The police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.
They say Hong Kong is the safest city in Asia. But tonight, a police van has been hijacked along with the arms, equipment and the five officers aboard, one of the hostages being the only son of police deputy commissioner M.B. Lee! With the chief commissioner away on a conference overseas, the fiery Lee immediately takes command of the rescue operation – codenamed "Cold War" – but the mysterious kidnappers clearly know the police procedures and are therefore in an advantageous position. Objecting to Lee's aggressive but futile methods, the other deputy commissioner Sean Lau steps in at this time of crisis to lead the operation. But even Lau's careful plan to negotiate with the kidnappers ends up a failure, losing the $50 million cash ransom and the life of his lieutenant in the process. Meanwhile, the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) begins to investigate Lau and Lee on suspicion of having hidden ties to the kidnappers...
A cinema explodes
A car crashes with one man hurt
A short fist fight between a gangster and a cop
A man is shot in the head (some blood)
Some threatening with guns
Some brief torture
A hurt man dies on a heart attack (offscreen)
A shootout on a highway with little blood
A car explodes and one man dies (not gory)
A SWAT-Team is ambushed: many explosions and some gory deaths and injuries
A dying man is seen with gory wounds from a explosion
A man gets a bloody headshot, another man is shot in the face
A man is shot in the chest (bloody)
