Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To directs this slick action thriller starring Anthony Wong Nick Cheung Simon Yam & Francis Ng It&s 1998 & the Portuguese colony of Macau a city on the southern coast of China is about to be handed over to Chinese authorities under a long-standing agreement It is as yet unclear to the Macau citizens how their new leaders intend to deal with the criminal underground that&s long been part of the city&s support system Against this backdrop a pair of hit men from Hong Kong arrive in town to take out a renegade gang member who has turned his back on the syndicate to make a new life for his wife & newborn baby However things get complicated when two more of their former associates also arrive in Macau with a single aim to ensure the former gangster&s safety The film premiered at the 2006 Venice Film Festival