The second chapter in Ann Hui’s “Vietnamese trilogy” opens with the arrival in Hong Kong harbor of the title character, Woo Viet (Chow Yun-fat, in a role that anticipates his evolution into action hero). A Chinese-Vietnamese refugee, Woo dreams of a new life in New York City and soon discovers there are shortcuts to getting there. On a Manila stopover en route, his new love, Shum Ching (Cherie Chung), is snatched by sex traffickers and Woo stays on to rescue her. In no time, he becomes one of the busiest mob enforcers in Chinatown — but at what cost to his dreams, his freedom, his identify? One of Hong Kong’s first political dramas, Hui’s groundbreaking work is told with a mixture of empathy and disgust, and uses the plight of Vietnamese boat people to reflect on wider issues, from the displacement of immigrants to the casual cruelty of violence. Stanley Kwan was Hui's assistant director and Ching Siu-tung, the action choreographer.