Drug War

If you hate those movie shootouts where the rivals never kill each other, watch this. Here they fall like flies. Overall it’s a very good, brisk thriller. No risk of boredom. (27/06/2013)

The poster is excellent. It sets the ground for an uncompromising crime story with a relentless policeman on one side and a criminal who has to cooperate whether he wants to or not, on the other side. The result? The Asians have already showed us similar crime movies, for example with the film Internal Affairs, so they should have some experience. However, for me, the relationship of the two was just not believable. The drug dealer snitched something, then there was some fuck up, he admitted to not saying everything, the police threatened him with death, he started crying and started talking. There were countless moments like this in the film. The scene with drug overdosing is quite good, but the final shoot off looks like it was happening on a playground. In a Chinese film I wouldn’t expect to see such differences in quality. (11/02/2018)

A darn long shift for a provincial narcotics unit. For To, a surprisingly toned-down, raw, realistic, dark and the first movie I’ve seen by him where “style and form above all else" applies; unusually he chose a Mannesque style and approach, so it centers on atmosphere and what goes unsaid between the characters on opposite sides of the barricades. Simply a very well-made variation on Heat with all the trimmings. The problem is the final twenty minutes which would so love to be something like a shootout in the street like in Heat, but instead turns into classic To-ism. Hitherto intelligent characters suddenly begin behaving like dumb asses. Don’t get me wrong, the shootout is entertaining, uncompromising and stylish. It’s just that it comes from a completely different movie. (24/06/2013)

After a handful of questionable or compromising titles that only somewhat recalled his peak years, Johnnie To carved out a surprising return to his top form. Drug War is thus actually a new beginning (or at least let’s hope so) – a thriller shot in China and maximising its potential in order to be a literally nonstop ride abounding with imaginative twists. It can even be said that, unlike Yau Nai Hoi’s spectacular displays of screenwriting flair, To’s new film features an inconspicuously refined narrative that flows from one thrilling sequence to the next without any stupid passages. At the same time, however, the whirlwind of events in the film conceals a well-thought-out machine that leads viewers precisely to where it wants them to go. An essential role in this process is played by both the lead and supporting characters and their presentation as the fast-paced narrative progresses, thanks to which the basically formulaic figures are given life and energy. An exception to this is the main character, who seems to be impenetrable through most of the film, but is eventually fleshed out in a captivatingly complex way through his own actions. Let’s hope that this gritty and chaotic thriller, which takes an entirely ruthless approach both to its characters and to viewer expectations, is truly not only a revival of To’s career, but a completely new direction in his work, as he has definitely accepted the challenge of lucrative Chinese co-productions while creating an exceptionally intense, well-thought-out and captivating film within the established boundaries. (10/02/2013)

The shift to an Eastern setting worked well for the detective genre; the film was entertaining at times, but overall, I’ve seen better crime dramas. The interesting premise of a captured villain assisting the police had its merits, but it lacked greater buildup. I also didn’t connect deeply with the characters, so their often unfortunate fates didn’t impact me much; I simply didn’t care. As I mentioned, there was tension, which I wouldn’t deny, but with such a topic, you expect a substantial emotional punch. Unfortunately, that wasn’t delivered. In terms of action, there are only two sequences, with the first one being rather weak. However, what pulls the film out of the average range and is the only aspect I will remember forever is the final nearly twenty-minute shootout. It provided a solid action spectacle with a generous amount of bullets and a notably high kill count. The final twist in the story surprised me, though it was perhaps the only plausible outcome. For the two main leads and the excellently filmed shootout, I give the film 68%. (28/01/2019)