2
A must for fans of HK action
Sadly over-shadowed as being veteran director, Benny Chan's, last film, this is an old-school Hong Kong action film given a sparkly new coat of paint, modern, faster, more violent action, and a superb script we've all seen before... yet somehow original enough to make us want to see it again.
To be honest: I'm a big fan of Donny Yen; Nicholas Tse is the "pretty boy" who can be frustratingly brilliant every now and again; Benny Chan churned out enjoyable action content, whereas the plot - coupled with all of the above - meant that this was always on my viewing list, but never a priority. I ended up watching it on a recent flight with a Chinese airline, and, DAMN, did I regret not seeing it sooner?!
I won't spoil anything but, as the other review here points out: things are a tad predictable. But for what this is, that's more than okay.
What the other reviewer didn't mention though, was the moral dilemma of doing the right thing - even if it meant potentially sacrificing a comrade - and the question of whether the villain was actually justified in doing what he did?
This is what made Nicholas Tse's character so enchanting: even though trauma had turned him into a ruthless killer, there was a motive behind it all that audiences could most probably relate to.
The action in this film is A-grade - and that's what you'll likely want to see it for!
Donnie Yen tries to up his acting, but we all love him for his on-screen combat talent, so who cares as long as he's not Arnie-level bad, right? It's like watching a Jackie Chan film: we all know what we want and what to expect going in, but trying to emote to make up for age slowing him down, doesn't change the fact that we still want to see more of what made us fans in the first place!
In short: where this will never be the best film you'll ever see, it hits all the right buttons. Recommended.
To be honest: I'm a big fan of Donny Yen; Nicholas Tse is the "pretty boy" who can be frustratingly brilliant every now and again; Benny Chan churned out enjoyable action content, whereas the plot - coupled with all of the above - meant that this was always on my viewing list, but never a priority. I ended up watching it on a recent flight with a Chinese airline, and, DAMN, did I regret not seeing it sooner?!
I won't spoil anything but, as the other review here points out: things are a tad predictable. But for what this is, that's more than okay.
What the other reviewer didn't mention though, was the moral dilemma of doing the right thing - even if it meant potentially sacrificing a comrade - and the question of whether the villain was actually justified in doing what he did?
This is what made Nicholas Tse's character so enchanting: even though trauma had turned him into a ruthless killer, there was a motive behind it all that audiences could most probably relate to.
The action in this film is A-grade - and that's what you'll likely want to see it for!
Donnie Yen tries to up his acting, but we all love him for his on-screen combat talent, so who cares as long as he's not Arnie-level bad, right? It's like watching a Jackie Chan film: we all know what we want and what to expect going in, but trying to emote to make up for age slowing him down, doesn't change the fact that we still want to see more of what made us fans in the first place!
In short: where this will never be the best film you'll ever see, it hits all the right buttons. Recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
