The Man Who Kills Troubles Review

After cooperating in the hit drama My Unfair Lady (不懂撒嬌的女人) in 2017, Vincent Wong and Natalie Tong are paired together again in The Man Who Kills Troubles (解決師) in 2019. This time around, they are the main leads and anticipation is high for this production as it is one of the bigger budget ones for the year. But are they able to reproduce the same magic that makes them so popular previously? Check out The Man Who Kills Troubles review below to find out my assessment of this TVB drama.

Episodes: 30
Type: Crime, Action
Aired: October 2019
Images Credit: TVB

The Cast

• Vincent Wong Ho Shun as O Sir / K
• Natalie Tong Sze Wing as Jovy / Miss Chan
• Kelly Cheung Hei Man as Chloe
• Karl Ting Tze Long as Ko Chun
• Joseph Lee Kwok Lun as Ko Sir
• Jonathan Cheung Wing Hong as Man Sir
• Crystal Fung Ying Ying as Ace
• Pinky Cheung Man Chi as Madam Ma
• Law Lok Lam as Tseung Toa
• Eric Li Tin Cheung as Tai Zhi / Tseung Ka Wing
• Sharon Chan Man Chi as Hung Chung Yue
• Peter Pang Kwok Leung as Kiu Yik Fong

The Main Characters

O Sir / K

K is a fixer for Kiu Yeh, the triad leader for Hung Wo in Melbourne. He will take orders to capture or get rid of difficult people that are posing a problem to Kiu Yeh. K killed his abusive stepfather when the latter hit his mother to death when he was a boy. John was K’s neighbour and also a fixer for the triads. He brought K up and trained him to be a very capable fixer.

After being framed for murdering Kiu Yeh, John arranges for K to move to Hong Kong with a new identity. He is now O Sir, a Physical Education teacher at a secondary school. O Sir is very lenient to his students and treats them as his friends. He lives next door to Ko Chun.

Jovy / Miss Chan

Jovy is a flute player and moves to Melbourne when she was young to get away from her father, Tseung Toa. She hates him for being a triad leader which caused her mother to be wheelchair-bound when rival gangs attacked her family. So, Jovy changes her surname to Chan which is her mother’s family name. She moves back to Hong Kong only when her father decides to retire from the triads. Jovy takes up a job as a music teacher upon her return and becomes O Sir’s colleague. She is a firm but caring teacher.

Chloe

Chloe was O Sir’s girlfriend while in Melbourne. She was also Ko Chun’s elder sister. Her family was aware that Chloe had a boyfriend but they have never met or seen his picture. Chloe worked as a lab researcher under Professor Goh in a university. She died in a lab explosion which is assumed to be an accident.

Ko Chun

Ko Chun is O Sir and Jovy’s student. He is a good boy but often gets misunderstood by his father which leads to quarrels. Ko Chun is also a very talented rugby player but has since given up on the sport after his sister’s death. His love interest in school is his classmate, Sum Sum.

Ko Sir

Ko Sir is Chloe and Ko Chun’s father. He works as a police officer and leads a team that is in charge of the triads. His colleagues at work include Man Sir and Madam Ma. Ko Sir is an upright cop although he is also a friend of Tseung Toa that dates back to his undercover days. His wife is May Yee and they have a warm relationship with their neighbour, O Sir. But they have no idea that O Sir was Chloe’s boyfriend.

Man Sir

Man Sir is a very ambitious police officer. He also handles the triad cases and works hard to arrest them. His father was a decorated cop who died in the line of duty. Man Sir was taught by his father that he must rise to the very top in order to have power to do the things that he wants to do. At work, he reports to Madam Ma while his subordinate, Ace, has deep feelings for him.

Ace

Ace is Man Sir’s subordinate. She has always been interested in him but doesn’t dare to express her feelings. Whenever Man Sir faces trouble, Ace will stand by him and help him out. She loves Man Sir but at the same time, feels conflicted over his actions.

Madam Ma

Madam Ma is Man Sir’s boss and they have a cordial relationship at work. She also used to work with Man Sir’s father in the past. Madam Ma has a sister, Ah Tung, who is sickly. She loves her sister and takes care of all her medical bills.

Tseung Toa

Tseung Toa is the triad leader of Chun Hing. He also has his own group of companies called Toa Tin. His plan is to quickly step down from Chun Hing and concentrates on legitimate businesses in Toa Tin. Tseung Toa has an estranged relationship with his daughter, Jovy, which he loves dearly. He also has a son, Tai Zhi, who helps him out in Chun Hing and Toa Tin.

Tai Zhi / Tseung Ka Wing

Being a triad leader’s son, Tseung Ka Wing is also known as Tai Zhi. He is ambitious but also can be cunning. He is a filial son who has helped his father to build up Chun Hing over the years. Ta Zhi has a loyal subordinate in Siu Fung.

Hung Chung Yue

Chung Yue is Toa Tin’s legal adviser and trusted assistant to Tseung Toa. She owes a debt of gratitude to Tseung Toa for helping her when she was young and has never forgotten his good deed. Tseung Toa and his wife treat Chung Yue like a daughter.

Kiu Yik Fong

Kiu Yik Fong is Kiu Yeh’s younger brother. He killed Kiu Yeh to take over as the leader of Hung Wo. Kiu Yik Fong is ruthless and employs S as his fixer.

Synopsis

K works as a fixer for Kiu Yeh, the triad leader of Hung Wo, in Melbourne. In his last mission in Melbourne, Kiu Yeh himself is found dead at the scene and K is framed for being the murderer. K also saves Jovy who has fainted in the burning building. Kiu Yeh’s successor, Kiu Yik Fong, orders John to kill K. John shoots K in the head with an empty bullet to fake his death and then arranges for him to assume a new identity. K chooses to go to Hong Kong as his late girlfriend’s family is there and he wants to take care of them for her. His girlfriend was Chloe and she died in a lab explosion that has been concluded as an accident.

In Hong Kong, K becomes O Sir, a Physical Education teacher. His students include Ko Chun, Chloe’s younger brother. He also chooses to live next door to the Ko family. 2 years later, Jovy turns up at the school as a music teacher and she is partnered with O Sir to handle Ko Chun’s class. Together, they help their students with their problems including run-ins with triad members. Jovy reminds O Sir of Chloe as they share many similarities while Jovy herself starts to develop feelings for O Sir.

Due to Jovy’s family background which exposes her to danger, O Sir has to secretly step in to save her. But how long can O Sir keep his identity a secret? He also discovers that Chloe’s death wasn’t accidental. So, why did she have to die and who killed her? As Man Sir digs deeper into the triad cases, it changes his life forever. What happened to make him turn from a good cop into a bad one?

Note: Check out The Man Who Kills Troubles episode summary for a full recap from episode 1 to 30.

More On The Plot

O Sir saves Jovy when she is kidnapped by Song Sing who has been taken for a ride by Tai Zhi. He steps in again to help when someone wants to kill her father after an operation. Jovy knows then that O Sir is not merely a school teacher. Her own digging reveals that O Sir’s girlfriend was Chloe who was her acquaintance in Melbourne and that he has assumed someone else’s identity. When O Sir goes back to Melbourne to investigate Chloe’s death, he is shot by S. Jovy takes care of him while he recovers and that is when they begin a relationship.

Chloe died because her professor thought she has stolen some confidential documents from his office that pertains to drug processing. She also held part of the formula that enables the production of high quality ice which Kiu Yik Fong is after. Man Sir is also investigating the drug trade by the triads. This leads him to a former cop, Wong Sir, who accuses Man Sir Senior of being a black cop. Eventually, Man Sir accidentally kills Wong Sir. Madam Ma uses this to get Man Sir to cooperate and start working for Tai Zhi. It was Man Sir Senior who brought Madam Ma into the ring because she needs money for her sister’s continuous medical treatment. But Madam Ma is forced to commit suicide later on when Man Sir anonymously tips off the ICAC to get her out of the picture.

Tseung Toa wants to break away from Chun Hing and runs a clean business. He wants his son to do the same but Tai Zhi refuses to listen to him. This results in internal squabbles in Chun Hing and Tai Zhi exploits the opportunities to take control. To get a new drugs supplier, Tai Zhi begins working with Kiu Yik Fong. But with Tseung Toa creating obstacles for Tai Zhi to make him stop involving himself with the triads, Kiu Yik Fong gets S to kill Tseung Toa.

The Man Who Kills Troubles Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

The Man Who Kills Troubles has a sad ending in the last episode. Unfortunately, there is no happily ever after for O Sir and Jovy. She dies from gradual poisoning after inhaling some poisonous substances that Man Sir has set up in O Sir’s home. Man Sir knows that O Sir will want to sneak back into his apartment to retrieve data from his computer. O Sir is a wanted man at that time as he has been framed by Man Sir for shooting Ko Sir. However, O Sir merely distracts the police officers to create an opportunity for Jovy to sneak in. As a result, Jovy is the one who is poisoned.

Jovy has died by the time O Sir wakes up from his injuries 2 months later in Melbourne. He is saved by John who ships him back to Melbourne via Thailand. He is severely injured after fighting with Man Sir. Man Sir is chasing O Sir because the latter has recorded him killing Kiu Yik Fong. All the evidence is destroyed when O Sir’s car exploded. But the fight leaves both of them fighting for their lives.

Did Man Sir Return To The Right Path?

Man Sir starts out as a good cop but his mind got corrupted when he is forced to work for Tai Zhi to protect his father’s reputation. His involvement in the triads gets deeper and deeper as he deceives himself that he is doing something good by planning to arrest Tai Zhi and then Kiu Yik Fong. His girlfriend, Ace, is uncomfortable with his actions when she discovers that he keeps helping the triad leaders. When Ace wants to abort their baby, she calls Man Sir to inform him of her decision. But Man Sir tells her that he is dying as he has been fighting with O Sir moments earlier.

One month later, Man Sir is awaiting discharge from hospital. Ace’s call saved him that day and she didn’t abort their baby. They are planning to go abroad to start life anew. When Man Sir goes to the toilet to shave, Kiu Yik Fong’s subordinate shoots him to avenge his boss’ death. Using his shaving blade, Man Sir slashes the man’s neck in retaliation before he collapses and dies.

Who Killed Chloe?

John killed Chloe and this is already revealed in episode 26. He is the fixer ordered by Hung Wo to get rid of Chloe. John knows that Chloe will have to die anyway since the triad is after her. Rather than letting some other killer do the job, John did it so that Chloe can die peacefully. O Sir finds it hard to accept that John is the contracted killer. But they go a long way and John has also saved O Sir’s life more than once. Eventually, O Sir still seeks out John’s help in his battle with Man Sir and Kiu Yik Fong.

The Man Who Kills Troubles Review

Not many TVB dramas are worth watching these days but The Man Who Kills Troubles is one of the rare ones that is still worth giving it a go. It is fast-paced and doesn’t drag things out too much which is good for those who don’t like too many sub-plots. But being fast-moving also means details are glossed over at times, especially in the last few episodes.

The Man Who Kills Troubles is not a romance drama unlike My Unfair Lady. Although there is an element of romance, it is not the main theme of this production. So, if you are looking for the same magical feeling that Saving and Cherry displayed in 2017, it will be somewhat lacking in this drama. I think it is also partly due to the storyline because O Sir has deep feelings for Chloe for more than half of the drama and hence, the transition from friendship to lovers with Jovy is kind of abrupt to me. Personally, I would prefer the Kenneth Ma and Natalie Tong pairing in the Big White Duel than this one here.

Vincent Wong and Natalie Tong are experienced artistes and there is not much to complain about in terms of their performance in The Man Who Kills Troubles. But there is nothing extraordinary either to give viewers something to hook onto. To me, the one who shines through is Eric Li Tin Cheung as Tai Zhi. He does have a commanding on-screen presence as a triad leader. It is just unfortunate that he has never had the opportunity to get a leading role in any TVB dramas.

My Verdict

With only 30 episodes and a fast-moving storyline, I would say give it a go. At least, they didn’t mess up the plot badly towards the end like what happened in The Defected. I have the urge to continue watching all the way to the end as unnecessary sub-plots are few. Even if there are, they are glossed over pretty quickly and viewers are not distracted from the main plot for long. So, if you are a Vincent Wong or Natalie Tong fan, The Man Who Kills Troubles should not be missed. Even if you are not, I would still recommend a watch for this review if you are looking for crime dramas. It is not fantastic but neither would it leave you frustrated halfway through. I sailed through it pretty quickly and I hope you would too!