The Stool Pigeon (Sin yan) (2010)

62% of users liked it
(345 ratings)

This Cantonese-language police procedural from director Dante Lam blends moralistic drama and tense action sequences, to startling effect. Distinguished detective Don Lee (Nick Cheung) takes a misstep with some grave consequences following a local drug bust, by issuing an arrest order that unveils… More This Cantonese-language police procedural from director Dante Lam blends moralistic drama and tense action sequences, to startling effect. Distinguished detective Don Lee (Nick Cheung) takes a misstep with some grave consequences following a local drug bust, by issuing an arrest order that unveils the identity of cartel informant Jabber (Liu Kai-chi). Now at the mercy of local gangs, Jabber must live on the streets to protect his loved ones, which riddles Lee with guilt. The story then jumps forward one year, as history begins to repeat itself: Lee hires a new "snitch," Ghost (Nicolas Tse), who has been incarcerated while trying to work off his father's mob debt and free his sister from prostitution. As part of his undercover assignment for the Hong Kong Police Department, Ghost signs on as the driver for a gang of jewel thieves, and feeds Lee inside information about the cadre's next robbery. At the same time, however, he realizes that his decision to inform may ruin his potential for a romantic relationship with Dee (Guey Lun-mei), the girlfriend of local kingpin Barbarian (Lu Yi). The situation involving Jabber then rears its head once again, with unexpected long-term aftershocks. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Dante Lam
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Dec 31, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Sep 27, 2011

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
By the time we get to the centerpiece bloody climax, too much air has gone out of the film for it to be revived.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

Stool Pigeon is a good film, but not a great film. The reason is simple, it lacks the same amount of intensive tension of its predecessor and relies much on the acting of Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung to take the film to the end. Tse is great and almost carries the… More
Stool Pigeon is a good film, but not a great film. The reason is simple, it lacks the same amount of intensive tension of its predecessor and relies much on the acting of Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung to take the film to the end. Tse is great and almost carries the film on his shoulders. Dante Lam is a capable director and he is at his best, when the characters in his films are allowed to express their truest potential or perhaps when they go crazy. The film itself is not too memorable either. Instead what we got delivered to us is a film that entertains, some interesting chases, fine acting and positive direction.
Justin Y

The Hong Kong crime thrillers continue from Dante Lam and this time The Stool Pigeon is served up.Aside from the main storyline, this film has subplots which enables a bulk of this picture to be character driven. The first portion of the somewhat lengthy 1… More
The Hong Kong crime thrillers continue from Dante Lam and this time The Stool Pigeon is served up.Aside from the main storyline, this film has subplots which enables a bulk of this picture to be character driven. The first portion of the somewhat lengthy 1 hour 50 minutes focuses a lot on story buildup as well as working through these multiple subplots, before letting loose for the finale. The side stories do take time away from the principal story, yet the results are important factors when all is said and done.The focus of the action is not the gun play, but rather the intense force of altercations and brawls. Ultimately, this movie lacks the finesse of bullets flying and ends up violently brutal instead.Both Nick Cheung and Nicolas Tse work well together as they fit nicely into their leading and mature roles. Lunmei Kwai is notable for standing out in the second half and Kai Chi Liu ends up with a prominent character.The Stool Pigeon contains both the action and the character drama, but it is the latter that makes this a solid film worth checking out.