Expect the Unexpected (1998) User Reviews

Exhilarating, but words fail me

[Sing-108 · 8/10 · 11 November 1998]

A police unit, led nominally by Simon Yam and smokey-eyed Lau Ching-Wan, pursue two gangs, each heavily armed and dangerous, not least of all to themselves. Expect the Unexpected begins conventionally enough, but a nudge to the plot here, a detail of characterization there, and the odd bit of unexpected humour, and before long the story is in territory at once familiar and unfamiliar. For the viewer the results are nothing less than exhilarating, like seeing an over-familiar genre through fresh, new eyes.

One interesting touch for a HK film released in May 1998: the mainland Chinese in one gang had come to Hong Kong due to economic difficulties back home. (One government, two systems in effect?)

Cacine Wong's routine and seemingly off-the-cuff soundtrack was the only really jarring element to Expect the Unexpected (the effects of low budget filmmaking in HK being pretty much a given these days). Other film scores by Wong include the very good spaghetti eastern-sounding Peace Hotel, co-written with Healthy Poon, and the equally good neo-noirish Too Many Ways to be Number One.

Your best chance of seeing Expect the Unexpected is on video or in a rep theater. But however you see it, and whether you come in expecting the unexpected, I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

Lackluster in comparison to some of To's other early crime thrillers, but on its own merits makes for an enjoyable tale of gritty cops n' robbers drama.

[tntokmenko · 6/10 · 23 April 2013]

Personally when it comes to Johnnie To's early crime movies I find Ching Wan Lau character in "The Longest Nite" and "Running Out of Time" much more artfully crafted and intriguing. Similarly I favor Simon Yam in To's "The Mission" and "Fulltime Killer". I didn't fully accept the chemistry between Yam and Lau in this feature, which granted it is sufficient to deliver the plot, but in my opinion it just never reached the competitive potential it could have been. Regardless of where this movie ranks on To's overall filmography, it is still worth a watch as the tension is fierce and keeps the audience interested from start to finish.

It's a heist movie, and with a title like "Expect the Unexpected" it's going to have some twists. Good news, the twists do deliver. I won't mention any details about the plot because the synopsis is unbelievably simple as are the synopses for most of To's films, but the director's execution and his ability to gain strong feedback from the actors makes the viewing experience worthwhile. It does have some serious flaws though, my biggest complaint besides the chemistry between the two male leads are the amount of tonal shifts present. A romance subplot is thrown in, and the action scenes meshed with the romantic scenes don't blend very well. The movie takes the viewer through an unnecessary emotional roller coaster due to this romance subplot, and I feel it could have been handled in a more subtle manner, but that's always easier to say looking back in hindsight. -6/10

Johnnie To once again does an excellent job delivering a solid crime thriller which is still enjoyable to watch 15 years later. Didn't care for the premise but other fans might. Once again also from 1998 and by Johnnie To, I prefer "The Longest Nite" with Tony Leung and Ching Wan Lau, as I find this thriller haunting and much more effective with its twists. If you enjoy Expect the Unexpected definitely give the other a watch as they go hand in hand, and may To continue to do what he does best in the coming years. Thanks for reading.

Uneven but watchable

[ken-miller · 24 July 2003]

Expect The Unexpected is one of those Hong Kong films that

switches from lightweight romantic scenes to hard-boiled details

(like the dead baby in the washing machine), then back to more

upbeat scenes. This kind of thing just isn't done in Western pics

and can be disconcerting to viewers used to one kind of story or

the other. The romantic interludes are accompanied by an amiable score

from Cacine Wong, which suits the atmosphere of those scenes. But where the film scores highly is with the series the gritty street

shoot-outs that are well-done and vicious. Parts of this film just ramble along, with conversational sequences

that are just not needed, but Yam & Ching Wan are good, and the

ending really is unexpected. Uneven but watchable.

Don't treat it as a cop movie

[law82 · 9/10 · 27 July 2003]

Some people get it, some people don't. This movie is about the unexpected side of life. In this movie, from beginning to ending, everything are unexpected and every plans failed, there are humour and tragedy in these coincidence, it tells you life is fragile. The style of the gunfights are masterful, comparable to John Woo and Luc Besson. The plot is ambitious as it tries to capture the more realistic side of policing, I think it is quite successful from beginning to end. Moreover, it is not heavyhanded, it just tells you that bright things and bad things happen in life, hence it is not too pessimistic.

Finally, I just want to say, don't treat it like a conventional cop movie, otherwise all the comedy and romantic courting would be pointless, it is in fact a movie about life.

Great hidden gem.

I didn't see it coming...

[schwabe13 · 9/10 · 11 December 2001]

I was totally taken off guard by the end of this movie, and several of the twists in the middle. At the same time, it all made perfect sense, it wasn't absurdist or anything. On the contrary, it was a very gritty. The action was of the kind of action that made you glad you really never get in gun fights. The romance was kind of silly, but I like Hong Kong romance humor. This wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but if you're in the mood for some crime, this is a pretty good bet.

Unexpected and masterful.

[chac6292 · 9/10 · 19 March 2002]

The change in direction in story makes the title so significant. The characters are well fleshed out and you give genuine concern to them and their lives. The inclusion of 2 groups of criminals keep the motion reeling to either side. Those who are educated in storytelling can truly appreciate how complete this film is. Nothing is contrived and everything makes sense. Especially the ending when we are informed to expect the unexpected and the ending is completely unexpected. A great film.

years ago

[dumsumdumfai · 10/10 · 11 May 2009]

You really need to pay attention in this movie. Saw this when it first came out, but I was not paying attention first time around. At first the ending seems silly, almost over done. And this got to me - cause I was "expecting" something else, the ending, at the time, didn't make sense.

But when you re-view the movie again, listen to the dialogues, especially in the cafe between the 2 cops, the topic was ... I think about listening. That clues you in. And then the ending would make sense - although maybe still a tad over dramatic - but perphaps to 'wake' the audience up.

But I'd give it 10 for seeing the vision to the end, and sticking by it.

Good start, good ending, the rest is crap

[experten · 5/10 · 5 October 2001]

First I like to say that I see a lot of movies and I have quite a few HK movies. Many HK movies are so bad that it is hard to believe, often ruined by typical ridiculous HK humor and unrealistic acting, but hidden among all those disappointing movies are some really good movies, sometimes so violent, morbid or tragic that they could never have been made in Hollywood. And thats what I like; serious violence, tragic, suspense, maybe a little romance but not too much and absolutely no HK humor. Unfortunately, Expect the Unexpected is not one of those very good movies, even though the ending is enough to make sure that it would be impossible for Hollywood to do a remake of the movie (not that they would want to).

The beginning of the movie is good and the ending is even better, but everything in between is uninteresting romantic crap. The violence in the movie is good,consisting of realistic shootouts with some good bloodsquibs. There are no John Woo style massacres, the action is not so stylistic but more realistic. The problem is that most of the movie is a boring study of the cops romantic problems and childish courting. The directing is good, the problem is the weak story. The actors are also good. Ching Wan Lau is one of my favorites, but I recommend for instance "A Hero Never Dies" , "Full Alert" or "Running out of Time" if you want to see him in much better movies. 5/10

Police Drama with an Unexpected Twist

[eibon09 · 3 March 2000]

Although most of Hong Kong's top talent has left for Hollywood, there has been a wave of interesting films from new directors like Patrick Yau who directed this sombering drama. The tune of the film shifts from drama to comedy to action back to comedy and finally to tragedy. The top performances were given by Simon Yam and Lau Ching-Wan as Police officers who are in love with the same woman. Expect The Unexpected along with The Longest Nite(1997) and The Odd One Dies(1997) show the emergence of another great director from Hong Kong. Expect The Unexpected(1998) is one of the best films in Hong Kong in the last ten years.

What makes this movie different from other Police dramas is it focuses more on the relationship the members of the Crime Unit have with each other and less with action scenes. Expect The Unexpected reminded me of the films of Takeshi Kitano in that like in his films the violence is sudden and tragic. The ending took me by surprise, but also impressed me because of the courage Patrick Yau had in filming this scene. The ending of Expect The Unexpected makes the finale of John Woo's The Killer(1989) look like a happy ending{This was the second time that Patrick Yau ended a film in irony(The Longest Nite(1997) was the other time)}. A good moment in the movie is when the waitress at the end is waiting for Lau Ching-Wan as she watches the news to learn of the Fate of the Hong Kong Crime Unit.

An apt title.

[Thorny-3 · 14 October 1998]

This flick starts off as a typical Hong Kong cop movie, with a dream team of post-unification stars as the good guys: Patrick Yau (who also directs), Lau Ching-Wan and Eric Tsang. There are all the staples -- nasty villains, a beautiful love interest, lots of gats blazing. But you know what? The predictable plot falls apart and leaves you agape, wondering what will happen next -- and the ending... well, I'll let you see the end for yourself.

Downbeat Ending

[eibon04 · 20 October 2000]

Expect the Unexpected(1998) is a supurb police thriller that reminded me a little bit of Dennis Hopper's Colors(1987). It is good at looking at the friendship and working angle of a police unit. The movie deals with a crime unit who are after two sets of jewel thieves. The ending is one of the most surprising ones that I've seen. Expect the Unexpected's finale is something you will never see in a Hollywood action or buddy film anytime soon or in the near future.

Expect Disappointment

[JRShelledy · 21 April 2003]

About the only thing unexpected about this movie was how muddled and uneven it was. So much so that the surprise ending lost all of it's impact. In fact, it seemed tacked on, almost as if it belonged in another movie. Actually, it felt like there were two movies sandwiched together -- a goofy romantic comedy with a violent cop drama. Because the romantic triangle became silly and childish, it was hard to take the ending seriously. It's too bad because there were some good things in it such as Lau Ching Wan. The idea (randomness of life, etc, etc) was good. The execution wasn't.

I expected more than this unexpected

[searchanddestroy-1 · 20 August 2023]

Unfortunately, as it is in many Asian crime films - and not only crime - you have here a mix-up between action, romance, comedy - light hearted touches that have nothing to do here - and tragedy. So, in a way, you have some unexpected moments, especially in the second and last parts. The overall result after watching is though above average. I saw many of those crime action flicks from the Far East and I belong to those audiences for whom it is agreeable, this melt of emotion annd action; a trademark, I guess, for this kind of stuff. But it remains a culture very different from ours. Bollywood - Indian film industry - also gave us somme neraly similar crime films: tough and fun, cheesy and brutal, poignant and lousy. Terrific ending, in the line of Abel Ferrarra's KING OF NEW YORK.