accordchiang
Joined Jan 2022
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accordchiang's rating
I was excited about this after watching the trailer. My expectations weren't that high. However, it was a letdown to me.
1) The director & writers departed from the original novel. I'd had preferred if the movie followed as much as possible. The movie felt a watered-down version of the original Count of Monte Cristo's revenge.
2) Lack of details. I'd prefer more chemistry between the Count & Faria, which trained the Count well for his future plans.
3) On the better parts, I actually thought the casting of Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantes was rather good. The big budget had also provided us with excellent pictureque background settings.
Overall, it could be an entertaining watch for those who have never known about the story of the Count of Monte Cristo.
1) The director & writers departed from the original novel. I'd had preferred if the movie followed as much as possible. The movie felt a watered-down version of the original Count of Monte Cristo's revenge.
2) Lack of details. I'd prefer more chemistry between the Count & Faria, which trained the Count well for his future plans.
3) On the better parts, I actually thought the casting of Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantes was rather good. The big budget had also provided us with excellent pictureque background settings.
Overall, it could be an entertaining watch for those who have never known about the story of the Count of Monte Cristo.
This film featured a star-studded cast, such as Hong Kong film veteran Sammo Hung and Louis Koo, while TVB drama fans would be familiar with Raymond Lam and Wong Tak Bun. Heavenly King Aaron Kwok made a minor appearance as a guest star.
Those who love kungfu fighting and gangster movies, this may be suitable for you. Fight scenes are aplenty, especially after the 2nd half and towards the ending. Since this movie's original sources was from a novel and comic ("manwa"), there are fight scenes which are over the top and illogical. But I wonder, wouldn't it be better for the overall movie if they just made the entire show more realistic by omitting those fanciful effects?
Main strengths of the movie:
1) The main setting of the movie featured the Kowloon "walled city"/slums which was depicted in a realistic manner, and camera angles were panned well. This area has historical significance in Hong Kong. I thought it was a unique idea to bring these to the big screen.
2) The beginning part of the movie was done well too, with the main characters in the "walled city" being quickly introduced and building up the suspense between the various factions of power.
3) The main theme of loyalty and brotherhood was consistently emphasised and showcased. The movie direction was clear.
Flaws of the movie: The lack of a solid ending was the Achilles' heel. It was just too convenient to resort to the conventional style of good vs evil. Too many fighting scenes led to deprivation of screentime for character development, especially the villain played by Philip Ng, who could had offered more.
Conclusion: It is an interesting film if you're longing for some Hong Kong martial arts movie. But this isn't near Hong Kong's best.
Those who love kungfu fighting and gangster movies, this may be suitable for you. Fight scenes are aplenty, especially after the 2nd half and towards the ending. Since this movie's original sources was from a novel and comic ("manwa"), there are fight scenes which are over the top and illogical. But I wonder, wouldn't it be better for the overall movie if they just made the entire show more realistic by omitting those fanciful effects?
Main strengths of the movie:
1) The main setting of the movie featured the Kowloon "walled city"/slums which was depicted in a realistic manner, and camera angles were panned well. This area has historical significance in Hong Kong. I thought it was a unique idea to bring these to the big screen.
2) The beginning part of the movie was done well too, with the main characters in the "walled city" being quickly introduced and building up the suspense between the various factions of power.
3) The main theme of loyalty and brotherhood was consistently emphasised and showcased. The movie direction was clear.
Flaws of the movie: The lack of a solid ending was the Achilles' heel. It was just too convenient to resort to the conventional style of good vs evil. Too many fighting scenes led to deprivation of screentime for character development, especially the villain played by Philip Ng, who could had offered more.
Conclusion: It is an interesting film if you're longing for some Hong Kong martial arts movie. But this isn't near Hong Kong's best.