The Bund (上海灘)

Shanghai in the 1920s, seen through a young man who arrives with nothing and climbs the gang world. Hui Man-keung (許文強) is played by Chow Yun-fat, and the role made him a household face. The theme song alone can still empty a room into silence.

It is as much a love triangle as a gangster tale. Ting Lik (丁力) and Fung Ching-ching (馮程程) pull the story toward loyalty and heartbreak rather than plain violence. The pace is slower than modern crime shows, and I found that restful.

Twenty-five episodes is short enough to finish in a week of evenings. The production looks dated now, but the performances hold up. I think of it as the root that many later Hong Kong crime dramas grew from.