Life Without Principle

Johnnie To's Life Without Principle (Hong Kong, 2012) - Seizing on the ongoing world banking crisis to add a spin to an otherwise ho-hum crime story, Hong Kong helmer Johnnie To finds greed to be the root of all evil in his patchy "Life Without Principle." Auds who've come to expect pyrotechnic action will be disappointed in this almost perversely slow-burning, sometimes slapdash criss-crosser that intersects the stories of a bank employee, a cop and a clutch of small-time triad gangsters all chasing a fast buck. Pic will find it challenging to leverage interest from international buyers, but should enjoy solid returns at home. 2011TOR, 2011VENic, 2012EDI, 2012SANF, 2013OE. RATING: 8.