Another of Kirk Wong's "true crime" trilogy (the others being Crime Story and Rock N' Roll Cop). This one has hot-headed cop Lee pursuing jewel thief Wong. Eventually, the lines between cop and criminal blur as the chase draws to an end.

The plot is bare-bones and has been many times before (most memorably in Michael Mann's Heat), but director Wong has a talent for making the ordinary seem extraordinary. There's really fairly little going on (the cop bickers with his superiors, the thief tries to hold his gang together, etc.), but the movie is so tightly made that not one scene seems wasted. Even the mandatory romantic subplot (between Wong and his mistress Yip) doesn't detract much from the film. OCTB's main strength comes from the performance of the two leads. Even though they have done similar roles many times before and since, these are among Wong and Lee's best work. They have stock characters, but manage to breathe life into them, which makes the film much more enjoyable to watch.

Those expecting Woo-style gunplay may be disappointed (even though there is a great shootout near the end of the movie), but, at any rate, Organized Crime & Triad Bureau is a rock-solid cop drama that fans of the genre should enjoy.

A review of the DVD for this movie can be found here

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