Live Hard

Live Hard is a 1989 Hong Kong action film directed by Yuen Cheung-yan and starring Simon Yam, Elaine Lui and Lau Ching-wan. There are two versions of the film, which are the original Hong Kong version released in Asia and an international version released outside of Asia, which includes western actors such as Mark Houghton and Steve Tartalia. Plot Chief, an undercover cop posing as a drug dealer, humiliates another drug dealer, Tony, by beating him and his underlings up and then sells some fake marijuana to a bar girl, Stella. Meanwhile, a terrorist organization led by Suzuki blows up a school van, which kills Mark, the son of the American consul, Mr. Robinson, who received a call from the FBI the previous night regarding the terrorists' arrival in Hong Kong. Senior Inspector Hui Tat-ming Regional Crime Unit worries the case will affect the international reputation of Hong Kong's security, but his superior officer, Superintendent Lee, informs Hui he is no longer in charge as the case has been transferred to the Special Branch, led by Chief Inspector Terry Chiu. Lee and Chiu had actually set up a secret special unit to take care of the case. Chiu later follows an Arabian firearms buyer but is caught, and he fights his henchmen who manage to escape, but Chiu picks up one of their wallets. The Arabian goes to the club where Stella works where her friend and her cousin, Yeung attempts to get intel from. However, Chief shows up at the same time and gets into a fight with Yeung while Stella encounters Tony and gets urinated on by him At Mark's funeral, Hui arrives and attempts to ask information from Mr. Robinson, who refuses him. Hui then strikes a conversation with Catherine, Mark's cousin, who is a reporter from the New York Times. Hui later follows a suspicious criminal, Ironman, who snatches his pistol runs away from him. When Hui later discovered Ironman is an expert of electronic remote, he believes Ironman is involved in the explosion and arrests him but Lee orders Hui to release him due to lack of evidence. Later, Hero, an undercover cop posing as a taxi driver drives two female members of the terrorist organization and follows them but they beat him in a fight before fleeing. Suzuki then receives a call from his boss to bomb a supermarket. Hui believes the case is politically influenced and asks Catherine whether Mr. Robinson told her anything about a politician coming to Hong Kong.