Man, this movie was such a mishmash it's hard to even form an opinion on it. My love for East Asian action movies and hitmen is at war with my disdain for movies that reference classic movies and confusion over what fucking language I'm listening to at any given moment.O (Takashi Sorimachi) is Asia's top assassin, a position he has achieved by being a complete recluse. Not even his housekeeper, Ms. Chin (Kelly Lin), knows anything about him, just that his previous housekeeper disappeared. O's position is threatened by the arrival of Tok (Andy Lau), a flashy newcomer who cribs his style from every popular action film released in the last ten years. Tok even goes so far as to woo Ms. Chin just to get at his rival. Meanwhile, both men are being hunted by an obsessive Interpol agent (Simon Yam).
This movie was shot in Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Japanese with a little bit of Korean in there as well, if my ear is correct. I speak only one of those languages so it was a little hard to follow, since I'm pretty sure the multiple tongues were intended to be a plot point. I get the concept but it makes for a bit more challenging viewing for Western audiences. Maybe. Or maybe I'm overthinking it.
Anyway, the action sequences are good and it was nice to see Andy Lau do something that looked so carefree. Most things I've seen him in, he is much more serious. The production values are not Hollywood-level, which makes the film seem older than it is, but that's again just a Western observation.
No comments:
Post a Comment