The 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.

After seeing Heroic Trio, I expected a lot of this movie. But I have to say, this was a bad movie, because it didn't make any sense. Of course being a HK movie this normally doesn't bother me, but even the action was bad. If there was any action. Because at the time you were expecting a fight or two, they didn't fight. They justed talked. I almost fell a sleep during this movie. My advise to you forget this movie ever being made. Only watch the first part.

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.

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.

The Heroic Trio is a great Hong Kong action film. This is a fact. Executioners isn't quite as good but might be more interesting - set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, filled with crazed corporate owners, assassinations, bandits, and renegade military personel, this is a film that has a lot of ambition. It's also deeply flawed, if only because it's a bit messy and many of the characters' relationships and plot lines are confusing. But it does have some remarkable action scenes, great performances again by Yeoh, Mui, and Cheung, and a surprisingly dark ending that works very well. Anthony Wong also has some fun as the villain, a madman who owns the water company(!). He's completely unrecognisable behind the makeup and iron mask he wears, but he's having a good time. If you like The Heroic Trio, this is well worth checking out. It's not that film's equal, but it is an above-average action film in its own right.