https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP0esPHsj8c
Alan Mak and Felix Chong wrote this movie. They’ve written a lot of movies. They wrote Infernal Affairs.

On that DVD, the China ending is an extra you had to choose, since it was different from the theatrical cut.

Eight years later, you had to buy the DVD of Lady Cop & Papa Crook/大搜查之女 to see the Hong Kong ending. Because it’s different from the theatrical cut.

I saw the theatrical cut in the cinema here in 2009. It was obvious that it had been cut pretty drastically. 

I don’t mean running time, I mean the cuts were very obvious.

 There are a number of issues here that make for an interesting film but also make for a film that can’t show in China.

Less-than-stellar policemen, criminals who are less than vile and open cooperation between these two parties are probably the biggest.

 I’m sure there are more, but I watched the Director’s Cut on the DVD and frankly, I don’t want to waste too much time or energy on all the details.

You can buy the DVD and see both versions.

Let’s just say the different endings are very different.

And to be fair, while the China censors may have damaged this film, to be honest it was pretty messed up already.

The plot is trotted out and followed, but not with much detail or attention.

Or style.

Eventually we learn what happened because someone in the movie tells someone else.

I guess it’s better than not knowing.

Eason Chan plays John Fok, leader of a diesel smuggling ring. When one of his deals goes bad, his world starts to fall apart around him. 

His gang is getting restless. His suppliers want cash up front. And then someone kidnaps his son.

Sammi Cheng plays Maureen Szeto, a police officer with a strong personality and a weak boyfriend. Her character seemed to be presented comically. Maureen is a good police officer, but all she really wants is to be married.

You know, like all good women do.

She spends most of her time over-reacting and generally being out of control.

That’s funny and entertaining, but it made it hard for me to take her seriously as a police officer, and I wondered how any of the other characters could either.

Besides, while she’s busy whining, mugging, and pouting, in the rest of the movie there’s gangsters, murder, kidnapping and violence, and I couldn’t quite reconcile the two.

This movie confused me.

I couldn’t really care about the serious parts because they kept getting interrupted by the funny parts.

Not to mention that Eason Chan is not a convincing gangster.

Loving father? Caring husband? Totally believable. Gang boss? No.

It’s nothing against him, I just didn’t buy it.

The other part of his role didn’t always work either. 

There isn’t much chemistry between Sammi Chang and Eason Chan’s characters, but then again John Fok is married, so it’s probably better that way.

Between the lack of chemistry, the anorexic plot and the tonal schizophrenia, Lady Cop & Papa Crook/大搜查之女 came off feeling like a movie stitched together from unused footage of three or four very different movies.

I think the film would have been better if it was directed by Pang Ho Cheung, whose penchant for black humour could have really helped reconcile the two halves of the movie.

I can’t really recommend watching this movie as entertainment, but I think there’s a lot to be learned from seeing it.

Compare the two versions to see how they differ.

Watch either one to see how not to write a movie.

Watch it to see two very famous and charismatic people have absolutely no spark together.

I’m not being sarcastic. You really can learn things from this movie.

That’s the best reason to watch it.