---
title: "Shock Wave 2"
year: 2020
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/shock-wave-2"
fi1m_id: "shock-wave-2"
imdb_id: "tt9597838"
tmdb_id: 559974
wikidata_id: "Q62597210"
fi1m_score: 65
critics_score: 57
critics_reviews: 4
published: "2026-10-05T15:37:41.138655+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T15:37:41.562859+00:00"
region: "AU"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Shock Wave 2 (2020)

Directed by Herman Yau · 2h 00m · Action, Crime, Thriller

## Identity

Shock Wave 2

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/shock-wave-2
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** shock-wave-2
- **IMDb ID:** tt9597838
- **TMDB ID:** 559974
- **Wikidata ID:** Q62597210
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9597838/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/559974, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62597210

**Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 57 (early) from 4 reviews

*In a sentence:* Andy Lau makes bomb disposal look a good deal more manageable than the plot

> Herman Yau’s bomb thriller earns its thrills through inventive physical action and Andy Lau’s commitment. The plotting is needlessly tangled, though, and its larger questions receive less care than the explosives.

## Synopsis

Bomb-disposal work puts Poon Shing Fung (Andy Lau) in the path of an escalating threat to Hong Kong. Living with a disability, he faces physical demands that affect how he negotiates the danger. Tung Cheuk Man (Sean Lau) and Pong Ling (Ni Ni) are caught up in the same crisis. The immediate business is dealing with explosive devices, but the danger reaches beyond any single bomb. With destruction threatening the city, the task of preventing an explosion becomes part of a much larger struggle.

## Review

Herman Yau’s *Shock Wave 2* is worth considering for its action and Andy Lau’s performance, for anyone willing to tolerate a tangled plot. Bomb disposal supplies a reliable source of suspense, and the threat to Hong Kong gives the film plenty of scope to increase the danger. The trouble is that the writing keeps adding complications when the physical problems are already interesting enough. At 120 minutes, it could afford to explain itself more clearly and ask us to remember less.

Andy Lau, playing Poon Shing Fung, supplies much of the reason to stay with it. His performance gives the danger a human focus when the scale of the threat could easily make everyone seem incidental. More importantly, the stunt work takes the protagonist’s disability into account without making every feat an invitation to applaud his determination. Physical limitation affects the action, and the film trusts that to be interesting without continually asking for our sympathy.

We were properly gripped by the bomb-disposal sequences, because the practical task gives the suspense something definite to work on. These passages benefit from a danger we can understand without having to absorb another explanation first. The ingenuity comes from finding physical difficulties within a familiar action premise, particularly through the demands placed on the disabled protagonist. The handling of explosives supplies enough tension to hold our attention without help from the more elaborate plotting.

Joe Chan Kwong-Hung’s cinematography and Azrael Chung’s editing work effectively in those passages, keeping our attention on the immediate danger. The mounting suspense gives the action a purpose beyond simply keeping the screen occupied. The trouble comes when a busy passage also needs to clarify the story, and the forward movement allows confusion to accumulate. The action remains engaging, but following the wider situation takes more effort than it should, and the energy cannot entirely disguise that problem.

The screenplay, credited to Erica Li, Eric Lee and Herman Yau, is also less curious about its moral questions than its complications initially suggest. A thriller can ask us to reconsider people and events, but something worthwhile needs to emerge from that effort. Here the amount of plot starts to feel disproportionate to what the film has to say about its characters. Sean Lau plays Tung Cheuk Man and Ni Ni plays Pong Ling, yet even a cast with this much presence cannot make every explanation feel necessary.

There is familiar thriller business between the more inventive set pieces, and those stretches test our goodwill. The film recovers whenever it returns to the practical difficulties of dealing with explosives or moving a vulnerable body through danger. That is enough to keep it entertaining, though the involvement comes and goes. Its handling of disability deserves particular credit: it affects how the action works, instead of merely supplying an extra reason to worry about the leading man.

Bomb thrillers already have a useful way of holding an audience: somebody has a job to finish and a compelling reason not to get it wrong. This one is most satisfying when it remembers how much that gives an actor to do, and Andy Lau makes those stretches worth the time. We recommend it to action enthusiasts prepared to tolerate some needless plotting. Anyone hoping the explanations will be as inventive as the stunts should lower that expectation.

*Fi1m score 65, published 5 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Shock Wave 2 worth watching?**

*Shock Wave 2* is worth considering for action enthusiasts who can tolerate tangled plotting; we score it 65 out of 100. Andy Lau’s commitment and inventive bomb-disposal sequences keep it entertaining, with the protagonist’s disability meaningfully shaping the action, but the wider story demands more effort than its explanations repay.

**How long is Shock Wave 2, and what is it rated?**

*Shock Wave 2* runs 2h 00m. It is an action and crime film.

**Where can I watch Shock Wave 2 in Australia?**

*Shock Wave 2* is not on any streaming or rental service in Australia at the moment. It is available in 19 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Shock Wave 2, and is it suitable for children?**

*Shock Wave 2* has a UK 15 certificate and is unsuitable for children under 15, with tense bomb-disposal sequences and a threat of destruction hanging over Hong Kong. We find the practical danger gripping; the certificate sets the age threshold, while the sustained suspense warrants caution for viewers sensitive to people facing explosive threats.

**How does Shock Wave 2 compare to Speed?**

*Shock Wave 2* is the more needlessly complicated thriller; we recommend [*Speed*](https://film.one/film/speed) as the stronger choice for clear, urgent action, though its plot also overreaches. *Speed* keeps its bomb-on-a-bus premise direct and its explanations brief, while *Shock Wave 2* offers inventive physical challenges shaped by its protagonist’s disability and an engaging Andy Lau performance.

**What should I watch after Shock Wave 2?**

After *Shock Wave 2*, try [*Speed*](https://film.one/film/speed) (1994, Fi1m 86): A clear physical threat keeps the action urgent and the explanations mercifully brief. Then [*The Hurt Locker*](https://film.one/film/the-hurt-locker) (2008, Fi1m 86): Bomb disposal treated as work, with suspense rooted in procedure and behaviour; and [*A Hard Day*](https://film.one/film/a-hard-day) (2014, Fi1m 79): A crime thriller whose escalating complications make each bad decision painfully entertaining.

### Reviews we read (4)

- **Radio Times**, Jamie Healy (3/5): The critic calls it a superior sequel, praising its escalating action and peril. Andy Lau’s performance and the film’s apocalyptic Hong Kong threat stand out. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-avd2bz/shock-wave-2/)
- **The Guardian**, Leslie Felperin (2/5): Felperin finds the thriller fitfully entertaining but stale and overcomplicated. She singles out its steady drumbeat of suspense and explosions as a source of stimulation. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/10/shock-wave-hong-kong-destruction-review-andy-lau)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (70/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film an enjoyable, spectacular actioner, despite its limited interest in complex moral questions. She praises the inventive stunt work, especially how it incorporates the protagonist’s disability without feeling exploitative. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shock-wave-2-2020-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **Deadline**, Anna Smith (65/100, inferred): Smith finds the film confusing but ultimately effective as escapist entertainment. She singles out its inventive bomb-disposal sequences and spectacular action set pieces for praise. [Read](https://deadline.com/2021/01/shock-wave-2-film-review-china-andy-lau-international-critics-line-1234673544/)

## Details

- **Director:** Herman Yau
- **Director:** Herman Yau
- **Writer:** Erica Li, Eric Lee, Herman Yau
- **Cinematography:** Joe Chan Kwong-Hung
- **Editor:** Azrael Chung
- **Producer:** Alvin Lam, Andy Lau
- **Cast:** Andy Lau as Poon Shing Fung; Sean Lau as Tung Cheuk Man; Ni Ni as Pong Ling; Tse Kwan-ho as Ma Sai Kwan; Ron Ng as Lun Ting Pong; Kenny Wong Tak-Ban as Chan King To; Raymond Chiu as Fat Sze; Zhang Yang as Mon
- **Runtime:** 2h 00m
- **First release (Canada):** 24 December 2020
- **Genres:** Action, Crime, Thriller
- **Budget:** $40 million
- **Box office:** $226 million

## Where to watch in Australia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Australia at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, BE, BR, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FR, GB, HK, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Speed* (1994), Fi1m 86: A clear physical threat keeps the action urgent and the explanations mercifully brief. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/speed.md)
- *The Hurt Locker* (2008), Fi1m 86: Bomb disposal treated as work, with suspense rooted in procedure and behaviour. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-hurt-locker.md)
- *A Hard Day* (2014), Fi1m 79: A crime thriller whose escalating complications make each bad decision painfully entertaining. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-hard-day.md)
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: Explosives, bad roads and enough patient suspense to make every movement matter. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)
- *Police Story* (1985): For inventive stunt work that makes the star’s physical effort part of the pleasure.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/shock-wave-2