Review: Let’s face facts. Hong Kong action films are, in comparison to their American counterparts, cheaply produced, unevenly paced and poorly funded. They manage to transcend their limitations through sheer determination, a lot of character, and an intangible ‘something’ that wins audiences from all over the world.

For some reason, POINT OF NO RETURN lacks that certain spark. There are some talented people at work here, most notably Sammo Hung and Ringo Lam, but it just doesn’t quite click. Lam seems to set up a serious (and quite violent) crime thriller, but there are contrivances in the police procedures that just don’t seem right. For instance, to arrest a Triad that has already been released, they ‘humorously’ try and set him up for molestation in a café. Sammo himself doesn’t seem to quite know if this is loveable simpleton Sammo, or serious actor Sammo. The two main characters, tough cop Pitt and naïve victim Fat Goose don’t quite click as an odd couple - they almost look as if they came from different films.

The action is ok, but not great. The fights emphasise brief, brutal exchanges, rather than the more elaborate kung fu seen in Sammo’s period films, and the action is kept grounded in reality.

POINT OF NO RETURN is one for the completists. It has its moments, and some will find it enjoyable, but the film doesn’t quite define its niche and meanders through a pretty average 90 minutes of Hong Kong style action.