The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell is a 2023 action crime thriller about an undercover cop who joins a drug cartel led by a notorious Thai crime lord. The movie is a thematic sequel to The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019) but with a new storyline and characters.
Written and directed by Herman Yau. The Chinese-Hong Kong co-production stars Lau Ching-wan aka Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Ora Yang and Lo Ka Leung.
Plot:
Undercover police officer Cheung Kin-hang (Aaron Kwok) has been infiltrating drug lord Hong So-chai’s (Sean Lau) cartel. One time during an accident, another undercover officer Au Chi-yuen also earns the trust of both Cheung and Hong and the three of them form a brotherly bond.
When Hong’s narcotics businesses in Hong Kong are busted by the police, he flees to the Golden Triangle with Cheung and Au. However, by chance, he receives a tip-off that an undercover cop is secretly hiding around him…
Release dates:
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell was released in Singapore on July 20, 2023, and shown at the New York Asian Film Festival on the same date. The movie was released in Hong Kong on July 27, 2023, and China on July 28, 2023. In Vietnam, the film premiered on August 4, 2023.
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell will be released theatrically by CMC Pictures in North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK on July 20, 2023.
Distributor’s blurb:
” …the third sequel of The White Storm series movies, the cast, spectacular gunfight and explosion scenes are fully upgraded💥💣 Fighter jets, cannons, car chases, gunfights, brotherhood, duty mission. Walk in theatres, step in a drug war! Don’t miss this immersive experience!”
Reviews:
“The car chases, shootouts, and explosions in The White Storm3: Heaven or Hell are all just distractions from the movie’s very flimsy plot. The acting and dialogue in the movie are very generic or just outright terrible. The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell is just another soulless action flick with nothing uniquely distinctive about it.” Culture Mix
“The overall action sequences may lack the distinct style and creativity seen in ‘The White Storm’ (the balletic John Woo-style gunfight in Galaxy Macau nightclub) and ‘The White Storm 2: Drug Lords’ (the thrilling car chase inside the crowded MTR station). But Yau’s dedication to delivering grounded action set pieces remains technically proficient.” 6 out of 10, Fiction Horizon
“It’s staged well enough to not just be about the sheer amount of ammunition, most of the time, right down to how Lau and Koo have a pretty decent one on one in the middle of the truly gigantic carnage at the end. Subtlety and depth left this series (a brand name rather than an ongoing story) behind long ago, but if what you’re looking for is some basic Hong Kong violence, let it not be said that Herman Yau doesn’t know what to do with a quality cast and a decent budget.” 3 out of 4, Jay’s Movie Blog
“Lau Ching-wan’s drug gang boss is a larger-than-life anti-hero in Herman Yau’s film, which begins with a shoot-out with police and ends in an incendiary climax
Aaron Kwok and Louis Koo are more ambiguous as undercover cops in his gang, but Yau’s film lacks the depth to explore the moral paradoxes of their position.” 3 out of 5, South China Morning Post
YouTube reviews:
Chinese review:
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Aaron Kwok as Cheung Kin-hang (張建行), an undercover police officer in Hong Kong’s Narcotics Bureau.
Louis Koo as Au Chi-yuen (歐志遠), senior inspector of the Narcotics Bureau and Cheung’s longtime friend with whom he worked with as an undercover.
Lau Ching-wan aka Sean Lau as Hong So-chai (康素差), a Thai-Chinese drug lord.
Yang Caiyu as Noon
Gallen Lo as Tai Kam-wing (戴金榮), a military commander-in-chief and major drug lord in Thailand. (special appearance)
Tse Kwan-ho as Mee Noi (米諾), Hong’s business partner who is a drug dealer in Thailand.
Alex Fong as Chan Sau-yan (陳守仁), superintendent of the Narcotics Bureau who is Cheung and Au’s superior officer.
Power Chan as So Chi-leung (蘇子良), a staff officer of Tai’s military.
Timmy Hung as Johnny, a Narcotics Bureau officer.
Wilfred Lau as Sai (阿細), Hong’s underling.
Lam Suet as Fat Hung (肥雄), a triad whom Au infiltrated when he was undercover.
Original title:
掃毒3人在天涯
Technical specs:
2 hours 5 minutes
