Where a Good Man Goes doesn't really deviate too much (if at all) from Johnnie To and the Milkyway production company's usual gangster movie playbook. But when you have an excellent performance from Lau Ching-Wan anchoring your picture, perhaps there's really no need to break the mold.

"Breaking the mold" might not be the most apt metaphor to use, since, in some ways, Where a Good Man Goes could be considered as the starting point for Johnnie To becoming one of the premiere directors of Hong Kong Triad (gangster) dramas, a position that would solidified with his classic release later in 1999, The Mission. While that film established several To trademarks such as flashy camerawork and gallant anti-heroes, in Where a Good Man Goes, To was using a more stark and realistic style here.

This is brought to the forefront with the lead character, Michael, played by Lau Ching-Wan, who was already quickly becoming one of Johnnie To's favorite leading men. Michael is a Triad leader who has gotten out of prison to find his fortune stolen by his ex-wife. Taking refuge in a hotel run by a widow, June (Ruby Wong), Michael soon feels the pressure to get right back into the thick of things, and even if he did go straight, a hot-headed cop, Kong (Lam Suet) isn't going to make matters easy.

While the plot is usual Triad movie stuff, the character of Michael is anything but. He's not just an anti-hero; he's a downright sociopath. We see this through his growing romantic relationship with June. In one moment, he brings her child gifts. In the next, he nearly rapes her. In a genre dominated by cut-out caricatures, Michael is something fully fleshed-out -- warts and all. It's a testament to Lau Ching-Wan's acting skills that Michael (despite his sometimes repellent actions) still comes off as likeable.

Disappointingly, though, Lau Ching-Wan's work is the only thing that really stands out here, unless, for some reason, you were ever curious to see Lam Suet's naked backside. The rest of the movie is well-done and quite enjoyable, especially if you dig Hong Kong gangster flicks. But, in the end, Where a Good Man Goes feels like it's treading some very well-worn ground.

RATING: 7