Antique shop owner Elaine is a mother and a gun runner; her crime boss, Mr. Hung (Paul Chun) uses her shop as a base for importing firearms. They also have a young daughter Ka Ka whom she brings along when she sells those guns illegally in an old apartment in Hong Kong. Hung’s henchman, known as Bullet (Roy Cheung) is always there during the sales as a lookout and a safeguard.
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However, during the latest transaction, Inspector Lau Chung Pong (Chow Yun-fat) and his squad show up at the door, a shootout follows, and Elaine is wounded while the gun buyers manage to escape. Accordingly, Bullet has no choice but to kill her because they don’t want to leave any loose ends and of course, Ka Ka witnesses the whole ordeal. Further investigations lead Inspector Lau to a small village outside of Hong Kong where Elaine’s sister, Cher (Cherie Chung) still lives with their father Lee (Ku Feng). Since Ka Ka is now an orphan, she’s returned back to the care of Lee’s household. Grandfather Lee is not contented about it because he has already disowned Elaine. Anyhow, Cher and officer Lau soon take a shine to each other and consequently fall in love. It so happens that although Cher is going through a divorce, her ex-husband is back from China and wants her back. Making matters worse, Bullet is ordered to kill Inspector Lau.
“Wild Search” is a loose remake of Peter Weir’s “Witness”. In this version, Ringo Lam focuses heavily on human relationship rather than on action that he is famous for. The romance between Cher and Lau is a pinnacle which is not forced, and the two actors share wonderful chemistry on screen. However, Ringo does throw in a good amount of action, particularly the exciting car chase in the back streets of Hong Kong in which one might think that he’s trying to kill off his main character.
The scenes in the rural village are a welcome divergence to the busy neon light setting of city life. The locals are portrayed as friendly, warm people who look after each other. Shaw Brother’s veteran, Ku Feng, who plays the cranky grandfather, is both likeable and wonderful. As a four year-old orphan Ka Ka, Chan Cheuk Yun is adorable; her interaction with grandfather Lee is charming though a bit predictable.
Crime boss Mr. Hung is a high society man with a shabby background, played adequately here by Paul Chun. His royal but psychotic Vietnamese henchman Bullet is played by none other than Roy Cheung and he’s as good as it gets as a villain. Needless to say, he also provides most of the movie’s violent encounters.
Now, to the reason we watch this film, Chow Yun Fat and Cherie Chung, it’s a joy to see them together on the screen. Chow’s Inspector Lau is actually a flawed character; after losing his wife and son in a robbery; he resorts to drinking and smoking. He has lost his way and is just doing his job when we first meet him. Cherie Chung plays Cher, the country pumpkin with a wounded soul; her husband has left her, her sister dies and leaves her with her child to look after. But she’s a strong woman with dignity, and this is probably the reason she and Inspector Lau are attracted to each other.
Both Chow and Cherie are quite charismatic and when their high voltage chemistry is added in the mix, they totally set the screen on fire. The way they bond and their blossoming love are natural and believable, thanks to their performances. On top of that, the addictive title song “The Moon Represents My Heart” sang by Anita Mui, will have you humming it for days.
Ringo Lam doesn’t go overboard with the action in “Wild Search”; this is a solid human drama, full of wonderful strong characters. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
