Yah sad to say those newcomers got no x factors to hold their ground. For typical, old fashion plots to work, the characters need to act in a way that make viewers REALLY BELIEVE that THEY ARE those characters.That just means those new comers can't hold their ground at all.
Otherwise, those characters can be acted by any other actors, it will be the same.
For e.g. for this Cold War movies, viewers like it because they feel like aaron kwok really feels like the high ranking hkg cop that is smart and righteous and tries to do the right thing.
viewers also feel that Tony leung is really the crime Ops chief who has been through many real life risky Ops.
These actors make viewers truly believe in their characters that's why people like to watch it's like watching a real story documentary like that.
Whereas in Cold War 1994 - can't say the newcomers have done that - that's why the plots seem very old fashioned and boring... because feels like any other actors can act as those characters, viewers don't feel or believe that the current actors ARE those characters unlike aaron and tony.