Sons of the Neon Night: A Gloomy Venture Through a Snow-Covered Hong Kong

Any film that’s been sitting on the shelf for seven years deserves a chance to see the light of day. However, Juno Mak’s Sons of the Neon Night, which wrapped filming in 2018, raises the question of whether it should have stayed there a little longer. Divided between an intriguing aesthetic and a muddled plot, this gloomy action flick leaves viewers more puzzled than entertained.

An Intriguing Premise Derailed

Set against the enigmatic backdrop of an alternate, snow-covered Hong Kong in the mid-1990s, the opening of Sons of the Neon Night hints at a fascinating setting that remains largely unexplored throughout the film. It begins with Moreton Li (played by the ever-charismatic Takeshi Kaneshiro), the CEO of a pharmaceutical conglomerate, awakening in a luxurious penthouse carved from the remnants of a massive cross-harbor tunnel. This inventive flourish initially piques interest, but as the film unfolds, it becomes increasingly apparent that the world outside this opulent frame is inadequately developed.

What follows is a jarring shift in tone—a violent shootout breaks out in a public square, instigated by hoodlums in sack masks. This energetic scene, albeit engaging, feels more like half-finished concept footage than a fully realized sequence. While director Juno Mak demonstrates potential in staging—suggesting a flair for action—these moments are disappointingly scarce. The subsequent significant action scene, involving intimate hand-to-hand combat, arrives too late in the narrative. By then, viewers have yet to establish a connection with the characters, making it difficult to invest emotionally.

A Chaotic Narrative

The plot revolves around the illicit drug trade but unfolds erratically, introducing new elements only to discard them shortly thereafter. One baffling early moment features a tactical officer detonating a suicide vest in a hospital housing Moreton’s invalid father, but the connection feels murky at best. The introduction of a co-lead, grizzled police veteran Wong Chi-tat (Sean Lau), happens in rapid succession, his family’s backstory rushed in voiceover. As the film progresses, one can’t help but yearn for this efficiency, even as it becomes clear that the pacing fails to establish necessary depth.

As discussions about the bomber’s past dominate much of the runtime, the film inflates its character roster, introducing new figures—brothers, wives, allies—at regular intervals. Each new subplot feels like a puzzle piece belonging to a sprawling miniseries that never arrives. The backstories are hastily crafted and segue from the primary mystery, only to grab at thematic connections between deaths in the drug trade and the cruelty of the pharmaceutical industry.

Uneven Characterization and Themes

Despite its epic aspirations, Sons of the Neon Night loses momentum, with awkward conversations that struggle to stitch the narrative together. The philosophical ambitions of the film are lightweight, with the character drama failing to support its numerous speeches about human nature. As a result, even the evocative score, courtesy of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, feels perfunctory, merely filling the vacant emotional spaces left behind by the film’s disjointed narrative.

In summary, Sons of the Neon Night attempts to explore themes of corruption and cruelty, yet the film’s world-building is inconsistent and uneven. The lofty proclamations made by the story are undermined by chaotic stylistic choices, culminating in a viewing experience that leaves much to be desired.

For fans of action cinema, there are moments of brilliance scattered throughout, such as the ambition of a unique setting and flashes of action potential. However, these are overshadowed by a convoluted plot that requires more than just the passing of time to polish. If you’re interested in similar themes, you might explore works like Infernal Affairs, which masterfully combines crime and moral questions in a much more coherent narrative.

Whether you’re a die-hard Takeshi Kaneshiro fan or simply curious about this seemingly forgotten title, Sons of the Neon Night is a film that’s best savored with tempered expectations and a willingness to sift through its muddled ambitions.