Alicia I love this movie so much

Steineded How sad is this?

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Hoagy27 This cop flick breaks little new ground but does a good job covering many of the familiar cop-show tropes. The opening credit sequence is excellent. There's also a nice climax with some very fine closing lines. In between, near as I could tell, the acting was just so-so but my impressions are based on the undoubtedly lousy translation from Cantonese. In some cases the subtitles flash on the screen so fast I had to go back and read them again. This can only make mincemeat out of a film's pacing. However, you know someone is playing fast and loose with idioms when a loving mother coos soothingly to beloved child "Be quiet or I will beat you", and hardened criminals on the eve of a big heist admonish one another "Don't be nervous".My favorite scenes: The tough-cop hero is at home after a hard day. He's getting ready to take a nice bath. The tub is full of welcoming blue water and awaits his relaxation. He's pensively considering the day's grisly activity: a wild car chase through Hong Kong, a desperate shoot-out with vicious crooks, a buddy dies horribly… when into the tiny bathroom comes his crying young son. The kid cries and cries and cries: He wants his daddy! The hero instantly abandons his bath and takes the family for a walk in the park. Genius! After getting beat up by thugs in a squalid alley (and it is clear Hong Kong has many squalid alleys) the hero's gun is dumped into a wet-gooey, over-full garbage can which the hero has no qualms about digging through, and dumping out in full Technicolor detail, to retrieve his gat (which still works fine… in this movie getting a gun wet is no problem at all… probably makes 'em work better).At a crucial moment it has occurred to Crook 1 that Crook 2 may be a liability. Crook 1 gets the drop on Crook 2, shoves a gun in his face and announces this thought. Unfortunately, they are in the process of an armed robbery and Crook 1 seems to have forgotten that they are both armed. Crook 2 simply shoots Crook 1 in the foot and when Crook 1 stumbles Crook 2 fills him full of lead! (I've often wondered why this sort of thing doesn't happen more in movies.) But wait… there's more! It seems Crook 2 is a sensitive soul and pretty much instantly feels remorse for the killing. He is so overcome with grief he pauses in his stuffing of swag in sacks for the getaway to empty yet another gun into the corpse while yelling: "What are you looking at!?!?" He then collapses sobbing. Classic! Finally, guys, here's something to remember: you can kick, pummel & thrash a guy … you can even handcuff and pistol-whip him and he will still come back and head-butt you the first chance he gets. However, you can take a girl totally out of action simply by giving her a contemptuous shove.

Dan Starkey Lau Ching Wan turns in an powerful performance as a tough cop who goes over the line in pursuit of his quarry and alter ego, played masterfully by Francis Ng. The film transforms from a formula competition between cop and robber midway through the film, to a gripping portrait of two men who must live with the life-and-death decisions that they make in their line of work. Who would have thought that such a shoot-em-up movie would address such deep issues, and do it so successfully? The director, Ringo Lam, is quite versatile, having also directed the excellent Jackie Chan action comedy "Twin Dragons," as well as star vehicles for Jean Claude Van Damme and Shu Qi.

Daniel_Of_Smeg I can honestly say this is the most intense, action packed yet also moving, police film ive ever seen. The relationship between Ng and Lau beautifully shows just how similar they both are, how the only difference between them is one chose the life of crime, whilst the other chose justice. Its a nice change from all the other conventional police films where the villians have no dimension to them. In my view this film isnt about the action and car chases, its about life, the paths we choose, the price we must pay for our decisions. Theres a lesson to be learned from this film, a film where the hero doesnt throw a party when he shoots the bad guy but sobs instead. Overall this is a very moving film and well worth watching. The action sequences are just a bonus in my view.

Rea-4 The best crime drama of the year. A familiar genre, but the story and the technique are all innovation. As soon as he appears, the thief (Ng) is captured by the inspector (Lau). The men then embark on a series of cat-and-mouse maneuvers that never fail to surprise. Action scenes are punctuated with dramatic ones, never leaving the audience any breathing space and trapping them with pressure-cooker intensity. The chase scenes and gun battles on Hong Kong's busy streets as well as the underwater explosion scenes are demonstrations of the director's talents. Lau and Ng turned in wonderful performances with their interpretation of the guilt that grips men of violence. - ManA lone Ho