MOVIE

9/10

Directed by Kirk Wong and based on a real-life kidnapping case, this gritty Police-procedural thriller lacks just about every Jackie Chan trademark known to man - no slapstick (or humour in general), no extended fight scenes, no out-takes etc... Well, you may ask, why did I bother buying this DVD then? Quite simply, this is one of Jackie's best films precisely because it ISN'T a Jackie Chan film.

Kirk Wong elicits an excellent performance from Chan, as a cop still finding life difficult to deal with, after his involvement in a street shoot-out.
The usual strength of mind, and body, Jackie's other characters possess are not evident here, and it's this change of pace from his "action-man" roles, to a more vulnerable human-being, which I enjoyed most.

PICTURE

7/10

Not stunning by any means, as the picture suffers from graininess throughout. However, the worst aspect is the condition of the print, which makes you wonder whether the source material was stored in a shoe-box! In quite a few scenes, the number of scratches and blemishes is incredibly noticeable, and does become distracting at times.
On the up side, the colour and sharpness are excellent, and show off the cinematography very nicely.

SOUND

8/10

Whilst there's nothing inherently wrong with the sound mix, I do have a minor niggle - On the Cantonese track it's very apparent that J.C. didn't dub himself in post-production, and as such, we're presented with a rather weedy-sounding voice actor, which I found at odds with the character being portrayed. Apart from this small point, everything else was fine, with none of the echo, or "tinny" sound, found on earlier M.A. releases.

SUBTITLES

8/10

These are very good, and although not word perfect, they translate all written Chinese (which seems to be a rarity with HK DVD's), and appear clear and sharp.
One thing to mention though, is that the subs. are for the Mandarin track, and in a few scenes while you're listening to the Canto. track, subs. appear without dialogue. I must stress though, that this only occurs about twice, and didn't bother me at all.

CONCLUSION

8/10

This is a strange film, hated by some, loved by others, and in this regard, I find it difficult to recommend it to everyone.
If you can't stand the thought of a "serious" Jackie Chan, then no, don't buy it.
If you are easily distracted by scratches on a print, then no, don't buy it.
If, however, you want to be thoroughly gripped, see a very different side to Jackie, and perhaps widen your viewing range, then go out and get it now - you won't be disappointed.

MOVIE		9/10
PICTURE		7/10
SOUND		8/10
SUBTITLES		8/10
EXTRAS		4/10
MENUS		8/10
PACKAGING		7/10
OVERALL		8/10