Ex-Triad Member Breaks Down 12 Hong Kong Mafia Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? | Insider

Jimmy Tsui, a former Sun Yee On triad member in Hong Kong and Tung On in New York City's Chinatown, breaks down 12 Chinese organized-crime scenes in movies and TV shows based on realism.
Tsui breaks down the accuracy of triad activities in Hong Kong and the United States, such as the money-laundering scenes in "Rush Hour 2," with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker; "A Better Tomorrow," with Chow Yun-fat and Leslie Cheung; the human smuggling ring in "Lethal Weapon 4," with Jet Li, Mel Gibson, and Danny Glover; and the connection of triads with the nightclub and movie industries in Hong Kong in "Young and Dangerous 3." He explains the realism of triads dealing with law enforcement and other international criminal organizations, such as the Irish Mob in "The Departed," with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson; the tensions between the yakuza and the San Francisco triad in "War," with Jason Statham; the relationship between the Hong Kong police and the triads in "Infernal Affairs," starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau; and the interaction with motorcycle clubs in "Sons of Anarchy" S6E10. Tsui also looks at scenes in New York City's Chinatown, such as the rivalry between two Tong associations in "The Corruptor," with Mark Wahlberg and Chow Yun-fat; and the gambling-house scene in "Year of the Dragon." Tsui also explains the rituals and hierarchy of the triads, such as the initiation-ceremony scene in "Election" (2005) and the voting scene in "The Brothers Sun" E7, starring Michelle Yeoh.
Tsui was involved with the Sun Yee On triad and Tung On in New York City's Chinatown for over 10 years. In 1985, in New York, he was arrested and charged with robbery and homicide with a $1.5 million bail. The case was dismissed, resulting in his transition into Sun Yee On in 1988. He was involved in karaoke bars, gambling houses, and various scams. After leaving the triads, Tsui got involved with Chinatown Gang Stories, a KZbin channel organized by Mike Moy, a former gang member and New York City Police Department officer.
You can learn more about Jimmy Tsui's story here:
/ @chinatowngangstories
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Hong Kong Mafia (Triad) Member Breaks Down 12 HK Mafia Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It?

[@User-54631]

“All went home? Nobody is working?” Had me dying

[@user-fg9ch9jp7m]

That's a common expression in Cantonese, although a bit old school.

[@cutiepiebby]

Cantonese sarcasm is great

[@Goodman-qp4my]

@@user-fg9ch9jp7miielra w 0:21 ❤sqpy❤qkppja oI iqokopaiiroyo

[@Goodman-qp4my]

Ei le

[@RC30019]

😂😂😂

[@Byorin]

It’s fascinating that this former Triad gangster basically emphasizes that the priority is business. Of course violence is part of that at times, but it’s not good for business and quiet discretion is valuable.

[@ww3032]

I suppose that’s the reason he managed to rise up the ranks. He is level headed, objective and business minded.

[@applepie9786]

It sounded like Hong Kong triad is way less violent than USA triad that were in regular gunfights.

[@Mewzyc]

​@@applepie9786it's much much harder to get guns in HK than USA.

[@SuperKendoman]

Hong Kong mostly used knives and machetes. If they cannot get machete they use butchers knives that are used for carving beef that are very sharp. There was one time a boss of triad that was on his way home after dinner and was going through a shortcut through an alley to another street, halfway 2 trucks on each side came and blocked him from leaving, the doors of the container opened and men came out with knives to slash him to pieces, I remember this being talked about on the news and newspaper talked about it.

[@BenjiSun]

@@applepie9786 it is and it also isn't. large scale territory wars still happened until fairly recently. i've accidently walked by when taxi drivers and green minibus drivers had some arguments which lead to over 100 people on each side gathered, blockaded a city block and started fighting on the streets. generally people on the sidelines don't get attacked but sometimes accidents happen. guns aren't very common, usually it's only in revenge killings or when it's a hit that pistols are involved, but it's a shoot and run away deal. no one's that dumb to stand around pretending to be brave to get caught. bombs however, do happen, but more so in Macau where there were a string of gang vs gang warfare where makeshift grenade bombs were used to blow up scooter bikes on the streets, in the mid 2000's to early 2010's. it's basically all but disappeared since the Cotai strip opened for business and there's way more ways to get rich than argue about useless territories that can't profit off the casinos.

[@MrEasiertolie]

“That’s your profit. You bombed it. That’s ridiculous, never heard before.” 😂

[@deucey89]

I love how honest and real this guy is

[@jbranche8024]

Anyone know if he has written a book or is working on a movie? This guy seems to have some interesting stories.

[@codyyeongyf4468]

U can find more information in Chinatown gang stories

[@PatFussy069]

@@jbranche8024 he has a youtube channel he's legit

[@hwtang2292]

@@codyyeongyf4468ijI is ii is o in o😮😮ooouo of o ik😮o is the the o😮i iik ion Ui oiin o in o in oo ik ik ik uitgeprint ooh op ooo😮or osomething oksomething 😮😮of its 😮not in😮ik ohave in in oin oin 😮oo😮o 😮😮oh my o😮o😮😮o😮 Jo op uit a oiilittle olittle oam o😮oh I oI I I I ooo is oo in 😮oi ik iiillii man pu uur popp op ip op pipipippiippo ip op ppipippppopo 21:22 I uuuuuuuuu ik uuuu uuuu uuuu i uuuu uuuu uuuu uujujuj u iu ui. I i uiu i me K j. I j iu j. U i ii. I iu. I. Ii. Ii i i ii. Iiuu i i i ii ii ii iiiuu. I ii ii i i i iiiui. Iii ii ij

[@Melissa-den]

Yes! I'm celebrating £32K stock portfolio today... Started this journey with £3K.... I've invested no time and also with the right terms, now I have time for my family an…

[@mzaa6787]

"That's bullshit. Would never happen. Impossible. I give it a 5." Lol Love this guy 👌

[@dameanvil]

0:35 Rush Hour 2 (2001) 5/10 1:55 The Departed (2006) 5/10 4:13 Infernal Affairs (2002) 8/10 6:30 Sons of Anarchy S6 (2013) 5/10 7:36 Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) 6/10 9:05 A Better Tomorrow (1986) 8/10 10:50 The Brothers Sun (2024) 7/10 12:52 The Corruptor (1999) 7/10 15:37 Year of the Dragon (1985) 9/10 17:27 Election (2005) 9/10 18:52 War (2007) 5/10 19:50 Young and Dangerous 3 (1996) 8/10

[@Bomber_Fish]

They actually did it. They finally made the ex triad review Triad movie scene!

[@mingchenwei1978]

Triads are lowkey in top 3 coolest mafias. I mean come on man they look so badass

[@Ramboost007]

It's nice they put The Departed and Infernal Affairs next to each other, since The Departed is a Hollywood adaptation of Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs. That's why Scorsese put in the Hong Kong triad storyline: it's a shoutout to the original. (In the original btw, the Hong Kong triad is buying coke from the Thai mafia, which the ex-triad guy mentions he has worked with before). Another fun fact, the two lead actors of the original Infernal Affairs (playing the equivalent of the Leo and Matt Damon characters) were supposed to do a cameo as the Hong Kong triad leaders in The Departed as another shoutout, but that didn't pan out.

[@Noscrapsinmyscrapbook]

The Departed is such a weak adaptation.

[@Jeffro5564]

@@Noscrapsinmyscrapbooksadly Americans loved it and won awards which shows how bad the departed movie is. It’s terrible and seeing mark wahlberg with weird hair is hilarious

[@lagofala]

@@Jeffro5564 If it made a lot of people check out HK cinema and the original, its a good thing.

[@WebSurfer447]

Cool info!

[@RevanAlaire]

@@Noscrapsinmyscrapbook I too prefer Infernal Affairs to The Departed. The ending of the former is much stronger than the latter.

[@llkk750]

I'm glad someone finally said the departed is a remake. The original movie infernal affairs is very good and people should watch it.

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

"finally"? It's common knowledge.

[@iggyeegii9004]

"Finally?" It's been a topic for any random movie related youtube channel for last decade. Even on Mojo Top 10 remake movies you didn't know.

[@Jeffro5564]

Nope. Common folks have zero clue that departed a remake. Only cinephiles know it’s a remake and original brilliant

[@jameschou888]

An INFERIOR remake

[@bgbbff]

I was very upset and let down with the ending of both movies

[@SleepFan771]

I love how he says during the Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4 scene that Li's character could not be that tough with kung fu at that Triad level of negotiator White Paper Fan, then later he reveals that he was actually an enforcer general Red Pole level himself, so you know Jimmy Tsui was tough and real.

[@anarchclown]

I mean the line "The last time I got shot, I got hit five times" kind of clued me in.

[@muic4880]

What he means is that white paper fan usually are the advisors, consultants to the boss, they don't fight. Whereas Jimmy's position is those who lead to fight, where intellect usually was not a prerequisite.

[@JohnDoe-ug3su]

He meant Jet Li's character should have been a Red Pole.

[@STRAYD0G187]

On another podcast. BigHead talked about how he did time and no one messed with him because they all knew he was in for killing a man with his bare hands.

[@Tenchigumi]

It's hyper ironic that Jet Li's Wah Sing Ku, a character who almost never says a word in Lethal Weapon 4, has the SPEAKING job in the Triad, lol.

[@josephfung3058]

so glad that jimmy reviewed election by johnnie to, probably one of the most realistic portrayals of modern hong kong organized crime in film. i highly recommend anyone interested in this topic to watch election and the sequel. a little easter egg in there is during the blood letting ceremony, the guy reciting the stuff is actually a real-life wo shing wo red pole/enforcer named "four eyes." in the beginning of the second movie, there is a narration that tells the founding of the wo triads (oldest triad group) in hong kong under the wo hop to banner.

[@minh1197]

"now after the HIV or the whatever..." Lol. I love his candor.

[@UncleBuZ]

"they all went home?" lmao. I like this guy

[@jeffreychang3166]

it’s funny bc it makes sense to say it like that in cantonese.

[@UncleBuZ]

@@jeffreychang3166 Im not commenting on grammar. Dude's funny. 但係多謝你教我一種我自己識嘅語言

[@mage1413]

This guy looks OG

[@oliviaguyong1875]

He is

[@Maazzzo]

Thanks for the video!

[@ronaldlee7566]

Tnx for awesome breakdown of Triad scenes in movies

[@dvaunt3516]

Thank you Jimmy!

[@westnilesnipes]

I like the disclaimers at the end. I don’t think the cops are gonna be like “oh yeah, we were totally dirty back in the day” 😂

[@missygermaine]

講多集! 正呀

[@michellerosenfeld1651]

I've watched a lot of your 'how crime works' videos and would love to have people from different countries tell their stories and talk with each other. For example, gang members talking about US prisons having a conversation with former convicts from other countries and discuss differences and possible system changes

[@bluemoney5613]

Great episode!

[@murrayscott9546]

Thank you for your insight - and to all others involved in this production. One World.

[@CRYSTALNEWSREVIEWFILM]

I LOVE YOUR HONEST REVIEW ! GOOD JOB !!

[@makukawakami]

A Better Tomorrow mentioned! Let's go!

[@thaistomp]

😎💯

[@drewdogg77]

He should rate all of the Young and Dangerous movies! All of them!

[@ronaldlee7566]

I agree👍

[@Nammer403]

I was thinking the same

[@dumisatonyjohnson8145]

There’s only two of them, right? All I know is the sequel included Man Chi Leung

[@jamesgabriel7132]

@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 there are six or seven man

[@tinlunlau1]

​@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 Alex Man? That guy's gone cuckoo!

[@grills273]

It is so wild knowing how crazy Chinatown, NY was in the '80s-90s. I grew up going to Chinatown all the time during the 2000s so I fortunately never experienced this stuff but I've heard tons of crazy stories from family members.

[@farnortheastmovement1127]

My grandpa was head of the local tong that has a NYC chapter. It’s basically the US triad

[@Markynaz]

I watched both Infernal Affairs and the Departed, and I have to say, the Departed is nothing more than a cheap superficial imitation of the former. IA had tons of cultural and religious influences embedded in the film, and it showed a living breathing Hong Kong, both in the light and in the dark. The Departed was simply not even remotely close to the original.

[@BenjiSun]

the Departed is nothing more than yet another generic mafia film, where there are embedded traitors, that's where the similarities end with Infernal Affairs. it sold well because of Scorsese's and DiCaprio's name only. it's a mediocre copycat along the lines of Hollywood pirated copies of The Ring, The Grudge, Oldboy, The Lake House, ...

[@thaistomp]

The Departed is one of the lamest movies I’ve ever seen. I’d never watch it again lol 💯

[@Markynaz]

@@thaistomp this movie is up there with Ghost in the Shell as some of the worst and most pathetic Western adaptation movies of all time.

[@rum8121]

Cool great vid

[@SirHenryMaximo]

I'd love to watch his breakdown of Sleeping Dogs.

[@assembled1855]

I think Gamology channel can bring him.

[@thareqprimaharianto8725]

Also Sun On Yee gangs from Sleeping Dogs is a direct dupe from Sun Yee On, the gang he was actually in.

[@ProfessorSnitch]

A man with no pork bun in his hand is never a real man.

[@eldisa013]

Totally

[@Juggtacula]

@@thareqprimaharianto8725 And Winston, Wei Shen's boss in the Triad was a Red Pole.

[@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling]

A Better Tomorrow is one of the best HK films ever made.

[@thaistomp]

Legendary. Chow yun fat was my hero growing up 😎

[@thealcohologist8624]

Im so glad they showed Election, it's a great movie

[@LoveYouFor10000Years]

probably the best of all shown

[@TheBeetlegun]

@@LoveYouFor10000Years Absolutely

[@darkiori87]

The should have had more Chow yun-fat and shaw brothers movies. Good video though.

[@pauliedibbs9028]

Shoutout 2 Chinatown Gang Stories!

[@jai9587]

My niche in films is Hong Kong crime films so this episode felt like it was made for me. Thank you!

[@hugobranca]

Finally a real gangster. Glad for him he is out though.

[@derrickbuhonick3105]

This is awesome

[@cameronhermann9400]

Very interesting video

[@michaelloi9562]

Thanks for Big Head Jimmy

[@jonnycool123]

super dope video

[@PowwawAlgonquin]

VERY GOOD

[@philcassidy3823]

The first video with him had some really cool real life footage of the triads. Can't find it anywhere on KZbin

[@kshinokevin]

hearing a podcast between Jimmy Tsui (the former H.K. Triad member) and former NY (5 Families) Italian-American mobster Michael Franzese would be ideal.. it would be the best of both worlds (when East meets West)...

[@donnytonny730]

probably not feasible but would love to see this guy play sleeping dogs

[@PatFussy069]

he's done a video like this about sleeping dogs on his channel im pretty sure

[@rkb929]

19:28 yakuza film? what year is this? cant see it on the internet

[@weeksweeks9552]

You really got a hong kong triad to say subscribe and like the video.

[@DavidAndersonKirk]

Can’t wait to see this reuploaded again in a week 😂

[@gingerfoxxy1]

I love to listen to all these former Chinese gang members, Big Head, Kenny, Kid Jai and all of you, because you tell things the way they were without all the drama and bragging and making yourselves look so important and you are not living in the past. You tell us about the past and try to explain it as much as you can where you can relate to it if you were there! Keep up the great stories! This is not from a newspaper clipping. They are telling you when it was live action! Looking forward to more videos! Thank you Big Head! Excellent video!

[@aceloco817]

Plus I think most of em ain't rats too. If there is, idk which one..

[@simplylethul]

​@@aceloco817"rats" these are all trashy individuals, putting them on a pedestal as of they are amazing people is trashy.

[@tt90001]

呢位先生你好、十分尊敬、亦十分佩服你有咁樣嘅知識同學識、英雄本色同古惑仔都係我最愛嘅黑幫電影、杜琪峰嘅黑社會古仔最後面嗰幕有啲頂唔順、不過都幾鐘意😂。一定會subscripe你同俾like

[@yokkaofightteam]

你可以去Chinatown Gangstories个channel听大头用广东话讲古仔

[@MillennialZ666]

I was waiting for Young And Dangerous reference and it didn’t disappoint btw Y&D 6 movies have a triad advisor called 大佬B (Ng Chi Hung) he also made appearance in the first movie

[@kongpeter7352]

I like bighead very much ! hope ya do more video with him

[@LanceMcCarthy]

To get true score, subtract 5, multiply by 2 😁. Great interview!

[@Shaz-Daz]

THE DEPORTED 😆😆😆😆😆

[@mrpurple2306]

Sleeping Dogs might be his favourite game ;)

[@canuckscountry]

Was hoping he would’ve done more review on the Young and Dangerous franchise and Election

[@tinlunlau1]

Warner Brothers own most of the good stuff to even consider letting them release clips. That's why you only see a clip of the third film. Cuz Warner Brothers doesn't own that one.

[@dandanz7877]

where can i watch these movies?

[@Silver-Lyfe]

Man Jimmy look like my uncle back in the day with the stache 😂😂

[@xXFRESH510Xx]

Very cool to see Big Head on here

[@valiannt1]

Great

[@Glitterbug4]

Hi insider I love your videos!!! Would you be able to make an episode with a wolf/k9 export reacting to how real is it? please !!! Also I love this video ❤❤❤

[@svanimir666]

This kind of thing is my favorite. i just love firsthand stories from people that lived that life..and not just ilegal stuff..even legal ocupqtions etc.

[@pedrodea.m.g8767]

Where is the “next one” video?

[@mikehunt9884]

big players in the HK movie industry were the Heung brothers, mainly Charles Heung, his brother was like the boss of the Sun Yee On. They had their own company (Win's Entertainment that became China Star later on) But i dunno if they had any involvement in A Better Tommorow. Although the brothers were instrumental in launching Chow Yun Fat's career in the movie business. Also, gotta add, some actors in the Young and Dangerous series had real triad backgrounds. the guy who played boss Bee was a legit triad, and another guy who played a boss in one of the sequel, he was also a high ranking triad his name is Chan Wai Man. Lee Siu Kei was also a triad.

[@themydnighthour]

Late 80s early 90s were the major times for Triad gang violence in Ctown.

[@4shizzal]

I want to hear him talk about The Killer and Hard Boiled

[@splitprissm9339]

Please, comment on the dark army group in Mr Robot.

[@jameschou888]

He has good taste in movies. Makes sense he would give Year of the Dragon a higher rating as he lived through that

[@mikehunt9884]

if you haven't watched Infernal Affairs 1 and 2 you must watch it.. those movies are so good.

[@LaiHsinyi92]

He is exactly right with the triads in Taiwan. They won’t bother you personally, but they have a lot of influence. A lot of street vendors in night markets will pay triads for “protection.” You’ll also see temples used as fronts for triads.

[@user-no8hl1rk9z]

@20:30 "In real life you are a person like this, I think the next day the police going to arrest you. You are gone." Had me dying

[@Denimy0]

His necklace is really beautiful, is the pendant a symbol for something?

[@samirehman7189]

It would have been nice to see clips from DareDevil TV Show and Iron Fist

[@saturnv2419]

The joke is now real, there is an actual gang member rating gang movies!

[@bubbygold7234]

Anyone know which movie Tony Leung was in that they showed?

[@RighteousBeardArts]

Infernal Affairs

[@alanchoichang8336]

SF police are very strict..... look how the turntables...

[@samiraperi467]

4:58 That's not a received text message, the dude with the phone wrote it. See the cursor blinking?

[@ayanami808]

You think he knows Ricky tan?

[@AlistairVigier1]

Everyone knows Ricky Tan!

[@flywan]

@@AlistairVigier1 He needs a pork bun first

[@chodagreat7876]

Little Ricky! ​@@AlistairVigier1

[@gk2370]

He knows some people who could sell a new laptop to Ricky Tan.

[@saber26ful]

Anyone here who knew Jimmy from Chinatown Gang Stories channel first!?

[@majorminsk]

I'd love to see him review Sleeping Dogs.

[@bustacaphomieg]

I was hoping they were gunna show “warrior”

[@YenZenAI]

This was playing in the background, and I honestly thought I was hearing a guy attempting an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.

[@kojiattwood]

Infernal Affairs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The Departed

[@crimson2knight]

Love the inclusion of Infernal Affairs. It is so much better in every aspect to The Departed, but no one knows about it.

[@stephensteele1213]

Yo that's Wago from Vanishing Sun lmaooo

[@LWAL63]

I would like to see him react to the game sleeping dogs

[@Off_Brand_Mex]

Goes to show you can never judge a book by it's cover. You'd never look at this guy and think "This is a real gangster", but dude is indeed a real one.

[@TheThizzelle]

Does anyone else see this guy as the villain from Bloodsport as an older man?

[@deadronin47]

Takeshi Kitano ( actor is amazing) Outrage Beyond outrage Outrage coda Should be on this list three of the Triad based movies

[@jeremyspink4079]

That amount of money laundering in an Australian casino is ametuer hour

[@benle983]

I like during the sons of anarchy clip the triad boss is dressed the same as him

[@MeiinUK]

What is the name of the Rush Hour 2's lady that was fighting ?..... She looks so familiar...

[@MeiinUK]

He said "no such a thing as Irish triads".... that is because in Ireland, they have actual armies. Italian has mafia. Ireland has ex-militaries. Japan has Yakuza. Chinese has triads. Wow.. what a time to be alive ! Russia.... I forgot what the Russian ones are.

[@submarinewahoo238]

Iirc it's Zhang Ziyi

[@MK-tt5xy]

Fun fact: KZbin is owned by a big company called Google. You should check one of their other products called a search engine.

[@MeiinUK]

@@MK-tt5xy : I did, I couldn't tell which actress it was... there's a few listed in their listing... so... I thought she was somebody else. Maybe not.

[@Rainbowkiddus]

I know he had the homies rollin 😂😂 just funny af

[@booceyfejan7667]

Like this guy

[@bulelanidlamini8720]

"How you gonna hide a sword? -_-" lol bro sounds like he could do the voice over for the chinese Terminator film

[@LIbertyorDeath419]

I like and respect Big Head and learn a lot from his interviews. But he left out a few things: 1) Guns were often used in Hong Kong by Mainland Chinese gangs like the Big Circle Boys. On occasion, they even used the old potato masher hand grenades against the HK cops. But most of the shootings were during the triad wars were in Macau. 2) The West Coast Chinese gangs still often got into shootouts after the Golden Dragon Massacre. Especially during the Wah Ching -Wo Hop To triad war in the late '80s/early '90s. 3) The Thai triads were often offshoots of the Hong Kong societies like the 14K, Sun Yee On, Fuk Yee Hing, etc.

[@edothebad]

React to the SLEEPING DOGS please!🎉

[@user-lt8vw4fe4w]

The numbers are only for Hong Kong Triad. There is also 432 草鞋 Grass Shoes for communications. Taiwan organized crime syndicates are not Triad. They don't have Triad organisation structure.

[@Kittyfinds]

Make him react to Kung fu Hustle 😂

[@limexlme]

SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE VIDEOS: PROFESSIONAL DJ ANALYZES DJING AND CLUBBING SCENES IN MOVIES AND SERIES

[@bohemianversace]

As soon as you put on a suit as a gangster you’re cool. Tell me I’m wrong.

[@Silver-Lyfe]

Chinese was doing business with the Italian mobs back in the day. These are facts

[@Anon26535]

Do Sleeping Dogs next.