The Hong Kong Police Force holds a funeral for two superintendents killed during the previous film. Shortly after, the commissioner Sean Lau receives a call from one of the culprits behind the theft of the police van. He is told that his wife has been kidnapped and that he must release Joe Lee for her to survive. Lau overrides standard procedure to transfer Joe out of prison, and is told by the kidnapper to bring Joe to the metro station. There, Joe is able to escape with the aid of several accomplices, one of whom sets off a bomb. The culprits leave Lau's wife alive at the station. Lau's actions are criticized by the media and by numerous politicians, leading to a public inquiry. Fearing that the police have been infiltrated, Lau privately requests Billy Cheung, an ICAC agent who assisted him in the previous movie, to form a separate squad independent of the police, so they can track down the culprits. Meanwhile, MB Lee, a deputy police commissioner who is about to retire, who is also the father of Joe, is confronted by his fugitive son along with Peter Choi, a former commissioner who is now manipulating politics behind the scenes. Choi is revealed as the mastermind behind the troubles of the previous film, and his current goal is to remove Lau, who is not a member of his ring, and to place his own followers into positions of power during the next election. Choi has formed a militant band consisting of former police officers who were expelled or faked their own deaths. He promises Lee not only the position of commissioner, but also of security secretary later on, upon which Lee gives into temptation. A legislator named Oswald Kan is convinced by his old friend Lai, the secretary of justice, to participate in the public inquiry into Lau, but is taken aback when Lee openly criticizes Lau, rather than defending him, which he was supposed to do initially. Kan deduces that Lee is being controlled, and tells his pupils to investigate, one of whom, Bella Au, decides to secretly follow Lee, and later Choi whom Lee confers with. Realizing that they are being followed, Choi orders a subordinate to crash into Au's car, causing a chain collision in which Au is killed, and Choi's car is trapped. Lau arrives to investigate, and a shoot-out occurs, in which Joe is shot and severely injured by Lau, but Choi escapes. Kan finds a photograph taken by Au of Choi and Lee together. Lau's independent squad finds the location of Choi's remaining henchmen and the stolen police van. Lee, meanwhile, convinces or bribes several senior police officers to sign a petition for Lau's removal. In the final hours before Lau steps down, he launches a raid on the henchmen, and requests that Lee take command, noting that, since the henchmen are renegade police officers formerly under Lee, Lee would best know their strategies. Lee accepts, knowing that he cannot refuse without looking weak, but since he is secretly close friends with those henchmen, killing them taxes him emotionally. The operation is a success, with all suspects killed, and Kan and Lau report Lee's and Choi's crimes to the chief executive, who decides to grant amnesty to Lee and Choi, since they are too important to arrest without destabilizing society. Lee is forced into retirement, and Choi is permanently exiled from Hong Kong, but otherwise, their exact crimes are never disclosed to the public. Lau retains his office as commissioner, and Lee visits his son, who is in custody, and lying in a bed at the hospital.
Terence Yin as To Man, Chief Superintendent, Director of IT
Jeannie Chan as Nicole Chan, ICAC Assistant Investigation
Kathy Yuen as Cecilia Lai, Probationary Inspector of Police
Dexter Young as Senior Inspectors of Police, Technology Crime Division
Queenie Chu as Amber Tsui, owner of cigar bar
Leila Tong as Karen Tang, hostage
Production
Due to the critical and commercial success Cold War, a sequel was first announced in February 2013, where Chow Yun-fat was reported to join the sequel as the film's main antagonist. At that time, co-director Sunny Luk also confirmed that the script for Cold War 2 was being written and was due to start production by the end of 2013. Production for Cold War 2 began in September 2015 and wrapped in December of the same year. The film was released on 8 July 2016.
Reception
Cold War 2 has grossed worldwide. In Hong Kong, the film has grossed a total of HK$66,244,171, breaking the record as the highest-grossing domestic film in Hong Kong, and was also the third highest-grossing film of 2016 in the territory.
