Maang Lung (2005)

Overall almost really good.

It's a bit of a shame that the film has some rather stark contrasts. Some scenes are brilliant, like the action sequence between the two apartment buildings. Fantastic action, edited together incredibly smoothly, with a fantastic setting, and it just jumps off the screen.

The action-packed ending doesn't quite come close, but it still boasts some adrenaline-pumping moments. Minor flaws include a slightly overly drab look, less-than-smooth editing, and sometimes a bit too much repetition (such as the recurring character introductions).

The acting of some of the characters is truly terrible. There are some strong performances, though. Sammo Hung, Siman Yam, Yue, and Q are all excellent, while the rest sometimes fall short, with Biehn being the biggest sticking point.

Slightly better use of color, slightly better drama, and some better casting choices would have made this an absolute action-packed masterpiece. What's left are a few (and quite a lot of) great action scenes that don't quite add up to a great whole.

But at times I really enjoyed it.

Typical 3.75* film, but due to the lack of a voice option only 3.5*

Translated from Dutch · View original

A decent action film. The story isn't particularly special, but that's to be expected within the genre. The execution is variable. The film has a good pace and contains a fair amount of action. Unfortunately, the action is somewhat inconsistent. Some scenes are quite strong, but the camerawork makes them a bit cluttered and confusing, which detracts from the tension. Another major drawback is the constant introduction of the characters with still images. A shame, because the film definitely had more potential. 3.0

Translated from Dutch · View original