Something different from the Hong Kong Triad genre: a character-based piece, quite romantic in its depiction of lives and loves and human relationships, but still adding the usual frisson of danger and an undercurrent of violence as the main character tries to leave gangs behind him but finds himself still getting involved regardless. Ekin Cheng gives a sensitive performance as the lead and is well supported by stars like Karen Mok and even cameoing Shaw legend Ku Feng. The slow-burning plot builds to an effective outcome and the whole thing is more than watchable.

Well, just 20 years after this movie was released, I had the chance to sit down to watch it. Needless to say that I eagerly took the time to watch it, given the fact that it is a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen. And the fact that it had both Ekin Cheng and Karen Mok on the cast list definitely helped to sweeten the deal - not that it was actually necessary to do so.

And I thought that "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" from writers Susan Chan and Sin Ling Yeung was just going to be another archetypical Triad drama, but it turned out that director Jingle Ma actually managed to make this 2001 movie into more than just your average run-of-the-mill Triad movie.

The storyline is the movie was enjoyable, and I liked how the Triad aspect was just a background thing, it was there to set the mood and atmosphere of the movie, as well as to help establish some characters and their interactions. But the fact that this was a character driven drama about redemption and love made the movie into so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the movie, especially since it was centered around a small local neighborhood restaurant. And having lived in Hong Kong, it was like being back there, because director Jingle Ma had perfectly captured the essence of such a place and the bustling race that is Hong Kong.

Needless to say that Ekin Cheng was really well-cast for this particular movie, and he fit the role quite well, performing rather good in the movie. And Karen Mok was good as well, of course, just wished that she would have had a bigger part and more on-screen time. In addition, then "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" also had the likes of Suet Lam and Chapman To on the cast list. So if you are a long-time fan of the Hong Kong cinema, you are in for a treat.

I was genuinely surprised with this movie and it was definitely a very enjoyable story. This movie is quite well-worth the time, money and effort. And if you are a fan of the Hong Kong cinema, this movie is definitely a contender for being a classic.

My rating of "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

The copy I got says Young and Dangerous 8, but I think this is misleading because there's no connection to the story, although cast includes Karen Mok thats reminiscent of Young and Dangerous series.

This movie actually is better than any of the Young and Dangerous series movie. The story, the characters, are better fleshed out, and don't rely on dumb antics from any of the casts.

This movie also has the best performance by Ekin Chen that I've ever seen. I like the story, the presentation, and the acting. Casting I think was also well selected in this movie.

More intelligently made, and story driven than any of the Young and Dangerous series movies, although the overall shell of the situation resembles that series closely.

A great movie that's worth seeing.

7.5/10