Reviews

While this film's "two movies in one" structure has a lot of potential, it is probably the main reason the movie doesn't come off better. It spreads itself too thin, and ends up being only sporadically effective. The present-days police story segments are rather bland; the investigative process isn't handled with much (for lack of a better word) flair, and Detective Oh, other than unexplored hints of "cop on the edge" syndrome, isn't much more than a handsome tough guy. Time that could've been used on character or plot, or excised completely to keep up the pace, is used on well-executed but pointless action scenes involving apprehending characters whose involvement is only tangential. The flashback scenes fare somewhat better as they aren't something we've seen a million times, and are also responsible for the film's highlight, an escape from a prison camp. It also seems to be the part the director was most interested in, given how much flashier it is than anything before or after it. One wishes that Bae had taken as much care with scenes in offices and cars as he did with scenes about people being cut down. Unfortunately, the flashbacks overall are too rushed to really flesh out the characters, and tend to wallow in slightly excessive melodrama, which isn't helped by the not-bad but utterly generic score. The resolution is actually fairly surprising, and could've been quite dramatic. Unfortunately, the director's poor choices in use of screen time makes what could've been a very satisfying and emotional resolution fairly flat. The final scene also pushes credibility too far in the name of melodrama, making it seem ridiculous. That's not to say it's a terrible movie. Only a few parts stand out as really hitting the wrong notes. However, in this case the whole is less than the sum of its parts, because they aren't assembled properly. It's an ambitious project and a good try at something different, but it just didn't quite work for me as a whole either viscerally or emotionally.

There's a stretch of about ten minutes in the first act of this film during which it looks like it's going to try to present a realistic picture of corruption in business, which could've been pretty interesting. Unfortunately, it quickly degenerates into standard, sloppy, and worst of all boring "thriller" material. This is the kind of movie that feels like it's at least 1/3 padding; Charlize Theron in particular has almost no reason to be in the movie other than to provide "emotional" moments that I think are supposed to be some kind of "character development." All the pointless go-nowhere scenes aren't helped by the general lack of interesting dialogue or (despite a decent cast that is mostly solid) performances. Worst of all, Mark Wahlberg gives a bland performance with an annoying accent, and portrays one of the most unsympathetic and uninteresting protagonists in recent memory. Some crime films present a flawed hero, who does bad things but has a good heart; some get by with an amoral criminal who has an interesting outlook or is fascinatingly skilled. Here Wahlberg plays a loser of seemingly sub-average intelligence who is barely any better than the people he's running from and always seems to be on the verge of falling asleep, making it impossible to care about the "man on the run" aspect of the film. And, of course, the ending is anti-climactic and ridiculously pat. It's the last nail in the movie's coffin. Avoid this one.

That's the only thing I can think of that would explain the overwhelmingly good review for this bland film. As a "thriller," it's a failure; there's virtually no mystery or suspense at any time. As a true and insightful account of actual events it also fails, as the portrayals of all the characters are very, very shallow. The acting is bland (and the accents on the leads are silly; I think I'd rather watch a Russian-made version of this film) and the detective's development doesn't go much further than "he really wants to catch the killer, and it's stressful for him." The other major characters aren't really developed at all. It is somewhat interesting to see how investigations were conducted in the former USSR and how they were affected by the bureaucracy (assuming this is at all accurate; and actually, it doesn't add up to much more than "you're off the case!" "You're off YOUR case, Chief!" with fake Russian accents) but otherwise this film, while never particularly dull, doesn't have much to recommend it.

It's true that this film is probably a rare gem among straight-to-video action movies, but that doesn't mean it's good. In general, it feels cheap and sloppy; the soundtrack is mostly terrible electronic music, the dialogue seems to substitute excessive use of "the f-word" for wit, and the action scenes- which are also far less abundant than some reviews would have you believe- substitute endless slow-motion (some of which does actually look pretty good) for creative choreography. The structure that is used throughout the film- Willem Dafoe finds bodies, figures out what happened, and then we see it- basically robs the movie of any suspense or tension since all the "action" scenes happen in flashbacks. And naturally there are more fundamental problems, like the thinness of the story and characters and the fact that the film lacks a point and doesn't offer up enough entertainment to distract from this fact. Overall- not painful or a complete waste of time, but not deserving of its cult status.

Maybe I wouldn't be quite so grumpy if this film hadn't been recommended to me as a thriller, but even if it hadn't, I still don't think I would care for it. For precisely two minutes, you're treated to near-perfection of sound and imagery while Macy looks moody and cool as the credits pop up; the film makes a mistake it never recovers from at approximately 2:01, when a voiceover kicks in and the movie begins in earnest.

Other than well-done cinematography, I couldn't find much of anything to like about this film. The plot and characters are cliched and one-dimensional; I would rather watch more "acknowledged" cliches done well than more ridiculously precocious children, criminals with family lives, and bad guys who see therapists. The characters' extreme simplicity would be forgivable in a movie with something else taking up screen time, but in a movie that seemingly is about nothing but characters, it's dumbfounding. Only Macy has any hint of complexity, and it's really little more than a veneer established by making him awkward and moody.

The major plot points are fairly easy to predict; it's only a matter of when. The performances are mostly decent, (with the exception of the typically lousy Campbell) but the actors aren't given that much to work with; there are no memorable lines or particularly impressive acting moments. That about covers this film's lack of anything appealing; in the end, there's no thrills, no laughs, no insight, no point.

It took me three sessions to finish this movie because it kept putting me to sleep. The word that seems to best fit this movie is "droning." The action is most unimpressive, the gore is not half as plentiful as I was lead to believe, and none of the performers make much of an impression. Somehow, despite all the zombie-shooting, it all feels flat somehow, and the expository scenes move at the molasses pace typical of Japanese films. And there is actually a lot of exposition; this film is hardly the nonstop whirlwind of blood and bullets that people make it out to be. I'm not one of those who complained that "Black Hawk Down was all action and had no characterization!" I'm not somebody who insists that every movie needs an original story and a deep message. But if a movie is going to consist of nothing but crazy, violent action, it had better be more interesting than this, which doesn't really have a single pulse-quickening moment in it. I tried to watch this movie again with friends, but they gave up on it in less than 15 minutes.

...But alas, I just couldn't find much here that grabbed me. Chopper kills a couple people, delivers a handful of one-liners, punches his girlfriend, goes back to jail, the end. Not being familiar with Read's "legacy," when the movie is over I didn't really have any better understanding of why this was someone who needed a movie made about him. This is neither an intimate look at why Chopper is the person he is, nor a an entertaining, whirlwind "greatest hits" flick. There's some good dialogue, some good dark humor and some interesting things done with cinematography, but in the end it just doesn't add up to much, either as docudrama, (which it states up front that it isn't) art, or entertainment. It feels like a made-for-TV movie with cursing and a few bloody scenes. I wanted to like this film, but in the end I just can't see what the point was. Maybe the film resonates more with Australians, Chopper's story being more familiar to them.

I can't imagine this film holding much genuine appeal for anyone other than true psychopaths. I hate to put people down, but I think most people who claim to like this movie are just spouting pseudo-intellectual nonsense to raise themselves above "normal" filmgoers, who wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole. Parts of the film are enjoyable, but much of it is plodding, and the extreme sadism of certain parts of it far outweigh any enjoyable or valuable elements the film might have. You can make a movie exploring the seamy and sadistic underbelly of Japan (and frankly, I think it's a stretch to say that "Ichi" really succeeds in telling us anything about the psychology of violence) without showing tongues and nipples cut off. I have appreciated some of Takashi Miike's past jokes on audiences, but here he's just made a film so unpleasant that I have a hard time believing that any normal person could truthfully say "I enjoyed that." I suspect that would please him. I wish, though, that he would return to making films like "Dead or Alive" that leave the audience bewildered but not completely repulsed.

I don't understand how millions and millions of dollars can be spent on something so empty. This is a 130 minute film in which almost nothing happens and the two arch enemies are on opposite sides of the world for the first 80 minutes. The acting is good, but that's expected in any major production. There are a few decent sequences- a suspenseful tail, a shootout- but they're basically self-contained, not really having much bearing on the film. Worst of all, most of the scares and "gags" are telegraphed. Basically, this is a few bloody murders (not even enough to satisfy on even the basest "show me some violence" level) and some blah Euro scenery, smothered in an undeserved air of self-importance, and stretched out for 30-40 minutes longer than the simple plot really deserves. This grotesque studio waste would barely be more offensive if they literally burned the money instead.

Aside from its generally above-average direction and some creative moments, (although, unlike what some of the other reviews might lead one to believe, nothing that particularly eclipses what some of the other top-flight Asian crime-kings are doing) Bangkok Dangerous doesn't have much of interest. The story might seem okay in the West, but for those who've watched any significant number of Hong Kong movies this is all familiar territory. Although the deaf-hitman concept is mildly interesting, it hurts the movie more than it helps, due to the fact that dialogue scenes consist of people talking slowly to him and him making faces back. I used the fast-forward button a lot watching this one. Good lighting and a few slick moments (action and not) aside, I found this quite a chore to watch. I would rather watch Beyond Hypothermia, The Odd One Dies, or even the poorly-received Full-Time Killer for a better "Hitman(person) In Love" story.

Why I couldn't say. How exactly does one make a movie over 110 minutes long that's so low on content? Oh, I get it; you use about twice as many actors as you should, so that nobody really gets to do much. Then you spend your whole budget on a big explosion at the end so that you have no money for much action in the rest of the movie. (Let's take a tally: a brief bit of gunplay and an exploding car. A fairly weak hand-to-hand scene. A somewhat lengthy gunfight that isn't all that exciting. An explosion. A little shooting. Another explosion. About 45 more seconds of shooting. A so-so 1:30 or so brawl. Then the big explosion) Also, forget to write a script, and have character motivations so poorly thought out that they're actually contradictory. (In the first ten minutes, Akatora says he likes to kill people slowly so they "know how they f***ed up." And then, in the end, he plans to get revenge on somebody by blowing up a convention center with them inside.) This movie isn't too boring, and isn't all bad; the colors are pretty, and Francis Ng is good as always. But in general, like all big-budget HK action movies of the last three or four years, this one's Hollywood-wannabe dud.

Admittedly, I didn't see this film on the big screen like most of the early reviewers here, so that should be taken into account. However, I think I've seen enough films of this genre to say that while this is far above average, it's hardly the best. The plot is too disjointed and flat, breaking the "show don't tell" rule at every opportunity. Consequently, there is never any real feeling of emotional involvement or identification with the characters, nor is there a foreseeable climax that the film is constantly progressing towards. As if this dearth of dramatic impetus weren't enough, there's a flashback right in the middle of the film that's at least 20 minutes long, further removing the viewer from the storyline. Some may appreciate this unconventional approach, but I'm of the mind that certain genre conventions are developed for good reason.

Technically, the film is fine, but the increase in budget does little to separate it from the Hong Kong swordplay films of the early '90s. The costumes and sets, authentic or not, lack some of the color of those of other genre films. The wirework is generally not very well done; in a Tsui Hark film, wirework looks like exactly what it's intended to; in this film, it looks like actors being pulled around by wires.

For all my criticism, I did enjoy the film. The direction, choreography and scenery drastically improve in the final half-hour, and the character study approach is somewhat interesting, even if it does sacrifice forward motion. Despite the early, disappointing fight scenes, some of those in the second half are up to par with any other film of the genre. Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi's battle is particularly impressive, even if they are obviously doubled for the longer, more complex takes. It's a good film, and certainly looks like a masterpiece in comparison to the current competition from Andrew Lau and company. I just can't honestly say it was more impressive, exciting, or emotionally involving than comparatively cheap films like The Blade, Dragon Inn, or the Swordsman series.

That's the rating this film has received so far?! I guess this really is a love-it-or-hate-it film; but I watched it twice in two nights without the benefit of English subtitles, that should tell you something. Even without understandable dialogue it's funny, exciting, and even a bit challenging. It's nice to see a film with artistic merit that isn't afraid to be entertaining. The film's unusual fight scenes are really something to see; at times it appears that the director just let the actors fight while the camera ran, sometimes for up to a minute at a time without any cuts. I can't recommend it enough. I imagine being able to understand it could only be an improvement.

I won't say the plot was brilliant, I won't say that the acting was wonderful, I'll just say that this is one of the most ejoyable movies I've ever watched. Swashbuckling action, magnificent score, and enjoyable script. It doesn't matter if it's a load of garbage, it's still enjoyable every time I watch it

I didn't love this as much as some people, (see above) but I did like this one a lot. Lots of great lines like "...you sneaky f***in'... in-the-bath- fella!" Plenty of deadpan humor. Reminds me of Midnight Run crossed with Pulp Fiction and just a little Miller's Crossing. I rented it twice, check it out.

This movie has serviceable dialogue, decent pacing, and a few laughs. Other than that there's really not much to enjoy here; I'm afraid I just don't understand why this movie is so hyped. It wasn't painful to watch, but I'm mystified as to its appeal. And I thought the other Leonard adaptations were pretty good.

An almost completely satisfying 85 minutes; I'd have a hard time coming up with five minutes of the movie I'd like to see cut out. The movie starts off slow but intense, and gradually builds to fast and even more intense. Both leads are, of course, great. There are a lot of plot holes and logic jumps, but that's almost a given in a conspiracy-themed movie. Aside from that, there are really only a few small complaints to make; the action ending seems a little contrived. Some of the Foley work is pretty weak. A major character meets his/her demise in an extremely unsatisying manner. There's a couple of sloppy edits towards the end. The establishing shots are stolen from NYPD Blue. But really, when I'm so desperate for downsides that I'm nitpicking the EDITING, you know it's a great movie! Patrick Yau is well on his way to becoming one of the best directors in Hong Kong.

This one is currently in the running for Best Movie Ever. Anthony Wong gives what is probably his best performance; Michael Wong isn't annoying at all for once, and the supporting cast is generally good. There basically isn't a boring scene in the whole movie. While it's not really an action movie, there are a fair number of chaotic violent scenes... Sometimes the camerawork is a little TOO chaotic. It might seem pretentious in other movies, but this one has a such a "what the hell" attitude I'm inclined to overlook some erratic storytelling and pointlessly strange cinematography. It's hard to explain just what's so great about this movie, but I've seen it three times and liked it more each time... That should say something.