A thriller with a difference, this is a rare film: an action film that gives us complex human characters to care about, as well as plenty of adrenaline-pumping shoot-outs and car chases to enjoy. It's a complex film to watch, with lots of different characters and relationships. It's not simply a film about good vs. evil, the bad guys versus the good guys - here, the lines are blurred, and nobody is painted in just black and white.
Chow Yun-Fat excels as the corrupted cop with a heart of gold, giving us a noble character (no stretch for him) who we really care about by the film's ending. However it's Mark Wahlberg who comes as the real surprise, giving us a man torn between doing what's right (i.e. turning in his partner) and doing what his heart tells him. The two men strike up a realistic relationship, one which is very watchable, and the film keeps you guessing as to the final outcome of things right up until the very end.
There are lots of sleazy criminals also kicking around, and the film is shot in gloomy locations with a lot of shadows. Typically men will be talking in an office with sunlight shining on them through the half-closed blinds. This gives it a dark atmosphere, yet it's still a very crisp, well-photographed film to watch. The action is fine and realistic-looking, with a top car chase (my only complaint is that it could have been longer) through the streets as bullets rip through the two vehicles and a whole slew of innocent people are butchered as the carnage progresses through the city. There are also plenty of shoot-outs as the cops raid illegal brothels and drug dens, the film painting a very seedy picture of the city. The ending is unusually heartfelt. It's not a perfect film, but the relationship between Yun-Fat and Wahlberg is enough to make it work. This isn't just an action film - it's a human drama too, with believable characters mixed in with the expected bone-crunching excitement. A nice surprise.
Chow Yun-Fat excels as the corrupted cop with a heart of gold, giving us a noble character (no stretch for him) who we really care about by the film's ending. However it's Mark Wahlberg who comes as the real surprise, giving us a man torn between doing what's right (i.e. turning in his partner) and doing what his heart tells him. The two men strike up a realistic relationship, one which is very watchable, and the film keeps you guessing as to the final outcome of things right up until the very end.
There are lots of sleazy criminals also kicking around, and the film is shot in gloomy locations with a lot of shadows. Typically men will be talking in an office with sunlight shining on them through the half-closed blinds. This gives it a dark atmosphere, yet it's still a very crisp, well-photographed film to watch. The action is fine and realistic-looking, with a top car chase (my only complaint is that it could have been longer) through the streets as bullets rip through the two vehicles and a whole slew of innocent people are butchered as the carnage progresses through the city. There are also plenty of shoot-outs as the cops raid illegal brothels and drug dens, the film painting a very seedy picture of the city. The ending is unusually heartfelt. It's not a perfect film, but the relationship between Yun-Fat and Wahlberg is enough to make it work. This isn't just an action film - it's a human drama too, with believable characters mixed in with the expected bone-crunching excitement. A nice surprise.