Paul Magne Haakonsen "Divergence" ("Saam Cha Hau") is a fairly average action thriller from director Benny Chan. So don't expect any major revelations or eye-poppers here.That being said, then "Divergence" is still a good movie, because it takes a well-used formula and manages to get something good out of it, and the movie is entertaining.The story is about policeman Suen (played by Aaron Kwok), assassin Koo (played by Daniel Wu) and lawyer To (played by Ekin Cheng) whose paths are intertwined and get trapped in a race against time.Initially, there is nothing new to the story, but Benny Chan still manages to tell a story that is entertaining and thrilling. And there are some pretty good visuals throughout the movie.As for the acting, well Daniel Wu really carried the movie here, and far outshone both Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng. As for Aaron Kwok, then he really didn't shine through in this movie and sort of just seemed to be running on autopilot. And Ekin Cheng wasn't really given enough time on the screen to fully make an impact."Divergence" is good entertainment if you enjoy action thrillers, just don't expect to get dazzled.

ChineseRocket Great script, Excellent cinematography, Good directing, and Superb performances is what i have to say about this film. Before watching this film (even though i'm a fan of Aaron), i didn't expect too much out of this film because i gave up on HK cinema long time ago. However it surprise me, it's nothing i thought it will be. This film receive bad rating and comment from IMDb user, i can totally understand it. The people who will appreciate this film will not watch this film because they are expecting an usual hk action flick. The people who seen this film are people who enjoy hk action flick, which this one will disappoint them. I wouldn't consider this to be an action movie, it actually a drama. This story is not selling the cop and thief theme like the thousands of hk movie dose, it is about the connections of people with different backgrounds and occupations, and also the relationship of the main characters. Unlike all the hk movies, the characters in this film seem real. There are no true protagonist or antagonist, it depends on the viewer's judgment. Each character have their good side and bad side, and they are dynamic. Throughout the film we see the "Divergence" of the cop and the killer, the options they have and the path they chosen and it taken them to their destiny. It will take one of them to just to think before their action, the result would be totally different. The lawyer character was not explored as much as it should of, but there are good reason behind it. The script is well written with all questions answer at the end (some user said the question wouldn't answer, maybe if you actually see the film and think about it) with a little twist too. Also we see characters development in this film which is a rare in hk cinema. The direction wasn't at its best but is good enough to go with the story. It kept a good pace and intensity through out the film, but there are rooms for improvement. The cinematography is great, it create a theme/style with the greenish look. Some of the overhead shots look great and the chase scene is wonderful. The best scene is the roll back scene, great creativity, the first time i seen on screen. However, i think some of those cheesy CGI scenes are unnecessary, just use directing technique will make it look more real and stylish. And last, the performance. A great supporting cast, most of the great actors in hk are in the supporting cast. Ekin did a good job as the lawyer, even though their ain't much screen time for him but the ending he did great. Daniel's killer character have it's playful side and deliver that performance. Of course our golden horse winner Aaron, the cop character is the most difficult to play in this film and the script give a great challenge to who ever play the part. The character is not just a sorrow cop whose girl friend is missing for 10 years, for the ten years he come up to a "divergence" and he have the option to forget about it but he didn't. Which in this case it drives him to near insanity. Aaron's performance is dynamic, never overact the character to become an insane character, there is alway that ray of light at the end of the tunnel you can see in this eye, and it is that light that kept him sane. The viewers can relate the character's mind with the depth of the performance. Overall i give it a 9 out of 10, definitely the best hk film of the year and best performance in a male leading role. Bure Li

makerto The movie Divergence is about three men who have their lives brought together by their jobs. The movie makes it seem like there will be some very profound and mind-blowing brilliant connection among these characters when there really isn't. However the movie does create an interesting dynamic with the jobs of the three main characters, and how each character takes on the job of another (I won't spoil it for you). The characters have a good amount of development and its likely you'll make some sort of connection with Aaron Kwok's character at the very least. The action scenes are good, definitely better than the usual fare from HK recently. The cinematography of the movie really impressed me, if you pay attention there are a lot of subtle things that are done to foreshadow things in the movie. The director really knew what he was doing. The rating that the movie has right now (floating around 5.5) is definitely too low, this is an entertaining movie and impressed me since I have been a little indifferent to HK cinema recently. At the very least the this movie shows their is still room for the thriller movies in HK, despite the recent barrage of brainless comedy flicks.

Harry T. Yung Considerably better than movies in the same genre such as director Benny Chan's own recent New Police Story, "Divergence" would still come under the categorisation of "flick" in my book, albeit a fairly good one. One reason would be Ivy Ho's ("Shore West") script which is usually reliable. "Convergence" apparently is her first "macho" screenplay. The mission is to tie together the stories of three men, each at a cross-road, played by Aaron Kwok, Ekin Chang (sort of reunion of the Wind-Cloud duo from Storm Riders) and Daniel Wu, through a woman played by Angelica Lee. On the whole, the job is quite well done, with a reasonable degree of coherence, although it is not difficult to point to logical gaps, predictability and coincidences that really stretch one's imagination.At the end of the day, this is still an action flick, but one with more emphasis on the story line and character depiction. Some of the action sequences still reach jaw-dropping proportions, such as Kwok chasing Wu on the elevated freeway in the middle of brisk traffic, or a massive truck coming literally within inches of Kwok's body lying on the road. All these become even more impressive when you hear director Chan intimate in a radio interview that Kwok did not use any stunt replacement for these shots.Trying to keep this report spoiler free, I wouldn't delve into the characterisation other than saying that there are generally good efforts, with varying results. I would say though that TV superstar Lo Kar-leung outshines the three principals, while talented Angelica Li is underused. As usual for Hong Kong movies, the ensemble of "regular" supports is always a joy to see. In Divergence, we have Lam Suet, Jan Lam Hoi-fung, Sam Lee Chan-sam, as well as inimitable Eric Tsang Chi-wai. There's also Ning Jing showing her worth by demonstrating that she is just as alluring in her shaved head.