HELIOS is a mixed bag Hong Kong crime thriller with international touches. I should have been warned with mainland China AND America given as linked production countries because this has a choppy, all-over-the-place feel to it. An international terrorist steals a nuclear weapon from South Korea, so a bunch of Korean cops head over to Hong Kong to help the locals get it back. It's essentially the cops and their associates versus a Japanese bad guy and his gorgeous female assassin. The film boasts some fun performances from actors who are now to be considered old timers: brothers Nick and Jacky Cheung, alongside former hearthrob Shawn Yue. There are at least two decent action sequences, both extended and full of bloody violence and mayhem; the extended gun battle in an underground car park followed by the motorbike chase is great stuff. I'm always happy to see big Mike Leeder popping up in a movie too. Sadly, the rest suffers from weak plotting and an overlong running time, plus a non-ending leaving things open for a sequel which hasn't materialised so far.
Review of Helios
