A hero never dies

Great film, no wonder Mister To won a few festivals with this film.

His work has a director is brilliant in this movie ! Specially the Sukiyaki scene ! Where he proves in an eight-minute scene, that you don't need words to describe a relationship between characters ! Just good shoots, an excellent montage and great actors ! That scene should be a cult scene ! As for the story, it's the story of two men, working for an opposite gang, but still men of pride and honor, this is a story about love, friendship, betrayal, vengeance and hope.

Something I really noticed in this movie, is the great soundtrack ! You might feel that To is trying to use it to easily, but it just works out fine in every scene !

So in a few words : A great film, a must-see ! And should definitely be seen by everybody !

This movie was kind of ridiculous. It's about two gangs that fight each other. Each of the gang's best members got kicked out (in a shoot-out, of course). One gets shot a lot of times, the other loses his legs. This teaches us a valuable lesson, don't get shot. They both survive. One vows for revenge on his boss, the other for his boss. There are many violent gun fights, they're a little ridiculous (get shot? no problem, just keep shooting back!).

7/10

Leon Lai and Ching Wan Lau work well within their respective characters, however their actions don't seem to consistently make sense in the progression of the plot. Opposite hired guns for the mob, they fluctuate in being friends and foe after a rendezvous gone awry. At some points their resulting behavior contradicts what your led to believe, which feels unintentional and confusing. The story is painfully simple, and the visuals eventually become pretentious and overused with too many angles, filters, and slow-mo moments. Not a bad movie, but Johnnie To has directed much better gritty-melodramas and unfortunately this one fails to achieve it's blend with America's Western genre. My biggest complaint is that Ching Wan Lau's character becomes plagued with a handicap, then while much screen time is devoted to portraying his hardship and fight for retribution, his character remains weak and pushed aside in the third act of the film. Lau was built up to such a high degree only to inexplicably crumble, which doesn't feel right being the movie's centerpiece. Overall, a convoluted not-so-satisfying revenge tale. Personally I was disappointed but other Johnnie To fans may enjoy. -6/10

The film opens in Thailand, where Triad member Jack (Leon Lai) lets off some steam as he shoots up bowls of fruit and a fortune teller. Afterwards, he steps outside to take a pee, joined by his teammates as big, sweeping music ascends, accompanied by the usual, beautiful, Johnnie To cinematography!

You can't help but smile at some of the over-dramatic moments in A Hero Never Dies. Either the music is just too much for what's going on, or the cast really milk their screen time with some cheesy posing or slow-motion cigar lighting...

There is definitely a hint of dark comedy stretched throughout this heroic bloodshed Milkyway production - from the tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the main characters, to their lines and overall situation of using a barman at their local club, as their middle-man for passing messages to each other (like a married couple bickering, and a child caught in the middle). One extended scene of them trying to enjoy a glass of wine, while they each try to destroy one another's glass, is a prime example. Wonderfully shot, beautifully lit - but just ridiculous at the same time in a fun way.

It took me a couple of watches to enjoy A Hero Never Dies. I think a nice clean Bluray HD version would help! While it has plenty going on in its first 20 minutes, including a number of gun-fights and a darkly funny decapitation by a car door; it still feels slow. But do stick with it as the pace eventually picks up!

Leon Lai does great as the moody Jack, but it has to be Lau Ching Wan who really steals the show as Martin, with his pencil moustache, cowboy hat, and outrageous outfits. Both are great hitmen, and while they are secretly best friends and deliver some funny moments, they each are ruthless when it comes to taking down the enemy or pointing their gun.

Martial arts star and villain, Yen Shi Kwan (Fearless Hyena; Once Upon A Time In China) plays Jack's boss and Triad leader, Mr. Yam, with the great Henry Fong (Shinjuku Incident; So Close) playing Martin's boss. Johnnie To regular, Lam Suet, is present of course as are a host of other recognisable faces...

By the half-way mark, the film takes a dark turn in true Hong Kong style with Johnnie To turning things up a notch, which results in some great drama, gun-play, and heroic bloodshed action. A stylish, beautifully shot film with great performances and violent action that is well worth the watch!

Overall: If you loved A Better Tomorrow, you will love this!!

Just as much a tribute to the heroic bloodshed films of yesteryear as it is a brilliantly stylised entry in its own right, A Hero Never Dies is a pure exercise in genre film despite being so hard-boiled that it almost becomes a comedy. Taking a fundamentally tried, tested and clichéd story in a world where the violence is more sudden and the atmosphere much darker and upending nearly every element of the films he's paying homage to, shows the power of Johnnie To's filmmaking ability. To's direction is fantastic with plenty of sweeping camera movements and tremendous use of colour, all coupled with Cheng Siu-keung's outstanding photography make the film a feast for the eyes. The incredible sense of loyalty and honour these characters display ultimately makes them "heroes", the themes are often hammered home so relentlessly that the film nearly enters the realm of parody. Only in a gangland fantasy would characters enjoy a friendship but have no qualms about killing one another later. The performances from its central cast are phenomenal, Leon Lai and Sean Lau especially, both playing fundamentally different archetypes of the same profession to immense effect, all the while Raymond Wong's hauntingly powerful score dominates the sound mix, even if he does repeat a few too many cues from his work on Running Out of Time. A Hero Never Dies ultimately just solidifies to me that Johnnie To is one of, if not the best post-handover filmmaker in the industry. Heroes may die, but their actions live forever.