Duo shuai

Tagline: Almost as good as SPL… Review by Neo: Dennis Law have finally come of age and after 2 unfulfilled attempts, Law have strike third time luckily with Fatal Move. Fatal Move is not just a good movie, as saying that would be a clear understatement, but one that Neo can proudly claim as the best in 2008 HK cinema so far. Despite a few unnecessary parts in between and some moments of predictability, Fatal Move qualifies as an action movie with HK flair and almost matching the feat of 2005's SPL. It's been a while since Neo have witnessed a good HK movie and with it being so close to his 22nd birthday, Fatal Move comes just at the right timing.

Director Dennis Law have previously debuted in the teenage targeted Love @ First Note and have since then gone on to make his first shot at action cinema with the above average Fatal Contact. There is no doubt that Law's career lies in action cinema and if this flick is any indication, his direction is only heading one way and that is up and coming. It is always refreshing to witness a new generation director producing a good quality flick and it is all the more exciting when it comes to action cinema. Law smartly casts a trio from SPL, namely Sammo Hung, Simon Yam and Wu Jing and the result is some quality martial arts sequence and lots of fun to be had.

Also of special mention, it is probably the first time in years, where action flicks have succeeded without the involvement of Donnie Yen. Perhaps it is time to unleash Wu Jing on his first true starring in almost a decade since Tai Chi 2. Like his role in SPL, Wu Jing, the protégé of Jet Li is cool enough to rock the screen and likable enough to keep the audience attention. His fighting is slick and his youthfulness sets him apart from the rest of the aging cast. Still, these kinds of roles might make him look cooler than anyone deserves to be, but ultimately they are paper thin and not ones that allows Wu Jing to show his full potential. However, it is nonetheless a sigh of fresh air as the days of Sammo Hung is closer to retirement than debutant.

Also in the mix is Lee Sir, Danny Lee and without a second though there is no doubt that Lee have aged considerably since his The Killer days and the sight of him with a gun is about as believable as a pensioner robbing a bank. With that being said, it is always a pleasure to see him back on the big screen and once again reminding the audience exactly how movies are used to be made. Sammo Hung almost reprises his role of SPL but this time with a degree of remorseless and thus allowing the audience to maintain interest in his character. Unfortunately one of Law's weak points is that he is no Wilson Yip, which means that he is not a character director. Luckily, the fight sequences more than compensate and the result are some quietly entertaining long takes of these coolly filmed scenes.

Simon Yam also appears here and there, but is somewhat subdued and almost certainly a role more suited to the likes of Francis Ng. Veteran actress Tien Niu impresses the audience with a performance that is menacing yet understanding. Those final words of her are strong and her facial expression matched the strong dialogue given to her. As for Lam Suet, he is just himself, but for an actor that does so little, Lam is damn memorable and his acting is just priceless to laugh or cry for.

All in all, Fatal Move is easily the best movie of 2008 so far and it is safe to say that it is a movie that Neo actually liked. I understand that the current reviewer has been a little too strict in recent times, but there is no argument that the quality being delivered so far this year has largely been disappointing. With that being said, it always feel good and makes Neo's day a hell lot better whenever he witness good HK cinema. Firstly, it is surprising, secondly, it makes him feel like his effort and passion for this industry isn't just going straight to the garbage dump and finally, it allows the current review to sleep well at night. So what's wrong with Fatal Move, the answer is that there is nothing wrong, but the fact that Neo got sort of over-excited like a little kid receiving a balloon… (Neo 2008)

I rate it 9/10

• www.thehkneo.com

Sigh.

I have to admit that Simon Yam is my favourite actor in Hong Kong cinema. I'll now also confess that Jacky Wu (or "Wu Jing" as he's known in Asia) is simply fantastic to watch; and then we have Sammo Hung who is a legend...

With this main cast and a violent, dramatic, martial arts setting then, one would naturally expect something great. Alas, this was not the case.

It's difficult to say just went wrong with Fatal Move but the disjointed storytelling is definitely the main factor. Simon Yam's character starts out as having the potential to be compelling and Jacky Wu certainly looks to be the man with whom not to ***k (as his talent deserves), but things quickly fall apart as too many characters are chucked at us too quickly, for no real reason and after an hour or so of action scenes occasionally having been slotted in to keep our interest in an otherwise dull, difficult to follow film, I soon found myself scratching my head, wondering how the mess on screen before me escaped some serious script re-writes.

Aside from men carrying out hits with ninja weapons in a ludicrous excuse for more M.A. choreography when a machine gun could have done all the work in half the time, there's also some truly awful CGI blood and gore effects which made me wonder why the art of film is de-evolving (compare Lord of the Rings to Ghandi; Lone Wolf and Cub to this), and to make matters worse, the dramatic element which had been so sorely lacking throughout, only graces us right at the very end when Sammo's wife, Soso, turns in a deft performance, too little, too late..

No Simon Yam lines to justify wasting his talent; no unarmed Jacky Wu.

Fair enough, Sammo still surprises us with a cool scene to show he's still got the moves despite his age, but nothing could save this wreck once it had been green-lit without undergoing serious surgery at a local script doctor's.

It's unfair to say that there's no story, for as jumbled as it is, it's there, but the action just seemed to be tossed in for the sake of it for the most part, was unrewarding, and the total of this flick came up incredibly short given its concept, cast, budget and just about any other pro it had.

I have the US Lionsgate release , so I am unsure in any case if the US DVD is cut at all. The best thing about this movie is the cast. Which contains HK legends Sammo Hung, Simon Yam and supercop Danny Lee. Everything other than that is average at best. The story is nothing special and neither is the action . While there is plenty of violence and carnage, it is mostly CG. Plus said CGI is some of the worst I've seen since PS1 came out. Usually HK movies are classy and subtle with the use of CG. Not here, this is 'nt by any means a terrible film. Just an average action flick with horrible f/x and an exceptional cast. If you are new to Hong Kong cinema , I would say to watch another one of these actor's other movies instead . Otherwise keep your expectations low with this one . I give 4/10 for the movie and 6/10 when consideration for the awesome cast.

FATAL MOVE is a grisly Hong Kong Triad movie that reunites many of the same cast members from the excellent KILL ZONE (aka SPL). The storyline charts the misadventures of a Triad gang who initially seem to have it all before lies, backstabbing and deceit beget eventual destruction and chaos.

At first, it's quite odd seeing all of the familiar cast members on the same side for once; there's little conflict, and it takes a while for the plot to begin properly. Once it does, though, things become almost Shakespearian in tone, with one character's imprisonment (Jackie Chan's former bodyguard, the excellent Ken Lo) leading to all manner of massacres and berserk action.

The brutal fight scenes are what propel this action-packed enterprise and they make liberal use of CGI blood throughout. Wu Jing plays another cocky, hateful killer who enjoys mutilating his victims and during a torture sequence the film takes violence to a whole new level. Vicious car chases and the like certainly keep the energy flowing, and my only complaint is that there's too little martial arts to enjoy. We have to wait until the climax before we see Sammo back in action, although I have to say it's well worth the wait.

Cast-wise, Sammo bags the most interesting role, playing a conflicted mob boss who doesn't seem to be that bad a guy for the most part. Simon Yam has a slick, somewhat minor role and doesn't really do much, and Wu Jing is there for the violence alone. However, it's great to see Danny Lee (THE KILLER) back on the screens once more, even if the film doesn't give him much to play other than the stereotyped dogged cop.

FATAL MOVE is no masterpiece but I found it highly entertaining as genre entries go. It's certainly not on the level of the Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen collaborations but it comes close at regular intervals.

Fatal Move brings in new level of action in Hong Kong cinema. Cast is similar to that of SPL, and Sammo Hung and Simon Yam stars in this movie, this time working on the same side. The tone of the movie is similar to the one explored in the Infernal Affairs in that gangs will go to any extent to get their money, involvement between police and the gang is portrayed in detail, and deception plays a role in the story. What separates Fatal Move is the level of action and violence portrayed, and Wu Jing shows his fast and very beautifully choreographed move as the heavy in this movie.

This movie to me is a ground breaking movie in Hong Kong action movie genre like Better Tomorrow did back in the '80s. While Better Tomorrow was somewhat mindless violence, this is violence with lots of intent backing it.

The last fight between Wu Jing, and Sammo Hung was the only mindless battle, but if you have two such talent, you'd be remiss as a writer not to include this fight scene.

Danny Lam plays the usual cop role, and Taiwanese actress Kelly Niu shows that she still looks great on the big screen.

All of this brings good entertainment to this new age Hong Kong action movie.

Highly recommended.