Chinese Midnight Express 2

Director: Kant Leung

Cast: Francis Ng, Peter Yung, Lee Siu Kei, Lung Fong, William Ko Ka Kui

If you are a fan of Prison Films, especially Hong Kong prison films, then Chinese Midnight Express 2 probably doesn’t have much to offer that you haven’t seen before. It focus’ on a small number of convicts, whom range from the tough guy “bosses” of the prison clique, to a rather spaced out fellow (Lau Yee Tat) who claims to often leave his physical body and participate in out of body experiences. The film has the usual theme of prisoner comradeship, as well as a few bad apples who want nothing more then to bully and cause problems with the other inmates. Of course we cannot leave out the corrupt and abusive prison guards (lead by the purely despicable ‘Piranha’ played by Lung Fong), and to top it all off a Prison Warden who is willing to turn his back on their evil deeds as long as it does not come back to hurt him!

Francis Ng plays a defensive attorney named Hung, who find himself, along with the man he was defending (Samuel Leung), behind bars after smashing a bottle over a Police Officers head (who happens to be Piranha’s brother) in a heated bar brawl. It doesn’t take long for him to make some close friends, and enemies. He is treated at first as a bit of a celebrity because he has defended so many of the inmates (guess he wasn’t all that good at his job?). However one of his former clients (William Ho) is anything but happy with him and immediately starts riding his back threatening him unless he refunds him the money he paid for his eventually unsuccessful services. But it’s a young Prison Guard played by Peter Yung Kam Cheung who becomes his closest friend. Using what limited power he has to try and protect his new friend. And soon later the young guard, with his permission, starts to see Hung’s younger sister! However Piranha also has his eyes on Hung’s sisters, but his intentions are far less gentleman like. . .

Ng puts on a rather memorable role, and the supporting cast has enough weight to make this more then just a Francis Ng vehicle (though it may still be considered so). It’s a shame that they didn’t really go anywhere with Lau Yee tats character. The way he walks around in a trance like stat telling people the same thing over and over, that torn trousers can indeed be mended, it seems that would become a big pay off later, that is not the case. It also could have been a bit longer, at just under 90 minutes it felt rather rushed. There could have maybe developed more of the supporting characters more. It may come off as just another Prison film, and with the likes of the Prison on Fire films, Island on Fire, and the original and unrelated Chinese Midnight Express, this film has enough going for it to make it a worth wile view.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.0