Downtown Torpedoes (DVD)

Blackmailed by the Hong Kong government into stealing currency printing plates from the headquarters of MI5, members of ATM (Available Tactical Mercenaries) use their industrial espionage skills to successfully pull off the job. An act of treachery, however, leaves one of their number dead, prompting the remaining ATM associates to try to retrieve the plates to avenge their friend's murder and clear their names. Featuring picturesque location work in Budapest, this fast-paced, exciting variation on the Mission: Impossible high-tech adventure formula helped establish a new kind of internationally oriented Hong Kong action cinema. Highlighted by stirring chases, exhilarating hand-to-hand combat and slick caper sequences (which earned a Hong Kong Film Award for action choreographer Stephen Tung), Downtown Torpedoes also showcases charismatic performances from several of the period's rising stars, including Jordan Chan (He's a Woman, She's a Man), Charlie Yeung (Love in the Time of Twilight) and Theresa Lee (Big Bullet).

• drama