The Enigmatic Case

Johnnie To's directorial debut. This period martial arts mystery stars Damian Lau Chung-yan as Lu Tien-chun, an imprisoned swordsman, accused of killing three men. Lu probably would have already been executed for his crimes but is kept alive because he knows the whereabouts of some hidden gold, a secret the ruthless, one-eyed warden Hsiung Chien repeatedly tries to torture out of him. Escaping with the help of a fellow inmate (Lau Kong), Lu encounters maiden Yu Pei-pei (played by a very young Cherie Chung Chor-hung) who is travelling to pick up her father's ashes in Stone Town. When she sees a wanted poster featuring Lu, Pei-pei realizes that he was the man responsible for her father's murder. Lu gives the girl a chance to take revenge and, when she hesitates, he relates his recollections of what really happened on the night of the man's death. The true location of the gold remains a mystery to Lu and one of the three actual thieves appears to still be alive. In the meantime, the fugitive finds himself in constant jeopardy from both Hsiung's men and various miscreants that have descended upon Stone Town looking to get their hands on the treasure.