L Storm (2018) User Reviews

Adequate movie but offering nothing new to the ICAC genre...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 1 December 2018]

When I found "L Feng bao" (aka "L Storm") I hadn't even heard about it. I picked it up knowing that it was a Hong Kong movie and it had Louis Koo in it, I didn't even read the synopsis. Yeah, I am that much of a fan of Asian cinema that I need little encouragement to sit down and indulge myself into a movie.

I must say that "L Storm" wasn't a particularly outstanding movie in the Hong Kong cinema history. Sure, it was entertaining, but it offered nothing new that previous movies in the same genre haven't already brought to the enjoyment of the audience. In fact, the storyline was rather generic and predictable, and that was a massive obstacle around the movie, holding it back.

The movie is well-paced and there isn't really any slumps in the progression of the storyline, just a shame that it was so generic though.

The acting in "L Storm" was good, and Louis Koo definitely carried the movie quite well. I would just have expected a movie such as this to have a bigger ensemble of established actors and actresses performing in it. A shame that it wasn't crammed with stars.

All in all, "L Storm" was a mediocre movie. Hardly a movie that I will return to watch a second time around, because the movie offered nothing new to the genre, nothing that hasn't already been exploited and explored by many previous movies.

"L Storm" is a suitable movie for newcomers to the Hong Kong cinema, and then embark on a larger journey into a cinema that is grand and majestic. But for seasoned veterans of the Hong Kong cinema, this addition felt like a half-hearted movie with director David Lam running on autopilot.

Actually good, surprisingly

[Eiriksterminator · 7/10 · 28 November 2019]

The negative reviews in here surprise me. I found the first movie in this series, Z Storm, to be a mediocre bore. The sequel, S Storm, was a little better, and didn't bore me to death, but it was still very average. So I was expecting mediocrity from this movie, but was pleasantly surprised. This third movie, L Storm, is the first one in the series that I actually genuinely enjoyed, and to me it is by far the best entry so far. This one has a lot more action in it than both of the other two combined, which makes a big difference, as there is finally some actual suspense to keep your adrenaline going a bit. Various police departments investigating connected cases from different angles was also interesting. I'm going to watch the latest entry in this movie series, P Storm, next. I've also heard there's a G Storm entry coming out in the future. I wonder just how many of these movies they intend to make lol.

backwardness and anti-intelligence

[yoggwork · 5/10 · 18 February 2019]

The plot of backwardness and anti-intelligence has been 8102 years, and all kinds of digital currencies are almost out of date. Laundry still uses such primitive means. The seemingly tense plot is actually complicated and lack of combing, throwing a paragraph of the plot to the audience to finish.

A steadily improving series

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 28 January 2023]

L STORM is the third in the long-running series of detective films starring Louis Koo and the first I've actually enjoyed. I found the first one a talky bore, the second one occasionally fun but average, whereas this one hits the mark more often than not. Koo is on a new case where he's investigating money laundering and finds himself up against a new gangster on the block who uses violence to ruthlessly dispatch anyone who goes against him. It's a fast-paced and complex little film with multiple narrative strands including internal affairs investigations and police corruption, and it has a fair bit of physical action to enjoy too.

My first anti-corruption series movie

[madbird-61243 · 7/10 · 5 February 2019]

There are 3 movies in the series. I like very much the 3 male leads. They are all cool, smart and with excellent acting skill. The plot is the biggest weakness. Not logical and reasonable at all. I give 7 simply for the sake of the great performance of male leads and exciting action shots. But in the Mainland China the anti-corruption series is well-received. China is only on the startpoint in anti-corruption work. Hong kong is a good model for her to follow.

Rushed, incoherent and full of plot holes and cliches

[harrypotterjerv · 6/10 · 4 August 2019]

After 2016's S Storm surprised me with its story, L Storm shocked me with its cliches. The plot is simple - like any other Hong Kong movie these days it seems. Louis Koo is back for another mission, this time investigating a customs officer who has somehow got something to do with a laundering scheme.

This movie isn't so much as terrible but rather incoherent. There are unfortunate plot holes - Michael Tse's character disappears and no one really bothers to search for him despite him being central to the case. Someone dies and no one bothers investigating either. Instead, the film decides to take the "I think Louis Koo might be the mole" route, and introduces Kevin Cheng. It isn't Cheng's fault really, but why would they ever suspect Koo's character? He's helped them in many cases after all. And why introduce A-listers such as Liu Kai-chi and Louis Cheung only to have them die at the drop of a hat? Are they the L Storm? And it is a pity because their characters were definitely much more interesting than their boring replacement played by Patrick Tam, who approaches the role with earnest a la Dennis Hopper, but even Tam knows the script is ridiculous and doesn't even really try that hard. The highlight of the cast could probably be Adam Pak, who debuts here as a cold and autistic bank manager who, surprise, surprise, is actually the mastermind. Pak's wonderful debut here is not bad, but an actor of his calibre shouldn't have to suffer a debut in a movie as bad as this. The plot has many logical holes, and me explaining them all could probably fill the average length of a YouTube let's play video, so I shan't. If you are one of those people that like pointing out plot holes, you'll have fun with this one. Otherwise, I suggest you go catch "Cold War 2" or one of the Ip Man movies again.