For the follow-up to their successful cop thriller Cold War – Hong Kong’s top local film in 2012 – co-directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk turn to high-stakes nuclear weapons drama with the big-budget and no less accomplished Helios. The risk of regional calamity looms when thief Gam Dao-nin (Chang Chen) makes off with a top-secret South Korean nuclear device and takes it to Hong Kong to sell. He’s a Messenger for the shadowy arms dealer Helios, and Korean and Hong Kong authorities rush to stop the deal, seize the bomb and hopefully catch the mastermind too. The Korean side deploys a trio of agents led by Colonel Choi Min-ho (Ji Jin-hee) and, aided by instant-translation devices, they join Hong Kong task force leader Eric Lee (Nick Cheung), police action man Fan Ka-ming (Shawn Yue) and nukes consultant and physics professor Siu Chi-yan (Jacky Cheung).
Soon enough, the deal falls apart in a firestorm of bullets and car smashes plus a motorcycle chase, and Hong Kong’s security forces eventually become custodians of the deactivated bomb. But the presence of the device and perhaps even Helios in Hong Kong leaves the city’s authorities in a pickle of opposing forces. Professor Siu urges the Hong Kong side to stop dithering and quickly get rid of the bomb. The Koreans want their device back and they still hope to catch Helios, but they’re out of their jurisdiction. And mainland Chinese authorities represented by stern official Song An (Wang Xueqi) declare their intent to seize the bomb and override local Hong Kong command, citing national security and riling Hongkongers and Koreans alike. Meanwhile, Gam and fellow Messenger Zhang Yijun (Janice Man) are still on the loose and prepared to carry out terrorist acts, intelligence agencies and others are following the situation, and the man who wanted to buy the bomb is livid because Fan killed his brother.
Just as they did in Cold War, writer-directors Leung and Luk jam-pack Helios with twists and turns and charge through them all at breakneck pace. Given the large number of forces at play in the complex screenplay, viewers must follow closely as the story unfolds in sharp dialogue and a series of armed skirmishes. For viewers keeping up with Hong Kong current affairs, Leung and Luk also throw in political nuggets and reference recent hot topics like tensions between Hongkongers and mainlanders along the way. In one scene local officials are accused of flip-flopping to follow a Beijing central government directive, while in another there’s the highly charged suggestion of asking the People’s Liberation Army to take action in the city.
The look of Helios retains the earlier film’s flash and polish, with the main credits largely sporting the same personnel. Art direction again excels, notably in cavernous Hong Kong security offices, and Chin Kar-lok’s action sequences range from a wild, tightly choreographed car park battle, replete with a vehicle flying at the camera, through to sniper action and fierce shootouts at roads and docks. Performances from the international cast are top notch with strong lead showings by Hong Kong’s Nick Cheung and Jacky Cheung and Korea’s Ji Jin-hee, and side roles by Chang Chen, Janice Man and an intense Choi Si-won can be even more striking. Viewers impressed by Leung and Luk’s 2012 directing debut should find further proof in Helios that the pair are filmmakers to watch in the realm of ambitious, high-end thriller cinema.