This film is trash!
= Cast = It is no secret that Louis Koo is (and has been) trying to pass the torch to the newer generation but this young cast simply wasn't able to carry the movie. I have absolutely nothing personal against Lau Chun-him, but asking him to play a rough-neck / gangster just doesn't cut it. Perhaps he'd be better suited for a gigolo or pimp (aka Goo Yeh Jai) type of role. Pfff~ At this point I wouldn't be surprised to see Keung B (Keung To) play Big Brother B in the next remake of Young and the Dangerous. :scoffs:
In recent years, many on-screen villains elected to follow (or imitate) a psychotic Joker but imho eccentric portrayals/renditions are extremely hard to imitate. For it to work, you'll need to put your own unique spin to it, and that takes a very high caliber actor to pull it off. I am sorry, but Philip Ng has failed. Like they say: often imitated, but never duplicated".
= Visual Effects = The visual effects are very poor. It looked like something that came out of an early 2000s HK movie. The action and the visual effects aren't in sync, and as such don't look/feel natural; the depiction of superhuman feats performed where characters bounce across the screen and smashing into each other during fight scenes really ruined the film for me. It's just awkward! (For a fuller and better description on this point, please read the review titled "Ruined by countless silly fight scenes" by user andy-57995)
= Action & Choreography = Passable at best. In the "Making Of"s I can see that a lot of effort has been put in, but the crappy visual effects killed it.
= Cinematography = I'll give the cinematography a B because it does a good job at setting the tone.
= Story = As other users have indicated, the story was interesting; *some* of the characters are developed nicely and their relationships were well structured. Though, there were no romantic scenes and there are very few memorable interludes. Also, while I know it may sound a tad weird when i say this, but I can't help to mention that this film is missing a rape scene. If you are a fan of this genre in Hong Kong cinema, a rape (or attempted rape) scene is a signature of this genre tracing back to at least the 1970s. Why do I even mention this, you might ask? It's because I feel that it's a travesty that so many reviewers online are saying that this movie brought back old-flick vibes from the golden era of HK cinema. We will never again find certain elements or portrayals incorporated into a HK triad film, simply because the government won't allow it. This is an irrefutable fact. Anyway, I'll leave it at that.
= Other thoughts = · After the clash between Louis Koo and Sammo near the end, the film lost all steam. The final fight scene is fk'n silly, looks goofy and the whole thing is cringy af to be perfectly honest with you. This brings back to my point about the young cast not being able to carry the movie on their own.
· Sammo Hung's still got it. For someone who is 72 yo and needs a cane to walk, he's pretty impressive. They don't call him Dai Gor Dai (Big Brother Big) for nothing.
3/10 is a fair rating!
= Cast = It is no secret that Louis Koo is (and has been) trying to pass the torch to the newer generation but this young cast simply wasn't able to carry the movie. I have absolutely nothing personal against Lau Chun-him, but asking him to play a rough-neck / gangster just doesn't cut it. Perhaps he'd be better suited for a gigolo or pimp (aka Goo Yeh Jai) type of role. Pfff~ At this point I wouldn't be surprised to see Keung B (Keung To) play Big Brother B in the next remake of Young and the Dangerous. :scoffs:
In recent years, many on-screen villains elected to follow (or imitate) a psychotic Joker but imho eccentric portrayals/renditions are extremely hard to imitate. For it to work, you'll need to put your own unique spin to it, and that takes a very high caliber actor to pull it off. I am sorry, but Philip Ng has failed. Like they say: often imitated, but never duplicated".
= Visual Effects = The visual effects are very poor. It looked like something that came out of an early 2000s HK movie. The action and the visual effects aren't in sync, and as such don't look/feel natural; the depiction of superhuman feats performed where characters bounce across the screen and smashing into each other during fight scenes really ruined the film for me. It's just awkward! (For a fuller and better description on this point, please read the review titled "Ruined by countless silly fight scenes" by user andy-57995)
= Action & Choreography = Passable at best. In the "Making Of"s I can see that a lot of effort has been put in, but the crappy visual effects killed it.
= Cinematography = I'll give the cinematography a B because it does a good job at setting the tone.
= Story = As other users have indicated, the story was interesting; *some* of the characters are developed nicely and their relationships were well structured. Though, there were no romantic scenes and there are very few memorable interludes. Also, while I know it may sound a tad weird when i say this, but I can't help to mention that this film is missing a rape scene. If you are a fan of this genre in Hong Kong cinema, a rape (or attempted rape) scene is a signature of this genre tracing back to at least the 1970s. Why do I even mention this, you might ask? It's because I feel that it's a travesty that so many reviewers online are saying that this movie brought back old-flick vibes from the golden era of HK cinema. We will never again find certain elements or portrayals incorporated into a HK triad film, simply because the government won't allow it. This is an irrefutable fact. Anyway, I'll leave it at that.
= Other thoughts = · After the clash between Louis Koo and Sammo near the end, the film lost all steam. The final fight scene is fk'n silly, looks goofy and the whole thing is cringy af to be perfectly honest with you. This brings back to my point about the young cast not being able to carry the movie on their own.
· Sammo Hung's still got it. For someone who is 72 yo and needs a cane to walk, he's pretty impressive. They don't call him Dai Gor Dai (Big Brother Big) for nothing.
3/10 is a fair rating!
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