Triangle (Tie saam gok) (2007)

50% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(2,010 ratings)

Three maestro Chinese action directors - Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark and Johnny To - co-helm the adventure saga Triangle. The film actually constitutes a film serial, divided into thirds, with each filmmaker responsible for one episode. Three drinking buddies, Fai, Sam and Mok are visited one dark and… More Three maestro Chinese action directors - Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark and Johnny To - co-helm the adventure saga Triangle. The film actually constitutes a film serial, divided into thirds, with each filmmaker responsible for one episode. Three drinking buddies, Fai, Sam and Mok are visited one dark and stormy night by a strange old man who dazzles them with the tale of an ancient treasure. The artifact in question - worth untold amounts of money - lies buried beneath an almost impenetrable government facility. The retrieval mission is theirs, if they wish to accept it, and if they can claim the treasure, they get to keep it. Indeed, the "loot" - a magnificent robe of interwoven golden strands, its monetary value inestimable - outstrips everyone's expectations. But in time, the friends' greed and selfishness begin to overshadow their considerations of loyalty, trust and friendship. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Ringo Lam, Johnnie To
Written By: Yau Nai-Hoi, Au Kin Yee, Yip Tin Shing, Half Leisure, Sharon Chung
Genres: Art House & International, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Oct 1, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 15, 2009
Studio: Magnet Releasing/Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley, Variety
A seriocomic crimer by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To that's a diverting, sometimes head-scratching experiment that will mostly chime with Asian movie buffs rather than satisfy general auds as a single, homogenous pic.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
The cinematic equivalent of an inedible mess where ingredients war with one another and no one has paid any attention to the poor fellow who must consume the meal.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
Your best strategy is simply to sit back, try to follow along, and enjoy the hijinks.
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies
A convoluted crime caper with strong ethical underpinnings to support its many moods and styles.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
The film is made confusing not only by the twisting plot but by the varied styles of the three cult directors.
Mark Salisbury, Total Film
To's stylishly choreographed, action-led finale wraps things up with a blackly humorous and suspenseful stand-off in an outdoor restaurant.
Rob Daniel, Sky Movies
But there is an inescapable air of disappointment that three brilliant directors have handed in a movie that barely scratches the potential of the experiment.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Three of Hong Kong cinema's top names take turns to direct this batty heist-gone-wrong thriller, which proceeds from stylish-but-incomprehensible (Tsui Hark) through crunchy and violent (Ringo Lam) to just barking (Johnnie To).
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
The filmic equivalent of pass-the-parcel on Triangle, a convoluted crime caper about a mysterious gold coin and the luckless bozos on its trail.
Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
The results are messy, incoherent and ultimately three times as tedious.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Little of it however, is genuinely striking enough to suggest a welcome reception beyond the already converted.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
It's a shaggy dog story, with a script obviously made up as the film was being shot, but reasonably engrossing as the directors enjoy exaggerating their own mannerisms.
James Rocchi, Cinematical
Any fan who can tell Anthony Wong from Andy Lau will find worth watching for more than just the three-directors approach.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Justin Y

Triangle is such an appropriate title for this Hong Kong crime thriller. It isn't just because the story revolves around 3 friends, but more that this film is directed by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To.Each of the aforementioned directors… More
Triangle is such an appropriate title for this Hong Kong crime thriller. It isn't just because the story revolves around 3 friends, but more that this film is directed by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To.Each of the aforementioned directors directs a 30 minute segment of this 90 minute picture. Tsui Hark begins it off by dishing out the characters, relationships, and story lines in an erratic manner. This isn't surprising. Sure, there is a bit of confusion here, but there is enough going on to hold one's interest.Ringo Lam steps in for the middle portion and does a good job at settling things down and clearing things up. The story advances at a slower pace and it sets everything up for the finale.The last 30 minutes, helmed by Johnnie To, is the best part of the film. He is able to wrap everything up by bringing all the major characters together and putting on one of his trademark shootouts, which is the biggest action sequence of the film.All the actors are no strangers to this genre. Simon Yam, Louis Koo, and Honglei Sun carry this picture with help from Ka Tung Lam and the beautiful Kelly Lin.Triangle does have a shaky start, but the film gets better with each director change. Fans of Hong Kong crime thrillers will want to take a look at this one.
Tsubaki S

Maybe it was me, but i didn't feel that this worked well. I won't blame the direction, which is quite fine except the first act, the script is full of characters, sub-plots and a lot of stuff that goes on and off for no real reason. The cast is great, and Suet Lam almost… More
Maybe it was me, but i didn't feel that this worked well. I won't blame the direction, which is quite fine except the first act, the script is full of characters, sub-plots and a lot of stuff that goes on and off for no real reason. The cast is great, and Suet Lam almost steals the whole thing. But i never cared about the characters, and neither i felt that they were in any danger until the final part. Making a movie with 3 directors of this caliber should have been something else, but the script was written by....six people? Now that sounds like too much hands for such a medium dish. All that said, it's good to see the HK industry willing to experiment a bit instead of trying to make another Infernal Affairs or some crap with canto-pop idols. Hope that they can nail it the next.
Sheldon C

Pretty interesting; very intriguing idea by the 3 directors to film this movie the way that they did- 3 directors directing a third of a film, one after another- continuing where the other left offi.
Krystle C

I liked the idea, but the actual movie is rather unmemorable (perhaps I would have been able to write a fuller review if I had hustled and gotten this done earlier instead of waiting two months, gah). As well, it suffers from the classic problem that surfaces whenever three auteurs… More
I liked the idea, but the actual movie is rather unmemorable (perhaps I would have been able to write a fuller review if I had hustled and gotten this done earlier instead of waiting two months, gah). As well, it suffers from the classic problem that surfaces whenever three auteurs try to merge their styles: there is a definite lack of stylistic continuity here, and the storyline is also too jumbled to redeem the muddled visuals. It starts off promisingly - I always love a good heist movie - but it throws in too much oddness with the story of the cheating girlfriend/doublecross/looks like a dead ex thing, and the treasure story really becomes a mere sideshow, which is a pity. Still, it's not quite a thumbs-down from me because I enjoyed Simon Yam's barely contained character, who although he is not very well-developed, stands out as somewhat of an enigma, giving the movie a bit more of a complex edge.