better echoes the Milkyway Image house style with its irony and oblique character development. The result is an entertaining and more cinematic spin-off from PTU that’s somewhat minor but still very effective. Comrades In Arms isn’t a true return to PTU, but its familiar themes and solid craft should please both Johnnie To and Milkyway Image fans.

Police Tactical Unit officers Sam (Simon Yam) and May (Maggie Shiu) lead separate four-man PTU squads, but there’s a heated rivalry between their two teams that borders on hostile. The squad is due for regular turnover with some of their number graduating to other duties, but things turn punchy at the farewell party, with squad members trading insults and blows. Also, some of Sam’s men utter distasteful comments about May buttering up commanding officer Ho (Ben Wong), with the insinuation that she may be using her gender to curry favor. Ho is also at odds with the demoted Fat Lo (Lam Suet), whose disdain towards his superior officer begins to cross the line into insubordination.
Ultimately, all the tension spills over into the squad’s final assignment together. A trio of armed mainland Chinese thieves has retreated to the hills, and the PTU is assigned to search the area. Will their lack of teamwork doom them, or will they finally discover that elusive cop camaraderie? Comrades In Arms possesses some of the same edgy irony and cinematic storytelling that made PTU so enthralling, but its spirit is closer to Johnnie To’s reverent Lifeline than his award-winning deconstructionist crime thrillers. Comrades is the oft-told story of a dysfunctional group who, when the chips are down, learn to put aside their differences and act as a team. That theme lends itself to corny sentiments, and some dialogue certainly comes off that way. Many characters are just types, and the ultimate pro-police feelings may turn off more cynical viewers. Also, the setting is unusual; Comrades takes place almost entirely in the day in a remote mountainous area - a far cry from the stark urban noir atmosphere of PTU. The narrative features fewer distinct set pieces, with much of the action feeling familiar. Reportedly, the filmmakers were limited to a low budget, and sometimes it clearly shows.
At the same time, it’s impressive that the filmmakers could get so much with so little. For a lowbudget Hong Kong film, Comrades In Arms is exemplary.

This is less a cat-and-mouse crime film than a wandering-around-in-the-dark one; the cops and criminals ultimately crisscross all over the mountain, splitting up and running into friend and foe alike as they stumble deeper into the mountains and closer to their individual realizations. What they learn is rather rote - the themes encompass teamwork, camaraderie, bravery and even religion - but the discoveries are made through wordless action rather than rah-rah speeches. The film chooses not to tell us the obvious and finds growth and emotions within the characters and their situations.
The final shootout is less spectacular than the ones Milkyway Image aficionados are likely used to, but it possesses realistic staging and a positive spirit that is ultimately easy to appreciate. Law Wing-cheong balances his elements confidently, mixing in ironic humor, smart character details and recognizable human emotions into his cops-andcriminals saga. This is a lesser Milkyway Image crime film, but a more-than-adequate successor to the award-winning original that seems right at home among the company’s other genre efforts.
To many, Milkyway Image is known for more than just genre; their brand means quality too, and Comrades In Arms earns its inclusion in the Milkyway Image filmography.