Synopsis

Liu Kin-Wah ( Ekin Cheng) is a street artist with a sinister sideline as a hit man. Together with his partner(Wong Chi -Yin) they take out the heads of the triad factions. While they making a hit in a high rise hotel Fong Fong ( Marianne Chen) the daughter of a powerful triad boss, is trapped in the elevator.

As the doors open and the dead triad boss is trapped by the open doors, Fong Fong realizes that the killer is heading right for her. Pretending to be blind she stumbles out of the elevator dropping her purse. Her video game is revealed and although Kin-Wah spares her he is not convinced that she is all she seems.

Some days later Kin-Wah and his partner are in a bar to collect payment and recieve the next assignment when Kin-Wah hears the voice of the woman in the elevator. Looking for the source he realizes that she is indeed not blind and needs to be removed. Fong Fong also notices him looking at her and recognizes the killer.

Scared she leaves the bar and returns home. While showering, Kin-Wah enters her home intent on killing her. However, it seems that Fong Fong is already considering suicide Kin-Wah once again spares her insensed that she would throw her life away. After she sleeps he burns the sucide book and also the information about the next hit.

The hit in a parking garage goes terribly wrong and Kin-Wah is shot while his partner escapes. Fortunately, he failed to completely burn the location and Fong Fong turns up to rescue him. She takes care of him and removes the bullet.

When Kin-Wah's partner arrives he is angry that this woman know too much, but Kin-Wah who is now enamoured of her refuses to let him hurt her.

Both are now thinking of the other and Kin-Wah's relationship with his partner becomes increasingly strained.

Finally, Kin-Wah takes off to a small fishing village to fish and paint. Fong Fong finds out where he is and sets out to find him. Reconnecting they fall in love and plan to marry. Fong Fong's father gives his OK and all is going well until a contract arrives for Fong Fong's father's death.

Liu Kin-Wah refuses to have anything to do with it, so his partner decides to carry out the hit alone. Waiting at home Kin-Wah realizes that something must be wrong when his partner fails to return, heading out to help out he doesn't kill Fong Fong's father, however his partner snatches his gun and pulls the trigger, killing Fong Fong's father with a bullet she had marked.

Now sure of who is responsible for her father's death Fong Fong decides to kill Kin-Wah to take revenge. His partner shows up and shoots her in the wrist as she takes aim. Loading to fire again, Kin-Wah pushes her out of the way and is inadvertently shot by his partner. At that moment the police arrive and a frantic gun battle ensues.

Kin-Wah's partner holds them at bay in an effort to give Kin-Wah and Fong Fong time to escape. Unfortunately, there are just too many police and both find themselves trapped. She tries to make it out, subjecting to car to a hail of bullets which kills Kin-Wah as he tries to protect her from the gunfire. Realizing her lover is dead, she no longer wants to survive and blows up the car, joining him in the afterlife.

Review

Killer Codes is a TVB Series from 1996. Ekin Cheng was not yet a big star, but his potential as one of the best looking, sexiest leading men is clear. The story is exciting and very romantic as Ekin and Marrianne struggle to reconcile their love for each other with their backgrounds.

Falling in love to the strains of Wan Gum provides one of the sexiest sequences to date. The tragic ending is so beautifully filmed that it is indeed bittersweet. The lovers finding each other on the beach in the afterlife.

Ekin Cheng gives a marvelous performance, the agony as a bullet is removed is so believable the audience holds their breath until it is done. As always his anguish at the choice to be made between long time friend and lover is superbly done. He is at the peak of his looks and this movie is a must for any Ekin fan.

TVB released this Series on two VCD's, unfortunately, there are no English subtitles only Chinese ones. The vcd's have both a Mandarin and a Cantonese track. That said the action is so exciting that non-Chinese speakers will certainly be able to get a good idea of the story, and hopefully this comprehensive summary will help to fill in any of the gaps.