Gong yuan 2000 AD

I've never been a big fan of Aaron Kwok, but he's actually really good in this movie. Much better than in China Strike Force or Storm Riders.

Gordon Chan is one of the best Hong Kong -action directors, and he really knows how to combine drama and fastpaced action. The gunfights in this movie are very good and the kung fu scenes are pretty well made too. The fighting is mostly quite realistic (at least compared to movies like New Dragon Gate Inn, Iron Monkey or other high-flying action flicks) and all the characters aren't great kung fu masters.

Recommended for... anyone who likes GOOD action movies.

2000 AD (Gong Yuan 2000 AD)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

A young games designer (Aaron Kwok) goes in search of the terrorists who murdered his brother (Ray Lui), a computer expert who may - or may not - have been involved in a program designed to destabilize the world's financial markets.

Big budget action drama, directed by blockbuster specialist Gordon Chan (THUNDERBOLT, FIRST OPTION, etc.) as a vehicle for teen idol Kwok (THE STORM RIDERS), who acquits himself admirably as the carefree goof forced to grow up abruptly in the wake of Lui's untimely demise. The opening scenes provide a weak mix of 'comedy' and 'character development', all of which threaten to scupper the entire project, until Chan and veteran action director Yuen Tak cut loose with a series of high-octane confrontations between various factions on opposite sides of the law, culminating in a vertiginous fight scene between Kwok and lead terrorist Andrew Lin (THE BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR) on the roof of a high-rise hotel (don't look down!).

HEROIC DUO's Francis Ng is the no-nonsense cop who treats Kwok with open suspicion until forced to protect him from terrorist assassins, while newcomers Phyllis Quek and Gigi Choi provide the requisite eye-candy. Second-billed Daniel Wu plays Kwok's best friend, and James Lye (Lai Hing-cheung) is a hunky special agent from Singapore who becomes involved in protecting Kwok from Lin's deadly machinations. A handsome, mature-looking actor, Lye made his name in TV dramas such as "Price of Peace", "Seasons of Love" and "Millennium Bug", and was poised to become a major star following his appearance in WHEN I FALL IN LOVE... WITH BOTH (2000) and 2000 AD. However, he quit showbusiness in 2000, citing 'personal reasons', and went into the banking industry before getting married and disappearing from the scene.

(Cantonese dialogue)

2000 AD is a big HK 2000 Lunar New Year (February) movie release, made to capture as large an audience as possible with its story of a struggling video game designer (Aaron Kwok) who gets drawn into an Asian shadow world of spies, counter-intelligence and killers. An opening sequence involving the bad guy's way of delaying the arrival of some officials employs great visual effects, supplied in part by the technicians who worked on Independence Day and Gen-X Cops. Gordon Chan, the director of this action movie, does a good job choreographing the shoot-outs, fights and car chases. The story borrows some plot elements from The Net, but unlike Sandra Bullock, Aaron Kwok is the chaser, after the guys who murdered his brother in a bloody sniper attack. It is not Shakespeare, but 2000 AD moves fast, has colorful Singapore location shooting (no caning sequence here) and introduces great looking Singapore actress Phyllis Quek as key player in the action. Except for some ultra-violent sequences during the shootouts, 2000 AD is a fine, action packed movie.

This Chinese cyber thriller takes absolutely ages to get going. The entire first half of the film is filled with the machinations of a rather uninteresting cast of geeky characters, of whom there are far too many including lots of extraneous types (like the hero's girlfriend). Then, after a set-piece ambush, the story finally starts moving and it all gets rather better from that point in.

The plot, involving cyber crime at the turn of the millennium, is inevitably rather dated by today's standards, and watching people chase around and downloading data onto disk is a little cheesy. The inclusion of some ultra-low budget CGI effects, such as a plane explosion, doesn't help things. But when it comes to the action, director Gordon Chan doesn't disappoint, filling the latter half of his production with a series of hard-hitting shoot-outs that really make an impact, utilising bloody squib hits to their maximum advantage. Okay, so the ensuing martial arts fights aren't quite as well choreographed as the gunfights, but who cares? Young, dashing hero Aaron Kwok leads the proceedings, transforming from a geeky-type character into a rather unfeasibly tough, battle-scarred hero. A subdued Daniel Wu plays his friend, confidante and business associate, but doesn't have a great deal to do, although beautiful Malaysian actress Phyllis Quek is a welcome addition to the cast list. One of the best characters is an investigating cop, played by Francis Ng, who steals every scene with his layered performance of real depth. And watch out for Jackie Chan's former bodyguard, Ken Lo, playing an evil sniper.

With 2000 AD, director Gordon Chan cements his status as modern Hong Kong cinema's "King of Gun Battles". While his peers seem intent on putting together shootouts which are either a) amateurish and poorly edited (Extreme Crisis, Blood Rules), or b) oblique and artsy (The Mission), Chan proves there is at least one director left in Hong Kong who can deliver thrilling and explosive gunfights like nobody's business. He's not a John Woo clone though. Unlike the slow-motion beauty of Hong Kong cinema's most successful export, Chan prefers a hard-hitting and realistic approach. Think of the gun battle in Michael Mann's HEAT, and you will get an idea of how Chan likes to shoot and edit. Besides the action scenes, 2000 AD is an average Hollywood-style thriller. The story won't change your life, but you will be amused and that's enough. Best of all, the movie is WELL-PACED! That's one skill the current crop of HK directors seem to lack - Their films are too slow. Not 2000 AD. Well paced, good acting, amusing story, and awesome action. What are you waiting for?