Sha shou de tong hua

I read several reviews on Asian DVD sites that stated this is sort of a gem among actions films; a romance with stylized and well choreographed gun battles. Interested by these comments I decided to purchase this film as a "blind buy" since it was relatively cheap from where I got it (www.yesasia.com). However, upon viewing the film I would have to disagree with comments made by these reviewers...

The film featured a fairly conventional narrative that conformed to many clichés you expected from this genre. The film is essentially unoriginal in most respects. The film lacks any real artistic quality in the production of the film: the cinematography is relatively bland with static camera shots, the editing is standard, and the sound/music seems to possess recycled material from other action films. Lastly, the acting from the majority of the cast is often "over-the-top" and unbelievable...

However, this doesn't mean the film isn't without a few merits (albeit, minimally). The chemistry between the two leads - Andy Lau and Anita Yuen - is actually good and believable which is pretty much a result from their acting skills. The choreography of the action is the main highlight of the film, though they aren't memorable; they're good but no better than other action films of its ilk.

With the negative attributes so heavily outweighing the positive, I can not recommend this title. However, if you are a completest of Andy Lau films or of the Heroic Bloodshed genre (also called Gun-Fu and Bullet Ballet), this title won't be a complete disgrace to your collection... Though it won't add much either. Plus the cheap price helps.

Essentially for completest only, otherwise skip it.