Synopsis
飛砂風中轉
Roast Pork joins the triad as a young man and ends up becoming a trusted lieutenant of boss Kerosene. However, his true passion is in his successful chain of restaurants, his loving wife, and his two children. So when Kerosene wants to promote his trusted right hand man to the top of the organization as a way to take on his financial debts, it's understandable why Roast Pork would want to refuse. Roast Pork comes up with an intricate scheme with his men that would take himself out of the running, but Kerosene's intervention causes it to fail. When all hopes appears to be lost, lifelong gangster Sparrow is released from jail after serving a 20-year sentence for committing a gang-related murder that earned him a guarantee for the leader spot. However, Sparrow has made his own plans to stay out of the gang, setting off a battle of wits between the two men.
The 2009–2011 Hong Kong Window
58 Hong Kong films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Once a Gangster sits at position #21.
#1How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster?
★ 7.6 · 2010
#2Echoes of the Rainbow
★ 7.4 · 2010
#3Night and Fog
★ 7.2 · 2009
#4The Ditch
★ 7.1 · 2010
#5Bruce Lee, My Brother
★ 7.0 · 2010
#6Love in a Puff
★ 7.0 · 2010
#7Fire of Conscience
★ 7.0 · 2010
#8Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
★ 6.9 · 2010
Other Titles From Media Asia Films
The 2010s Hong Kong Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 2010s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Once a Gangster premiered. 166 total titles in this decade from Hong Kong.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #430 of 836 Hong Kong films indexed here (49th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Hong Kong Action productions specifically: #285 of 516 (top 55%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Cantonese |
| Production Companies | Media Asia Films, Pop Movies |
| Runtime | 1h 35m |
| Release Date | May 20, 2010 |
| IMDb | tt1611840 |
| Official Site | www.mediaasia.com |