Executioners

It pains me to have to post a negative review of EXECUTIONERS starring, as it does, the three greatest female action stars produced by Hong Kong cinema. But this film is a dark, bleak, muddled and frankly boring mess of a film.

This is probably not helped by the appalling "Engrish" subtitles of the Universe DVD release, which includes gems like:

"When the time comes you'll be retaliated" "The world is belonged to us soon," and the classic "You're immutable"

As I watched film I found myself asking "Who's that?" and "Why did that character do that?" and came away at the end not really understanding what was going on. Was the city everyone lives in the only habitable place on Earth? If the city had no water, why didn't people just leave?

Too many questions and sadly not enough answers.

Unlike other reviewers here, I'll say, "If you enjoyed HEROIC TRIO stay well away from EXECUTIONERS ..." My rating of 4 stars is because Anita Mui elevated anything she appeared in, even this piffle.

I've always loved the 80s trend of a sequel being completely different from the original, such as RAMBO compared to FIRST BLOOD, or SEASON OF THE WITCH to HALLOWEEN I & II, and especially apt here, MAD MAX to THE ROAD WARRIOR, where the sequel suddenly takes place after a nuclear war in a post-apocalyptic hell, which is what happened here in EXECUTIONERS. However, this is not a warriors-of-the-wasteland flick, but instead, a strange futuristic fantasy fight film where the Heroic Trio must face not only their own personal challenges but also a society devastated by war and a massive water shortage. Johnnie To returns as director to co-direct with Ching Siu-tung (A CHINESE GHOST STORY), and while the action is just as good as the original and I did enjoy the bombed-out post-apocalyptic city setting, the personal drama of the characters was pretty weak (Mui being a mother was a dumb addition) and not all that interesting. Outside of that, EXECUTIONERS is worth watching if you enjoyed the first film.

As a sequel to Heroic Trio, this movie far surpassed my expectations. I for one only liked Heroic Trio as a novelty, though it was good - it just lacked something...that something was a devastated future where everyone is being oppressed.

Since it is set in the future after an atomic blast, the Heroic Trio has gone their separate ways and is now under the thumb of a cruel mastermind that controls the clean water supply. However, this mastermind wishes for absolute control and seeks to destroy the ruling military government. It is up to the Heroic Trio to unite once more to stop his evil ambitions before he can complete his coup and rule the entire country.

That is where the fun really starts and never lets up. This one has much more action and plot than the first one could have ever hoped to achieve. The Heroic Trio is no longer a one dimensional force of fighting women, but they all have new lives...they have roles to fill other than fighting crime now...and most of all, they all have better things to do than play super hero. When one of them finally decides to step up, she is soon imprisoned for her efforts. Though this spawns her former comrades into action, it is not without heavy loss. That too was lacking in the original, nobody cool seemed to die. This one has death galore, everyone from new supporting cast to one of the heroes eventually meets a violent and untimely end. When you factor in the harsh reality of a world affected by military rule and radiation, it just boils over into a delightful affair.

This movie is a great kung-fu epic, and a worthy successor to the beloved Heroic Trio. I could not ask for anything more...if you like high flying mayhem, conspiracy, and a generally fun story then I would get this movie at any cost.

A visually stunning film, especially since I watched it in HD, this is a sequel to "The Heroic Trio". My problem with this film is its a little tough to follow. The storyline is muddled and things are somewhat unclear. I am a big fan of the three beautiful ladies who grace this film (especially Maggie Cheung and the late Anita Mui), but this is not near a film I would recommend to anyone wanting to see a film of theirs, unless your sole purpose is eye candy. That is no reason to watch a film like this on its own. If you watched and liked "The Heroic Trio", you'll want to see this, but if you want any indication of the talents of Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung, these films are far superior, if not similar: "Rouge", "Justice, My Foot" (Anita Mui) and "In The Mood For Love", "Irma Vep"-In both of these films, Maggie looks just as sexy-and "Centerstage". Watch those for the talent. This is just for those who watched the first film.

Johnny To's action/fantasy classic The Heroic Trio wasn't exactly helped by its convoluted plot and cloying over-sentimentality, but was made watchable thanks to its many bonkers action sequences; the sequel, Executioners, shares the first film's weaknesses, but lacks its exuberance and wackiness, making for a much less enjoyable experience overall.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where evil genius Mr. Kim (Anthony Wong) controls the city's only supply of uncontaminated water. Together with the help of a corrupt general, power hungry Kim leads a coup d'etat against the President, but his plans for total domination of the city are thwarted by The Heroic Trio (Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh and Anita Mui), who come out of retirement to battle the would-be despot.

With much of Executioners' running time dedicated to establishing its politically unstable environment and detailing Kim's scheme to seize power, the film doesn't leave much time for action, meaning that those who enjoyed the first film purely for its energetic lunacy will find themselves less than satisfied with this effort; even when the action does eventually kick off in the final act, it doesn't come anywhere near to the sheer craziness of The Heroic Trio.

The film's leading ladies are still worth watching, of course, with Cheung looking particularly sexy in her fishnet stocking and suspenders, but even with the appeal of three high-kicking Hong Kong hotties, Executioners isn't anywhere near as good as its predecessor.