In the Line of Duty 5: Middle Man

1990 1h 30m CN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 20

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When he is framed for being a spy because of his friend's illegal activities, David must escape from police, CIA, and assassins with the help of his cousin.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Cynthia Khan
Inspector Yang Li-Ching
David Wu
David Ng
Alvina Kong Yan-Yin
May
Lo Lieh
Godfather
Kim Maree Penn
General's girl
Eddie Koo Koon Chung
The General
Billy Chow Bei-Lei
General's bodyguard
Chris Lee Kin-Sang
General's killer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cha Chuen-Yee
Writers: Tony Leung, Patrick Yuen Yeuk-Gwong, Kim Yip Kwong-Kim
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "In the Line of Duty Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cha Chuen-Yee, shot by Cheng Siu-Keung. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Philip Chan Fei-Lit. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Kwok-Kuen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cynthia Khan and David Wu and Alvina Kong Yan-Yin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cha Chuen-Yee directs. Cheng Siu-Keung behind the camera. Philip Chan Fei-Lit scores. Cheung Kwok-Kuen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English.
4Part of the "In the Line of Duty Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Cha Chuen-Yee, shot by Cheng Siu-Keung. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Philip Chan Fei-Lit. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cheung Kwok-Kuen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Cynthia Khan and David Wu and Alvina Kong Yan-Yin carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0094376 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 20 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Cheng Siu-Keung
Original score: Philip Chan Fei-Lit
Editing: Cheung Kwok-Kuen
Costume design: Tong Ping
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: CN
Certification (US): 18
IMDB: In the Line of Duty 5: Middle Man (1990)

Part of

In the Line of Duty Collection

In the Line of Duty is a series of girls with guns feature films produced by Hong Kong movie studio D & B Films which star, in the first two, Michelle Yeoh and, in subsequent instalments, Cynthia Khan as a police officer who combines use of firearms with martial arts. The third was the first to use the In the Line of Duty title, retroactively applied to the two Michelle Yeoh vehicles.