Beast Cops

Beast Cops has got to be one of the most overrated movies ever made in Hong Kong. There are only a few elements that justify some praise. And that is Anthony Wong and the comedy. But an actioner this is not. Sure there are some violent scenes consisting of some sword fighting and occasional gun firing but just not enough to qualify it as hard hitting action, that you can expect from this type of Hong Kong film. And before you condemn me for being superficial or not open minded enough. This is advertised as a brilliant action film. You got to put the money where your mouth is. Plus when a film doesn't offer what is promised I will be the first one to embrace whatever goodness that is delivered.

Except there is none. Even for a triad film Beast Cops doesn't convince. Yes, there are gangsters and the usual betrayal shenanigans. But it hardly shows what the triads do or why they are so feared. Plot wise this seemed such an important factor since these triads were so friendly with the cops. With the lack of story and suspense I at least expected some interesting things to happen. I mean why else would so many praise the hell out of this.. Well, I kept waiting and waiting and it never came.

And what was Michael Wong doing in this? It seemed he was lost and on his way to the set of another crappy film he is featured in. Honestly, I do like the guy but let's face it he is one of the most boring actors in Hong Kong cinema. He didn't make much sense here. The only thing I could think of was that the director wanted to show some contrast between him and Anthony Wong's character. If that was the idea than he failed miserably. Compared to similar Hong Kong films Beast Cops doesn't add anything new other than humour, which in my book wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this.

Ignore the fact that Beast Cops has won many awards and that it is praised. It is not deserving of that at all. Avoid!

Interestingly, half of the comments listed here state this film is a complete disaster and the other half call it an action masterpiece. The film is neither of these extremes and its quality really is a compromise of both stances.

The begin with, the story it tells is rather straight forward with a typical flow of narrative we have seen in several other Asian thrillers. The story, however, is not a complete carbon copy of these other films and does have its own unique flavor, but the similarities can not be ignored.

What does set it apart from these other Asian thriller is the way it is told. The film is disclosed in a terrific and unique visual flair. The film features some savvy cinematography and flashy lighting to really add a wonderful ambiance and atmosphere to the proceedings which does help elevate its otherwise mundane plot.

The narrative also is infused with a good amount of comedy, causing the film to operate more as an action comedy rather than a straight action thriller. However, this is both to its advantage and disadvantage. The comedy does add a refreshing spin on the genre, making the film feel fresher than others of its ilk; but the comedy and serious violence is presented too unevenly making the film have a crisis in identity. At one moment the audience is expected to laugh and the next we are to cringe at the intensity and brutality of the action. This leads us to assume the film wasn't quite sure which direction to embrace.

However, the acting really is a key point that aids in its overall success. Anthony Wong is on hand to give another terrific performance. Many critics cite this as one of his best roles, if not the best one he ever had. The reasons are quite clear as Wong can both exemplify a tender heart in softer scenes and a determined, vengeful soul in harder scenes. On account of his performance, some of the uneven issues in tones are brought to an equilibrium, but are unfortunately not entirely resolved.

The acting form the supporting cast are adequate but nothing noteworthy. Some of the performances are rather over the top but that seems to be often the case in Asian thrillers, The rest are fortunately competent.

Overall, if the script had greater focus and didn't conform to several conventional elements, then this film would have been one of the better thrillers to come out of Hong Kong. As it is, the film is a rather typical action thriller told in an invigorating manor. Recommended for anyone interested in thriller genre, but if you are a causal film viewer or if the genre isn't your forte, then there are better examples out there.

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.

A cops-n-robbers movie, but not at all typical. An interesting departure from the stylized violence of classic HK movies, such as those directed by John Woo. Despite the chaos of those movies, there was always something "neat" and organized about the action, a choreography. Kind of like a fireworks display. As exuberant and fun as that style is, Beast Cops is an example of a new sort of HK cinema.

And it's a bit messy. Even the characters are somewhat sloppy; spitting on sidewalks, flinging beer cans in the backseat, etc. No one in this movie looks particularly dashing.

Even the violence is messy. For some reason, guns are seldom used, and most of the damage is caused by beating people with sticks or stabbing them with knives. And the knives aren't even cool-looking, they look like kitchen cleavers. So there's a more "hands-on" and labored feeling about the violence as opposed to the more effortless killing accomplished by guns.

But the slapdash feel and somewhat primitive action actually amounts to a very purposeful sophistication and insight about the characters. All the characters are realistically flawed, and the emotions feel genuine. The usual conflicts of loyalty/betrayal and the notion of brotherhood are all addressed, but the outcome is not formulaic or predictable.

Over all, this is a very well-made movie. The acting is first-rate, with Anthony Wong (as Tung) being especially good, as his character spans a confident wise-ass, a dejected lover, a ballsy hero, to a full-on psycho. Instead of a fireworks display, this movie is more like abstract art - a whole different kind of pleasure.

This movie is a pretentious excuse to exploit the two lead actors and their fans. The script makes little sense, which is a bad filmmakers device to make you watch till the end so that you figure out eventually what's going on while this is definitely not the kind of a film that needs it. Acting is really uninspired from everybody, mainly because most of the time there's little to play with. Action is non-existent, people spend more time loitering, clubbing, eating out and in bed, than racing, shooting, fighting and chopping each other. When the action comes it is shot in a "can't see a thing it shakes so much"-vision and presented very badly to you, often employing speed-ups and various stylish editing techniques...badly! The trailer probably looked worthy of all the awards this movie got. Does it mean that there were no better films that year?