When a fellow countryman calls this "visually the most glorious movie I've seen", I feel compelled to shout out to the world (well, IMDb review readers) that his statement, even in 2005, when it was written, hardly represents an average Finn's opinion. If this is visually the most glorious movie *anybody* has ever seen, they really need to see more movies. Or study the meaning of the word "glorious". It seems, based on the average IMDb rating, that most people deem this movie anything but "glorious." Hong Kong action films set in the time period when they were made should not be judged on terms of characterization, dialog, plot or acting (Mou gaan dou a.k.a. Infernal Affairs excepted). Most of them are meant to entertain with action sequences. This movie does not do that. Apart from the duel near the end *without* guns, the action sequences in this movie make Michael Bay seem a genius. The first question that came to my mind when watching this movie was: "What the frak was wrong with the editor?" The chaotic action sequences where you can't tell who's doing what thanks to ADD editing and visual effects that are all over the place were already bad enough, but what makes most of them downright disasters is the fact that it seems some shots that should have been between other shots to form, you know, a *coherent* visual flow, were either never shot in the first place, or ended on the editing room floor. Characters practically teleport instantaneously from one spot to other presumably because it was deemed too boring to show them moving.Urgh. It's sad to see so many legendary actors' CV tarnished by this mess. I miss the golden age of John Woo. His movies had grace. A word that doesn't probably even exist in the vocabulary of the makers of this 4/10 example of how to ruin a perfectly entertaining action movie with horrendous editing.

Film: Dragon Squad Year: 2005 Genre(s): Action/Drama Director: Daniel Lee Language(s): Cantonese, Madarin, English Running Time: 111 Mins Format: DVD(Hong Kong Release) Cast: Venness Wu, Shawn Yue, Xia Yu, Eva Haung, Lawrence Chou, Sammo Hung, Micheal Biehn, Simon Yam, Huh Joon Ho, Maggie QSynopsis: Five interpol agents are drafted into Hong Kong to keep watch over a witness in an important trial, while being transported the convoy is ambushed by a gang of masked gun man.The agents, come together to solve who attacked them and, while being mentored by an almost retired officer, decide to take out the gang before more people are killed.Review:So this film has been receiving a lot of negative press, both from fans living in Hong Kong and those who live in other countries, having seen the flick, i's easy to understand why, the pacing is chaotic and the camera work as extremely frantic during it's many action sequences, add in some awkward attempts at character development and some repetitive flashbacks and you'd have a stinker on your hands right?Well, I hate to break it to you guys but no, despite some of the films superficial flaws, it does not fail in being one of the finest films to come out of Hong Kong in 2005 and while it didn't get the box office reception it deserved, this reviewer felt refreshed to find some creativity among the watered down Rom-coms the local film industry have seem to be putting out this past year. So let's start with the plot.It's your typical by the numbers tried and tested plot, there's the bad guys and there's the good guys, they fight, bad guys win, good guys get mentored by wise senior, fight again, good guys win.So really the plot is an excuse for director Daniel Lee is experiment with some very Micheal Mann-esquire camera work, about that, the camera work for the most part does the job right, it creates excitement and tension which kept this reviewer glued o the screen throughout, as it suited the style of the action scene s very well.Now the action, well, the good news is, there's plenty of it, lots of gun play with the odd martial arts sequence thrown in for good measure, the fighting mostly being done by Huh Joon Ho and Sammo Hung who confront each other twice, the second encounter being the most bloody and brutal. The shootouts are very well put together.For a movie which could be considered a mainstream film in Hong Kong, it isn't afraid to be extremely violent when it wants to be, there's plenty of blood on offer here, so if the acting doesn't grab, the blood soaked action will.The acting ranges from sleepy to extremely good. Micheal Biehn, who's a familiar face to Hollywood movie fans as Kyle Reese in James Cameron's seminal classic The Termintor, stars as the lead villain, for a man who's been working in the film industry for so long, I thought he would have brought some much needed acting to the movie but really he seems to be almost sleep walking in his role but one may interpret Biehn's characterisation as a person who's so cold, he shows very little emotion.The actors who played the five interpol agents where all very good, although, really, I would have liked it if they had a little more personality, they all came off as a little bland in place. Eva Huang is extremely easy on the eyes, definitely a face to look out for in future movies. former pop star Vanness Wu gives a credible performance, while Shawn Yue gives his usual calibre of acting but this reviewer felt the best acting had to go to the one and only Sammo Hung, who plays a character reluctant to get involved but realises if he wants to leave the past behind him, he must confront his demons, it's also worth mentioning he has the best fight in the entire movie against Huh Joon Hoo, who plays a chillingly sociopathic villain.So, overall I really liked it, I think it's nowhere near as bad as everyone seems to be making it out to be and deserves at least one viewing by anyone who's a fan of Hong Kong cinema or Micheal Bay.

Indeed, this is visually the most glorious movie I've seen. The Dircetor Daniel Lee gives us a lot of eye candy and he helms the action scenes well. This movie gives me an eerie feeling as I'm not used to see Asian movies and I like the flashback kind of scenes were we are given some background about the characters. All the actors give us good performances although I found the baddies more interesting. Especially Michael Biehn gives us a first rate performance, it's a shame he doesn't have any martial arts scenes. Maggie Q plays her role with ease, just by looking tough. Overall, this movie is well worth watching, maybe a little minus comes from the too shallow characters this movie creates. Maybe this is because of the fact that there are simply too many characters to plunge into. But the characters are still better improved than in many action movies. A big plus for the great soundtrack.

Amalgamate improbable characters speaking a multitudinous mishmash of languages, laughably OTT action, insane dramatics and a hokey story. Of course the result would be a travesty. Not! Such a concoction can only lead to 2005's best shot at a seminal HK action flick, courtesy of dependable helmsman Daniel Lee, who previously provided us with good but wholly underrated Star Runner (2002).Better yet, Dragon Squad erases much of the bitterness left after Election cast a pall on local crime-oriented cinema, and successfully brings to the fore almost all the celebrated ingredients we love so much and have been yearning for. Chief among these are guns, which here come in almost every imaginable shape or form, occupying a huge chunk of proceedings, to the extent of bullets flying as if typhoon season had no inclination to end. This leaden deluge culminates in one of the longest gun battles on record, a scene that does drag on a bit but when viewed in the proper context surely warrants our respect. Indeed, it has been too long.Make no mistake, DS also includes a sharp touch of choppers for good measure, and characters that can take numerous slices as well as gunshot wounds before even hinting at going down. What more on any planet could you possibly ask for in a gung-ho action bonanza? All this comes as both a surprise and drought-breaker, for too much of an interval passed since the last of this blessed breed of motion picture emerged from HK, and kudos to Mei Ah for supporting the project. Cast, crew and producers apparently made sure every classic detail made it, down to smoking, an activity so cherished from bang-bang watersheds like John Woo's, despite the anti-lighting-up trend currently sweeping the globe.So you clamor for story. Silly! At any rate, there is one if you insist. Sammo Hung, one of our favorite heroes when he's not meddling with crap like Legend of the Dragon, does veteran and almost retired cop Kong Long ("Dinosaur"), who gets called upon to mentor a posse of brash Interpol agents on their most vital task to date. The titular Dragon Squad consists of Shawn Yue as special Hong Kong police officer Lok, Lawrence Chou in the role of left-handed US SWAT shooter Andy Hui, Xia Yu (In the Heat of the Sun) as smooth mainland military sniper Cheung and Eva Huang, who depicts undercover hottie Suet. In addition, former F4 member Vanness Wu comes in to help save the day as UK SAS trooper Chang, and the whole kit and caboodle apparently showcase some kind of international cooperative effort, hence the resultant linguistic snafu, with Cantonese, Putonghua and English mixed to deliciously HK-ish effect. It's all way better than Star Trek's universal translator.And while none of the good guys really excel (save maybe Sammo, who's back to form with his ubiquitous cigar in tow), it's the villains that steal the show. Facing off against the Dragon Squad, our baddies arrive in the city to take care of personal vendettas aimed at local triad maestro Tiger Duen, causing the Dragons to step in as protectors of law and order.On the evil squad we have chilling Maggie Q (Naked Weapon and the upcoming MI:3) as somewhat-demented Vietnamese sniper Song, and what a marvelous job this girl does. She definitely comes in as a natural for the bitchy-murderous type. To bolster things further, Korean actor Heo Jun Ho appears as sadistic but honorable Colonel Ko, plus action stalwart Michael Biehn (Aliens, Terminator, The Abyss) puts his two cents in via Colombian assassin Petros, leader of the bad guy cartel. All of the above generate highly distinct characters with an ominous feel, while at the same time making sure we realize they're not truly wicked, but rather driven by genuine, even valid motives. The movie goes on to depict camaraderie among the opposition, something it does not achieve in dealing with the good people.Certainly, there is an attempt here to convey more than violence, and DS spends time on sentimental content periodically, flirting with love interests and Kong Long's relationship with his daughter (Isabella Leung). While not superfluous, these segments surely play second violin to the meaty action portions, at best amounting to a harmless variation.What this picture boils down to is top-notch gun battles, done with impressive attention to detail. There's almost none of the glaring continuity problems often afflicting HK products, so things make sense, and exchanges, no matter long or short, feel and sound substantial. Compliments must go to the sound department: audio-wise, Dragon Squad makes one believe they're being shot at. And while some cast members don't convince as bonafide weapons handlers (most notably Eva Huang), others come across totally skilled, as observed in Maggie Q and Biehn.Most importantly, DS is one violent movie, drenched in crimson start to finish. With that and several gratifying mature language moments, it probably deserves a Category III rating more than Election ever did. Speaking of which, Dragon Squad also features memorable cameos, including one by Election star Simon Yam (as police captain Hong Sun). Others join the fray, too, with both Daniel Lee favorite Andy On (Black Mask II, Star Runner, New Police Story) and Li Bingbing (World without Thieves) adding to the already intoxicating recipe.Perhaps it has to do with opting for world-acclaimed supervision (Steven Seagal co-produced), or maybe we were just due for some karma adjustment. Either way, this amounts to an action experience straight from the textbooks, and should not be missed by anyone hankering for old-fashioned bullet-infused antics with more than a modest dollop of Hong Kong mannerisms.Rating: * * * *