Ah Long Pte Ltd 2008

Set in Malaysia, the Shao He triad — led by its de facto outgoing head Chen Jun Richard Low and supported by figures known as Emperor and Soldier Head, along with Wang Lihua Fann Wong — brushes against Jojo Fang Mark Lee, a dance trainer. Fang is beaten by the gang after he criticizes their literacy on their signage, and the violence culminates in a nearby debtor being beaten to death. Fang is left terrified by loan sharks, though he insists the act wasn’t choreographed, a claim that shadows his view of the gang’s power.

Ahead of time, Shao He has been under police observation as they attempt to reform their identity through public branding and commercial awareness. This rebranding draws the attention of Hong Qing Long [Jack Lim], the leader of the Qing Long gang, who clashes with Wang’s stance. Wang Lihua pushes back against their coercive tactics, championing a form of capitalism and a hopeful, if idealistic, vision. This ideological clash becomes a fuse for direct confrontation.

In broad daylight, Hong Qing Long attacks Wang, Emperor, and Soldier Head, triggering a sharp confrontation that sends Wang fleeing to a dance studio where Jojo Fang and Wang’s mother are. Fang, aided by the crowd, the backup dancers, and the Mall Security Guard [David Bala], intervenes to halt the assault, forcing Hong Long to retreat. The raid leaves the studio reeling but intact, and it marks a turning point for Wang and Fang as they reassess their own safety and loyalties.

As the gang recovers, Chen reprimands Wang for her defiance, while she counters that their actions are meant to safeguard their people. Meanwhile, many Qing Long members are arrested following a police tip-off, prompting Hong to strike again at Shao He even as Wang and Chen are caught off-guard. In the ensuing punishment of those who failed their duties, Wang uses her own knife and accepts responsibility, a move that pushes Chen to renounce the gang’s mission.

Wang and Fang marry, a moment interrupted when Chen arrives to disrupt the ceremony and is expelled by Wang’s guests, who accuse him of trampling on freedom of speech. The following day, as Fang and Wang’s mother are away, Emperor and Soldier Head warn Wang that debtors have alerted the police. They urge caution and a non-violent approach, yet Fang is once more beaten by his own henchmen for intervening, with Chen coming to his aid again. This sequence hardens Wang’s resolve and leads Fang to join Shao He once more, a decision that yields significant success and is later revealed to be tied to a long‑forgotten childhood connection — Fang discovers a bookmark co‑written with Wang that clarifies their past ties.

When Emperor’s house is ransacked, Shao He confronts Qing Long, accusing them of seeking revenge. Hong, frustrated by the ongoing feud, proposes a high-stakes soccer match: the losers must surrender their territories to the winner, using a durian as the ball. Shao He wins the duel, but Hong refuses to concede and escalates the attack with more durians and sugarcanes. The police arrive, and Shao He’s henchmen scatter, becoming fugitives.

Days later, the couple reunites with friends over supper. A phone call reveals that their mothers have been abducted by Qing Long, prompting a tense pursuit to a hidden hideout where Hong meets Chen to negotiate an alliance in exchange for releasing the captives. Chen stabs Hong during a phone exchange, but Wang intervenes just before the final blow with Fang’s help; yet all but Fang are tranquilized and taken to a secret location.

The true architect of the capture is revealed to be one of the victims who lost their parents to loan sharks. She leads a crew of debtors seeking revenge, while a photographer quietly documents their actions as evidence. The authorities arrive too late; Shao He dissolves as an organization, and Chen is sentenced to death while the rest receive prison terms.

Ten years pass. Wang is released and reunites with Fang, who now works as a salesman in kitchen appliances. They are welcomed by a new group of colleagues as they begin a fresh chapter, joined by her former henchmen, who have also earned their release two years earlier, signaling a fragile, hard-won reconciliation and the possibility of a peaceful, ordinary future after years of conflict.