The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords  The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords is a 2019 Hong Kong action film directed by Herman Yau, produced by and starring Andy Lau. The film is a thematic sequel in-title-only to the 2013 film "The White Storm" with a new storyline and stars returning cast member Louis Koo in a different role. The film was first announced on 15 March 2018. Production for "The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords" began on 23 June 2018 and wrapped up on 12 September 2018. The film was theatrically released on 5 July 2019 in China, on 12 July 2019 in Taiwan, and on 16 July 2019 in Hong Kong. The film was also selected to be the closing film for 18th New York Asian Film Festival on 14 July 2019. It was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. "The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords" was a major commercial success, grossing a total of US$191.47 million worldwide against a budget of US$25 million. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who generally praised the performances of Lau and Koo and the film's action choreography but noted shortcomings in its script and character development. In 2004, triad member Jizo (Louis Koo) was caught dealing drugs in his night club. His boss, Yu Nam (Kent Cheng) punishes Jizo by ordering his compatriot Yu Shun-tin (Andy Lau) to cut off his fingers and expel him from the organisation. Yu, who witnessed his father being consumed by drug addiction during childhood and abhors drugs as deadly foes, eventually decides to resign from the Triad and live a straight life. It is now 2019 and Yu has become a billionaire tycoon and philanthropist known as the "Finance Whiz", after meeting lawyer Michelle (Karena Lam), who becomes Yu's wife and business partner. Meanwhile, Jizo is now one of the biggest drug lords in the Hong Kong underworld. Yu discovers that he actually has a long-lost son with his recently deceased ex-girlfriend, May (Chrissie Chau). He travels to the Philippines to find his son, only to witness him commit suicide due to the effects from a drug overdose. After returning, Yu vows to destroy the drug trade in Hong Kong. Using his wealth and former triad connections, he orders several hits and coordinates a chain of dog-eat-dog events which shocks the whole drug trade, putting the players on high alert.