On the Wrong Track 1983

Paul Chan, Andy Lau, is a proper and well-mannered 17-year-old secondary school student whose orderly life sits alongside the impulsive energy of his younger brother, Dee, and a circle of friends who push boundaries and sometimes cross lines—such as the moment they blow up a rich man’s car after an insult. Their father, Larry, Elliot Ngok Wah, works as a prison officer and runs a strict household, which only sharpens the clash between parental authority and the boys’ restless curiosity. A tense moment with the police officer known as King Kong Lau Kwok-Shing looms large, as he has already threatened Paul and looms over the family’s trouble, foreshadowing the perilous path ahead.

One night, Paul and Dee sneak out to join their friends for another reckless night, continuing a fight that had already begun in a dispute with a rival gang. Dee ends up injured and in the care of a prostitute, while Paul is returned home by nightfall only to be confronted by Larry, who learns of the evening’s chaos and is warned by King Kong about Paul’s possible future trouble. The next day at school, Paul is punished as Dee and their classmates distract themselves and misbehave, even staging a prank by placing underwear on Paul’s head before accusations of bringing weapons to class surface. The punishment continues at home, with the brothers assigned to clean the house and denied dinner, until Larry later sneaks in a late-night noodle meal for Dee but forgets Paul.

The following morning brings more disappointment for Paul: he learns he failed his SAT. While brooding, he meets Sze, a Vietnamese refugee, and their connection begins to form in the shadow of mounting family pressures. Larry reveals plans to marry his girlfriend, a move that further unsettles Dee, who reacts with fresh anger and storms out to reconnect with his friends. The two brothers end up stealing King Kong’s car, a reckless act that leads to more trouble when Dee is injured again. Larry’s anger erupts in a harsh rebuke, slapping Dee and tossing the two out of the family home. The morning after, Paul brushes off the bruise and encounters Sze again; Larry apologizes for the earlier outburst, and Paul remains drawn to Sze, who he discovers lives in the refugee camp.

That night, Paul sneaks into the refugee camp and is stunned to learn that Sze has a child. He does not let this deter him, and he continues to pursue a relationship with her, even as the pair face disdain and hardship. They are accused of stealing at a supermarket run by Sze’s lover’s mother, a moment that lands Paul in trouble again after Dee’s involvement draws the ire of a security team. The situation intensifies when Larry discovers that the boss behind the accusations is connected to his girlfriend, heightening the family’s strain and driving the couple toward desperate actions. In a second round of punishment, whispers about Taiwan as a destination for the boys escalate tensions: the family plans to send them there, which Paul dreads as he hopes to study in America while Dee fears mandatory military service in Taiwan.

Driven by frustration, Paul and Dee hatch a scheme to disrupt the girlfriend’s mother’s supermarket, attempting to derail her business. King Kong and his squad intervene, and the brothers flee again. Paul and Dee are eventually caught; a violent confrontation ensues, and King Kong shoots and kills Dee, while Paul is arrested and taken to prison. Inside, Paul publicly disowns his father and, overwhelmed by the experience, inflicts self-harm.

Release from prison does not soften Paul’s edge. He becomes more combative, clashing with gangsters who show interest in Sze. His friend Roger arranges a settlement with the gang’s boss, who challenges Paul to an auto race; Paul wins, destroying his opponent’s car in the process, a display that cements his hardened reputation. Paul learns that Sze is to be sent to New Guinea, and he pleads with his father to allow him to marry her, only to be met with a firm refusal. He returns to the refugee camp to see Sze, but a confrontation with other refugees leads to another arrest, and he is taunted by King Kong at a police station.

Determined to win Sze back, Paul infiltrates the refugee camp again, where King Kong orders his men to forcibly remove Sze from him. Paul decides to settle the score once and for all at a closed shopping mall, luring King Kong into a brutal pursuit. He surprises Kong with a car, and a high-stakes chase ensues as Kong fires his gun. Paul manages to fatally overwhelm him: after King Kong hides, Paul finally corners him, empties Kong’s pistol in one decisive shot, and then drives his car toward Kong again. In the final clash, Kong fires a shot that hits Paul in the head behind his car, marking a devastating end to the confrontation.

The film traces a cycle of family pressure, adolescence, and violence, showing how a disciplined, country-quiet life can collide with urban danger and personal longing. It is a tense, unflinching portrait of a teenager whose love for Sze and desire for a different future clash with the expectations of his father, the law, and the streets he cannot fully escape.