The White Storm (film series)
The White Storm is a Hong Kong action film series of three films. The films are unrelated to one another in storyline but feature common central themes involving drug trafficking, brotherhood and the Narcotics Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force. The first film, The White Storm, written and directed by Benny Chan and starring Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Nick Cheung was released in 2013. The second film, The White Storm 2: Drug Lords, written and directed by Herman Yau and starring Andy Lau and Koo was released in 2019. An upcoming third film, The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell also written and directed by Yau and starring Koo, Sean Lau and Aaron Kwok is set for release on 27 July 2023.
| The White Storm | |
|---|---|
 Blu-ray disc cover of the box set containing the first two films | |
| Traditional Chinese | 掃毒系列 |
| Simplified Chinese | 扫毒系列 |
| Literal meaning | Drug Sweep |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Sǎo Dú Xì Liè |
| Jyutping | Sou3 Deok6 Hai6 Lit6 |
| Directed by | Benny Chan Herman Yau |
| Written by | Benny Chan Manfred Wong Ram Ling Wong Chun Tam Wai-ching Herman Yau Erica Li Eric Lee |
| Produced by | Andy Lau Benny Chan Alvin Lam Wendy Wong Stephen Lam Esther Koo Wong Chun-kei |
| Starring | Andy Lau Aaron Kwok Louis Koo Sean Lau Nick Cheung |
| Cinematography | Anthony Pun Chan Kwok-Hung Joe Chan |
| Edited by | Yau Chi-wai Azrael Chung |
| Music by | Nicolas Errèra Mak Chun Hung |
Production companies | Universe Entertainment Sil-Metropole Organisation Bona Film Group Guangdong Sublime Media Focus Films Sun Entertainment Culture Yinming Culture Communication Hero Films Golala Investment Lian Ray Pictures AMDT Digital Media |
| Distributed by | Universe Films Distribution (Hong Kong, Worldwide) Gala Film Distribution (Hong Kong) |
Release date | 2013-present |
Running time | 234 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Budget | US$41 million |
| Box office | US$244.7 million |
Films
| Film | HK release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The White Storm | 5 December 2013 | Benny Chan | Benny Chan Manfred Wong Ram Ling Wong Chun Tam Wai-ching |
Benny Chan Alvin Lam Wendy Wong Stephen Lam |
| The White Storm 2: Drug Lords | 16 July 2019 | Herman Yau | Herman Yau Erica Lee Eric Lee |
Andy Lau Alvin Lam Esther Koo Wong Chun-kei |
| The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell | 27 July 2023 | Herman Yau | TBA | |
The White Storm (2013)
The White Storm is the first film in the series, which tells the story of three childhood friends Ma Ho-tin, So Kin-chow and Cheung Chi-wai who are police officers of the Narcotics Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, with Kin-chow going undercover to infiltrate drug dealers while Ho-tin and Chi-wai back him up. The trio has solved numerous cases over the years. After of years of investigation, they finally have the chance to crack down Thai drug lord Eight-Faced Buddha's den. During their face-off, the trio were ambushed by the Eight-Faced Buddha, who captures Kin-chow and Chi-wai while Ho-tin holds Eight-Faced Buddha's daughter, Mina, hostage and Ho-tin is forced to choose only one of his friends to leave with him alive.
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019)
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords is a thematic sequel in-title-only to The White Storm. In the quadripartite drug market in Hong Kong, drug dealer Jizo (Louis Koo) gradually expands in collaboration with some Mexican drug lords across the border, followed by a chain of dog-eat-dog events which shock and bring the whole trade on high alert. On the other hand, Yu Shun-tin (Andy Lau), a former triad member who is now a financial tycoon, is offering a bounty to eliminate the number one drug dealer in Hong Kong, which causes a stir in society. Police officer Fung (Michael Miu) intends to arrest Jizo, but is now responsible for protecting Jizo instead due to the bounty. A final battle has broken out between the two tycoons who were once lesser-known brothers from the same triad.
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023)
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell is a thematic sequel in-title-only to The White Storm 2: Drug Lords. Undercover police officer Cheung Kin-hang has been infiltrating drug lord Hong So-chai's cartel. One time during an accident, another undercover officer Au Chi-yuen also earns the trust of both Cheung and Hong and the three of them form a brotherly bond. When Hong's narcotics businesses in Hong Kong were busted by the police, he flees to the Golden Triangle with Cheung and Au. However, by chance he receives a tip-off that an undercover cop is secretly hiding around him.
Cast and crew
Cast
| Cast | The White Storm (2013) | The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019) | The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023) |
| Louis Koo | So Kin-chow | Fung Chun-kwok (Jizo) | Au Chi-yuen |
| Sean Lau | Ma Ho-tin |  | Hong So-chai |
| Nick Cheung | Cheung Chi-wai | | |
| Andy Lau | | Yu Shun-tin | |
| Aaron Kwok | | Cheung Kin-hang | |
| Yuan Quan | Chloe Yuan | | |
| Lo Hoi-pang | Eight-Faced Buddha | ||
| Berg Ng | Wong Shun-yik | ||
| Ken Lo | Bobby | ||
| Treechada Petcharat | Mina Wei | ||
| Law Lan | Chi-wai's mother | ||
| Marc Ma | Dune Kun | ||
| Xing Yu | Kanit | ||
| Lee Siu-kei | Kei | ||
| Vithaya Pansringarm | Mr. Choowit | ||
| Michael Miu | | Lam Ching-fung | |
| Karena Lam | Michelle Chow | ||
| Kent Cheng | Yu Nam | ||
| Gordon Lam | Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong | ||
| Chrissie Chau | May Chan | ||
| Cherrie Ying | Fong Yau-ka | ||
| Michelle Wai | Apple Tse | ||
| Jun Kung | Cho Tai | ||
| MC Jin | Cho Ping | ||
| Elena Kong | Cheung Ching | ||
| Lau Kong | Cheung Chi-ming | ||
| Halina Tam | Siu Ka-man | ||
| Gill Mohindepaul Singh | Abbas Abraham | ||
| Philippe Joly | Josef | ||
| Gallen Lo | | Undisclosed role | |
| Tse Kwan-ho | |||
| Alex Fong | |||
| Power Chan | |||
| Timmy Hung | |||
| Wilfred Lau | |||
| Lam Suet | |||
| Kumer So | |||
| James Kazama | |||
Additional crew
| Film | Crew/Detail | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies |
Distributing company |
Running time | |||
| The White Storm | Nicolas Errèra | Anthony Pun Chan Kwok-Hung |
Yau Chi-wai | Universe Entertainment Sun Entertainment Culture Limited Bona International Film Group Sil-Metropole Organisation Golala Investment Limited |
Universe Films Distribution (Hong Kong, Worldwide) Gala Film Distribution (Hong Kong) |
134 minutes | ||
| The White Storm 2: Drug Lords | Mak Chun Hung | Joe Chan | Azrael Chung | Universe Entertainment Sil-Metropole Organisation Guangdong Sublime Media Focus Films Sun Entertainment Culture Yinming Culture Communication Hero Films |
100 minutes | |||
| The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell | TBA | Universe Entertainment Hero Films Lian Ray Pictures AMDT Digital Media Sun Entertainment Culture |
TBA | |||||
Music
The score for The White Storm was composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by Nicolas Errèra while the theme song, Tacit for Life (心照一生) was composed, arranged and performed by RubberBand, who also co-produced the song it with Benny Chan and co-wrote the lyrics with Tim Lui. The film's insert theme is a cover of the 1978 song, Swear to Enter the Blade Mountain (誓要入刀山), composed by Joseph Koo, with lyrics written by James Wong and performed by Adam Cheng. The cover version was re-arranged and performed by RubberBand.[lower-alpha 1]
The score for The White Storm 2: Drug Lords was composed by Mak Chun Hung while the theme song, Brotherhood (兄弟不懷疑) was composed and arranged by Jacky Cai with lyrics written by Andy Lau, who also co-performed the song with Louis Koo, while Jacky Chan produced the song. The film's insert theme song, Wayward One was composed and performed by Jillian Rae, who also wrote the lyrics.[lower-alpha 2]
Reception
The first two films were box office successes while receiving mixed reviews. The first film received seven nominations at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards while the second film received four nominations at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards and won the Best Visual Effects award. The second film was also selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but did not make it to the final nomination.[1]
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Hong Kong box office gross | Worldwide box office gross | Budget | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The White Storm | 5 December 2013 | HK$31,938,819 | US$44,670,277 | US$16,000,000 | [2][3] |
| The White Storm 2: Drug Lords | 16 July 2019 | HK$24,813,706 | US$200,000,000 | US$25,000,000 | [4][5][6] |
| The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell | 27 July 2023 | TBA | |||
| Total | HK$56,752,525 | US$244,670,277 | US$41,000,000 | ||
Critical response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| The White Storm | N/A (2 reviews)[7] | — |
| The White Storm 2: Drug Lords | 57% (7 reviews)[8] | — |
| The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell | TBA | |
Notes
- End credits of The White Storm
- End credits of The White Storm 2: Drug Lords
References
- Chu, Karen (23 September 2019). "Oscars: Hong Kong Selects 'The White Storm 2' for International Feature Film Category".
- "Sean Lau, Louis Koo, and Nick Cheung's "The White Storm" Trailer – JayneStars.com".
- "The White Storm - Box Office Mojo".
- Shackleton, Liz (18 March 2018). "Filmart: Universe whips up sequels to 'The White Storm', 'Shock Wave' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- "香港市道差 2019年電影總票房下跌1.75% - 香港經濟日報 - 即時新聞頻道 - 商業". inews.hket.com.
- "劉德華涉嫌『抄襲』？！導演對《掃毒2》求償4.3億！還扯出《我的少女時代》？法院證實已『立案』！". hk.news.yahoo.com.
- "The White Storm". Rotten Tomatoes.
- "The White Storm 2: Drug Lords". Rotten Tomatoes.