- Sensibility: The most nonsensical movie I've ever seen. Some of the nonsense is part of it's charm, like a distinct lack of guns and the insane plot armor of the combatants, but the narrative chaos and stupidity in the ending makes the film unbearable.
- Cinematography: The film is very strong visually, with some of the best fighting choreography and camera work I've ever seen. Great production design and hair and makeup add to the brilliance of the gore and violence. Only weakness is a few moments of shoddy CGI and clear editing incongruencies.
- Energy: The film has great pacing for the first half, propelled by great action and a somewhat-interesting narrative. However, when this narrative falls to pieces and the endless final fight sequence is the only thing left, the film gets a bit hard to sit through.
- Narrative: The film's opening concepts about a troubled father who is protective of his daughter and a criminal child trafficking enterprise work well, but only in the opening. Every scene involving the crime leader takes away from the movie. There's a reveal about a burly bodyguards heritage that is pointless, awkward, and confusing to the point that it is almost laughable. A bit of dialogue about returning to a wife and child at the end of the eternal final fight sequence is so bizarre and stupid that it actually made me say "what?" out loud in the theater.
Tack on a corny and unreasonable happy ending where the writing is too lazy to even address the mysterious background of the chinese mute character that is referred to throughout the film, and the film ends with a taste so sour that it ruins the whole experience.
- T-Points: The film received two bonus points: one for overall great fight sequences, particularly one between the reporter and the chinese mute, and one for an upside-down knife stabbing from a blade suspended between two feet.
Some of the best action I've ever seen, but that's really about it. The story is a disaster and suspension of disbelief is completely destroyed, but the action sequences are damned good. Probably closer to
watching like a Kung Fu montage or Parkour video than a movie.
Number of Watches: 1
