警察故事 2013

Not a bad film, but in stark contrast to the earlier Police Story films. Being all set in one building with many flashbacks and the plot revolving around a guy's sister being killed and his search for the truth...it gets a bit claustrophobic, but I suppose that is the point. But for him to hold them all hostage and demand that someone gets released from prison in order to solve this mystery, it seems a bit too much for what the outcome is.

Chan is great here. Everyone else is normal Chinese standard (which ain't great). I didn't like how it cops out of many things. Just when you think someone will get their head exploded, it's a fake bomb; just when you think Chan will be killed, no bullets are in the gun. It's very much grim and dark on the surface with no real intention to be grim and dark in actuality.

Camerawork is rather bad and choppy, but there are some good scenes of action and dialogue, and the film works up quite a bit of suspense until three-quarters into it when you just realise that the director doesn't know what to do with this accumulation of emotion inside his viewers; so you just give up and let it drain out of you like sloppy semen coming out of an exhausted and lifeless whore.

I prefer the old template for a Police Story film. Lots of stunts, lots of action, chasing bad guys, car chases, gun battles etc. Not this. Although I do admire the darker tone. Similar to Shinjuku Incident (although not as good).

B-