The Four

The Four is a 2012 Chinese-Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Gordon Chan and Janet Chun. It was the first big screen adaptation of Wen Ruian's novel series Si Da Ming Bu (四大名捕; The Four Great Constables) which had previously been adapted into numerous television series in Hong Kong. In all adaptations and interpretations, the nicknames of the Four remained the same - Heartless, Iron Fist, Hunter and Cold Blood. They dedicated their special skills to the service of Master Zhuge in solving crimes and apprehending powerful criminals.

The movie is set during the reign of Emperor Huizong in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The government department known as the "Six Panels" customarily has full jurisdiction over all criminal investigations in the imperial capital. The Six Panels is well-staffed and operates in a highly disciplined manner. Their chief, Commandant Liu, ranks the investigators by clearance rate and dangles the prospect of an operator to be named one of the "Great Four".

The story begins with the country experiencing a significant increase in circulation of counterfeit coin currency, leading to growing unrest and instability. Official investigators from the Six Panels, acting on a tip-off, rush in full force to apprehend a suspect who is trying to sell a coin die stolen from the imperial mint, only to find the suspect and the evidence being taken into custody by agents of a hitherto unknown secret service, known as the Divine Constabulary, which is commissioned by the Emperor himself.

This arouses jealousy in Commandant Liu, who openly fires Cold Blood, one of his best men. Liu secretly orders Cold Blood to infiltrate the Divine Constabulary to find a way to bring down the rival agency. Liu is unaware that his own establishment has been infiltrated by double-agents despatched by the mastermind behind the counterfeit currency.

Despite being aware of Cold Blood's true mission, the chief of the Divine Constabulary seeks out Cold Blood and welcomes him into the agency. Once inside, Cold Blood is surprised to observe that the Divine Constabulary staff live and work together more like a family than a highly formalised professional security force. Despite their small size, the Constabulary works efficiently and effectively through a few individuals with very specialised skills which are useful in solving crimes. Cold Blood finds his loyalties divided, and things are made harder as he becomes tangled in a love triangle with two girls, one from each agency.