At first I thought it was going to be your typical action flick that has a poor plot and has a poor script that you just watch simply for the action, but I was wrong. This film kept me thinking and involved from start to finish. It's a bit longer, but certainly doesn't drag and drag. It's full of twists and is honestly the first action film I've seen in awhile that I couldn't predict the outcome correctly. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Even if you aren't fond of subtitles, it is still definitely worth the watch.

Many crime films focus either on the action or the characters. Drug War tries to do both. Unfortunately, the film that results is less than the sum of its parts.What the film does do well is show a grittier dark side of Chinese society. Shooting in Tianjin, China, lends a bit of authenticity.Unfortunately, this movie suffers from an uneven pace and unclear story line. Aside from Louis Koo and Honglei Sun, most of the acting is forgettable. Of note, I found the Bill Li group especially implausible. The Mute Gang seemed more cutthroat and impressive as a drug gang that the masterminds.I felt the ending was too drawn out, illogical, and unfortunately, comedic. Gunshots apparently don't kill. Chinese police apparently don't use tactics when apprehending armed criminals, except at the very end.

Gripping, smart, and a joy to watch. The acting is excellent and the main leads are my favorite. Honglei, a hardened narcotic cop, is collected, methodological, and intelligent. You can tell he has earned his keep and has seen some crazy things behind those eyes. He's like the calm before the storm, readily break loose. He leads a high profiled operation to bust possibly the largest drug ring in the counntry and his lead is Louis, a captured meth supplier. Louis is not to be outshone: calculated, cunning, and above all, selfish. I find his character to be easily one of the greatest villains for he appears harmless but you can't really know what he has in mind. One scene you might think he has repented, another scene he might convince you otherwise. He is a great villain because he's deceptive, cunning, selfish, and he's willing to do anything for survival, including turning against his own kin but the catch is that he doesn't look capable of such evil. That's why he's great. Appearance is deceiving. The two main leads are completely opposite. The cop appears cold, distanced, and seemingly emotionless yet pursues a good cause and cares for his underlings while the crook appears warmer, more expressive, seemingly harmless yet inhuman underneath. Great contrast. The story is tight, the actions are neat - the shootout between the mute brothers and the cops and the grand finale scene are superb. A battle of both brain and brawn.

I can appreciate the work that went into making Drug War, the action scenes are well-directed and it has a likable cast, but what it boils down to, is that it just isn't fun to watch. I was checking how long I had left of the film every 25 minute or so, and that's not a good sign. I'm not asking for mindless action and shoot-outs, I just don't think the story was exciting enough to keep me interested for the films almost 2 hour long running time.If you absolutely love thrillers from Hong Kong and don't mind a somewhat slow pace, then maybe this film will appeal to you. Director Johnnie To has made some really great films in the past, such as the Election-films and Mad Detective. 5/10