“Three (2016): Louis Koo’s Tense Hong Kong Thriller – Why This Chinese Movie Redefines Medical Crime Drama”
A Hospital as Battleground: Reimagining Crime Cinema
In 2016, director Johnnie To (杜琪峰) and lead actor Louis Koo (古天乐) delivered Three (《三人行》), a claustrophobic masterpiece that transplants Hong Kong’s crime genre into an operating room. Far from typical hospital dramas, this film transforms a neurosurgery ward into a psychological warzone where cops, criminals, and doctors collide. For global audiences, Three offers a gripping gateway into modern Chinese cinema’s ability to hybridize genres while dissecting universal human dilemmas.
- Plot Synopsis: 8 Hours That Shatter Reality
Set entirely within a Hong Kong hospital, the story unfolds in real-time across a single night:
- Louis Koo plays Inspector Chan, a morally compromised cop determined to extract a confession from wounded gangster Shun (Wallace Chung, 钟汉良).
- Zhao Wei (赵薇) stars as Dr. Tong, a neurosurgeon battling personal trauma while treating Shun’s bullet wound.
- Wallace Chung’s villainous Shun weaponizes philosophical debates to destabilize both protagonists.
The brilliance lies in its restraint – rather than car chases or shootouts, tension arises from whispered threats, medical ethics debates, and a jaw-dropping 10-minute single-take climax blending slow-motion violence with Chopin’s Nocturne.
- Louis Koo’s Career Pivot: From Hero to Antihero
Known for heroic roles in Drug War (2012) and Overheard (2009), Koo here embodies toxic masculinity in decay. His Inspector Chan:
- Physicality: Slumped posture and bloodshot eyes contrast his usual charismatic presence
- Moral Ambiguity: Fabricates evidence while citing “greater good” justifications
- Psychological Unraveling: The final breakdown scene – where he laughs/cries into a hospital intercom – redefines his acting range
This performance earned him a Hong Kong Film Award nomination, showcasing his evolution from matinee idol to character study virtuoso.
- Johnnie To’s Surgical Direction: Space as Character
The Milkyway Image auteur transforms the hospital into a metaphysical labyrinth:
- Symbolism: Sterile white corridors mirror characters’ psychological prisons
- Camera Work: Dutch angles and mirrored reflections distort reality during key confrontations
- Sound Design: Beeping heart monitors synchronize with rising tension like a horror score
Comparable to Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men in spatial discipline, To creates blockbuster-scale stakes within 12 hospital rooms.
- Philosophical Depth: Eastern vs. Western Ethics
The film elevates itself through Socratic dialogues:
- Shun’s Nietzschean worldview: “Morality is a disease cured by bullets”
- Dr. Tong’s Hippocratic struggle: Healing vs. enabling evil
- Chan’s utilitarian policing: “One lie saves thousands”
These debates dissect China’s shifting moral landscape post-2010s, where rapid modernization clashes with Confucian values. For international viewers, it’s a crash course in Eastern collective ethics vs. Western individualism.
- Cultural Context: Hong Kong’s Identity in Transition
Released during the 2014 Umbrella Movement’s aftermath, Three subtly mirrors Hong Kong’s sociopolitical fractures:
- Hospital as Hong Kong: Confined space with competing power systems (Mainland doctor vs. local cop)
- Shun’s anarchism: Symbolizing anti-establishment sentiment
- Ambiguous ending: Reflecting uncertainty about the city’s future
Unlike propagandistic Mainland productions, To’s film preserves Hong Kong cinema’s tradition of critical allegory.
- Why Global Audiences Should Watch
- Genre Innovation: Merges ER-style medical drama with Heat-level heist tension
- Theatrical Influences: The single-setting structure evokes Greek tragedy
- Technical Mastery: The climax’s 10-minute slow-motion sequence required 3 months of choreography
For Western viewers, it offers:
- A fresh alternative to Marvel-style CGI spectacles
- Insight into China’s censorship-pushed narrative ingenuity
- Proof that Louis Koo rivals Hollywood’s Bryan Cranston in moral complexity
Viewing Guide & Legacy
- Streaming: Available on Hi-Yah! with English subtitles
- Double Feature: Pair with Mad Detective (2007) for a Johnnie To masterclass
- Cultural Prep: Research Sun Tzu’s Art of War references and Chopin’s role in Chinese cinema
The film’s influence echoes in recent works like Limbo (2021), proving its blueprint for confined-space thrillers remains vital.
Final Word
-Three* isn’t just a movie – it’s an intellectual heist where philosophy steals the show. Louis Koo’s career-best performance and Johnnie To’s clinical direction make this 2016 gem essential viewing for anyone studying global cinema’s evolution. As Dr. Tong asks: “Can you save a soul while fixing a brain?” – this film proves Chinese movies are doing both.