ThiefHott Too much of everything

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Guy THE MISSION is an HK film about men with guns. In this case they're hired shooters, chosen as bodyguards for a Triad boss after an assassination attempt. Their job is to keep him safe and work out who in his organisation was behind the failed hit. Basically this means a film of two halves. One half is a gentle comedy about (a very unusual) workplace, as the gunmen get bored and do things like covertly play football with a scrunched up piece of paper. The other half is a stylish action film, with it's standout scene being an ultra-cool shootout in a deserted shopping mall after hours; it's all angles and mirrors as the two sides try to outmaneuver and kill each other. It's short, unpretentious and not especially incident-packed but it makes up for that with some wry smiles and clever gunfights.

Angelus2 A group of criminals are united by a Triad to protect his brother. I honestly fell asleep after twenty minutes. The opening did not captivate me and I honestly did not feel at any moment that these guys were the best at their jobs...Too many characters in my opinion..Anthony Wong is one actor I admire and have found his performances in the past nothing short of excellent, but even he cannot do justice to this role.No character really stands out, they're all quite boring, there is no banter nor is there any good strong dialogue, just a bunch of men walking around.

laura-magnus Johnnie To is one of the world's most underrated contemporary film directors. Working in Hong Kong he effortlessly switches between genre flicks (like The Mission, but he's equally at home in rom-coms (like Needing You or Love on a Diet) and weirder though sometimes even better material like 'Running on Karma' (or Heroic Trio is earlier times). The man is just as prolific as he is original, and even if he is derivative he is still a great, effortless entertainer. His Milky Ways production company makes studio and independent films with the same dedication. His latest film 'Election' is actually in competition in this year's Cannes. The Mission is the type of film Jean-Pierre Melville would probably make today. Its a mix of Hong Kong Noir and stylised set-piece. It boasts some of Hong Kong acting heavy-weights (many of which appear also in the Infernal Affairs trilogy). Dialogue is minimal, efficiency is the maxime. The music is so detached that the effect overall is almost hypnotising. The film is not perfect, and the flaws hurt because this could have easily been truly great. Still, it's way above average. Watch this and anything else by To you can get your hands on. It boggles

verenawee I really enjoyed this movie, from the first 5 minutes. It's an edgey, not very dialogue driven action movie, but the cast really did a great job. This isn't to say the movie was just one shootout after another.It isn't a mainstream "A Better Tomorrow" type Hong Kong gangster movie, and doesn't pretend to be. It's dark, the characters don't verbalise what they want to do or are thinking, but the nuances are all there. But it's befitting of the setting - they're Asian, male hired hands. It's not realistic expect them to be all philosophical and willing to wear their hearts out on their sleeve.I also liked the movie because it cast some of the finest Hong Kong actors who were really working as a team, and no one was really glamourised to be the hero. Anthony Wong epitomises cool as his character Curtis (in Chinese his character's name was really "Ghost") with more grunts than dialogue.Francis Ng does his edgey best, as does Roy Cheung. All three went on to make Infernal Affairs, one of my all-time favourites.