The Viral Factor

The plot is all over the place and you shouldn't worry about it, because it will pull the fun out of your viewing pleasure (if you can call it that). It doesn't make much sense most of the time too, so just try to get on that ride and enjoy it while it lasts. While I do like Asian action cinema in all its variety (be it from Hong Kong, South Korea or Japan), this one does not have the strength other movies do. It is too simple (though it tries to be complicated) and light for its own good most of the time.

The actors are actually good, but I can't shake the feeling that they weren't comfortable with the script either. But the action scenes do not disappoint, which is why I gave it that rating. Still with a bit of emotional power behind it, it could have been even better.

The film's plot revolves an International Security Affairs agent who is betrayed and shot in the head while transporting a valuable asset to another country. After recovery, he realizes he doesn't have much time left so sets out to find his estranged brother and also meets up with a doctor willing to look into treatment for his condition. When his brother attempts to kidnap the doctor, they are forced to work together to stop the criminals from unleashing a disease on the world.

This film has a good cast and a bit likable characters, the plotline tho is subpar, the beginning is promising but the focus of the story totally move from being about a chemical virus to a story about two estranged brothers. It also gets melodrama in some places and features questionable editing decisions that hurt the film's pacing and overall story consistency, as well as the viewer's emotional bond with the characters. However, majority of the film is action-packed, it features all kinds of action sequences, be it, foot chases, gun shootouts, hand-to-hand combats, you name it. While some of them are well-choreographed and intense, the others are so clumsy and unrealistic. Moreover, the shaky camera-work and fast-cutting editing makes them headache-inducing at times.

Overall, Viral factor could've been better, if it spends time developing the characters, then maybe it would have leave an impact on the audience. Nevertheless, it's entertaining, and the performances are good; Jay Chou and Nicholas did well in the lead roles. The visuals and overall production value is spot-on.

This is another typical action movie from HK that will be loved by those who watch with their right-sided brain but not those with left-sided brain. Better still if watch without working on the brains.Anyway, you have no time for the brain. Scenes are fast, action start right from the beginning till end, mostly well filmed, fast paced but the whole story, main plots and sub-plots right to the action details are full of multi-layered coincidental happenings or actions and events all in the nick time that the audience will find it unconvincing and unbelievable. If only they have paid more attention to the script instead of the action. Revealing the characters or more of the story will spoil the fun, there are also too many loose ends. One important role's mum actually got lost in the middle of the action. Most of the acting are good except for Jay Chou who look lost throughout the movie but it's OK considering his "problem". The location of KL(Kuala Lumpur) made the movie better; instead of usual HK.

well, 3 stars is for the nice action stunt carried out seamlessly. 7 stars minus is for the lousy casting job and the moronic screenplay that messed up the whole nine yards.

here are the problems:

1) if the small pox bio-virus so important, why use ground transportation instead of air lift? 2) why the scene is originated from Jordain? Jordain is not war-torn country, it's Iraq, stupid. 3) a bullet resided in the brain where is non-operable and the nerve center would be totally messed up within 2 weeks, after the guy stayed in the hospital for 3 months, and the guy was able to walk out the jordanian hospital, went back to china. well, that journey would have wasted how many days? the math was somewhat confusing a lot, dude. 4) if the young son (the one who carried a bullet in his brain) was brought up by his mother, why his mandarin pu-tong-wha with an Taiwanese accent? if the mother's hometown was Beijing, why her accent was without any Beijing tone? 4) so the younger brother was a police, what country's police force he belonged to? 5) then again, same problem happened again. the female bio-chem doctor spoken a common mandarin pu-tong-wha, her mother spoke typical Cantonese. why her daughter could speak the mandarin Chinese pu-tong-wha without any Cantonese dialect accent? no Cantonese could speak mandarin without any localized Cantonese accent. absolutely impossible! 6) so the brother was a dangerous criminal, in Malaysia? so, the father had migrated from Beijing(?) or hongkong(?) or canton (?) to Malaysia? the elder son became a local criminal. and the younger brother would be so accidentally got involved in his caper right after he landed in the twin-tower city? how convenient, dude.

this is a movie typically treated viewers as brainless morons without any reasoning logic. but after all the criticism been said, lets sit back and enjoy the nicely shot exotic locations this movie's lens carried around and also try to appreciate the well managed stunts and special effect of the fighting scenes, the flying bullets, the nicely done explosions, the car jack and so on.

this is an action movie full of heavily flawed scenarios and plot twists, some way too shallow, some way over the top. strongly recommend to watch but you must turn off your i.q. reasoning function first.

Sorry, but I cannot agree with all the rave reviews offered on this site. Here we have a Chinese Jason-Bourne-like character, who is on the trail of, and also abetting and saving a terrorist; a plot that involves possible use of biological weapons, corrupt agents, deadly gunfire and his mama. In short, it's something of a mess, but lots of gun-play, fistfights, and explosions will keep some folks happy.

I was inclined to leave this film early, but I find movies with Jay Zhou (or Chou as it's spelled here) amusing. Mr. Zhou has all the thespian skills of a turnip. He has his sullen face, his angry face, his sad face....in his last several films he does little talking. His shtick is to stare into the distance one way or another, and he plays this to a tee here. He can't act! Will someone please tell his paymaster! In this film a small portion of the dialog is in English, but I doubt anyone will understand Mr. Zhou's thick accent. Good thing there's subtitles! Suffice it to say, in this story the world will be doomed unless Jay Zhou succeeds.

In many scenes, the cops don't just seem helpless to stop the terrorists, they are helpless. The bad guys are near super-human, incredibly resourceful, and it's child's play for them to either gun down or escape from an army of machine-gun toting police. Several scenes definitely strain credulity; the action is not realistic, but clearly is comic-book fare.

An odd addition to the plot was the attempt to introduce sentimentality regarding one of the terrorists. This is a man who kills people, does kill many on screen, and somehow the director wants to show us his "human" side, (in this case with the introduction of a daughter that is little more than a prop in the movie), to induce pity or sympathy for him. Sorry, this guy is a killer (killers don't make good fathers, so the daughter is better off if he's not around), and he should die! John Woo did better at this sort of thing, because his Killer killed other criminals, but in this movie innocent people die. The director has connections and money, and Jay Zhou, but he has much to learn!