A prequel to E.U., one of the most popular television shows in Hong Kong over the past several years, Herman Yau's Turning Point (aka Laughing Gor) isn't anything mind-blowing, but offers up interesting characters, hard-hitting action sequences, and good acting, making it into a solid enough viewing experience -- even if the audience might get a sense of deja vu, especially if they have seen the Infernal Affairs films.

In the TV series, Laughing Gor (aka Leung Siu-Tong) was originally a minor character, but Michael Tse's performance made him a fan favorite to the point that hundreds of thousands of people signed online petitions to bring Gor back after he was killed off. Of course, Hong Kong studios and producers have never shied away from making a quick buck, and so it was perhaps inevitable that a bit of cinematic necromancy has been put forth on Gor.

Since Turning Point is a prequel, one doesn't have to have seen E.U., which is a good thing, because this movie has a surprisingly dense plot for a release that barely clocks in at ninety minutes. To try and boil things down to the basics, Gor is a young cop who has been charged by his commander, Xian (Yuen Biao), to infiltrate the gang of One (Anthony Wong), who was also an undercover cop when he was younger, and in fact, was actually the first person to recruit Gor, but into the world of the Triads. Complicating matters even further is Gor's romance with Karen (Fala Chen), the sister of Zatoi (Francis Ng), who is currently in a turf war with One.

Got all of that? Actually, Turning Point really isn't all that complicated. Even though there are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, the movie never becomes too dense or convoluted. Die-hard nit-pickers will probably still be able to pull out some plot holes, but as a whole, the story works. Even if it's not the most original material ever presented, especially in the crowded world of Hong Kong gangster movies, veteran director Herman Yau handles things well enough that the viewer remains interested to the end credits in the fates of even the more minor characters.

RATING: 7