Back in the early 90s, John Woo was the Asian director du jour. Having already wowed audiences with HK action masterpieces such as Hard Boiled and The Killer, he was starting to make waves in Hollywood, getting his first shot at helming a US production with the Jean Claude Van Damme actioner Hard Target. Following closely in his footsteps, however, was Ringo Lam, who, with Full Contact, proved that he was just as capable of delivering the goods.This hyper-kinetic, bullet riddled action-fest is a superb example of 90s Hong Kong action, perfectly mixing breathtaking visuals with OTT action set-pieces that will leave you gasping. With its great cast, bloody ultra-violence and dark sense of humour, Full Contact is absolutely unmissable.Chow Yun-fat plays Gou Fei, a criminal who is betrayed by fellow gangster Judge (Simon Yam) and his cronies during a weapons heist. Believed to be dead by Judge, the actually-very-alive-and-rather-annoyed Gou Fei carefully plots his revenge...Full Contact takes the well-worn avenging angel theme, and loads it with some fantastic comic-book style characters: Gou Fei is the violent criminal that its OK to root for; Yam's nasty villain is a reprehensible foppish queen with psychopathic tendencies; Anthony Wong is Sam Sei, the cowardly slime-ball who makes off with Gou Fei's girl; Ann Bridgewater is the sexy girl torn between two men, neither of whom are really suitable; and Frankie Chin plays musclebound maniac Psycho, machine gun toting boyfriend of the ultra-slutty Lau Ngang (Bonnie Fu).The story may not be that original, but Lam sure makes it his own with his impressively stylish direction and ability to take everything one step further than others might consider necessary. And if you don't believe me, witness the 'bullet-cam' sequence in the nightclub—delightfully absurd in its conception but totally unforgettable.

I saw this film originally on the Tai Seng VHS tape and believed I was seeing the original. The recent MEI AH re-release video reveals an additional 4 minutes Tai Seng trimmed, and they are pretty strong; it's amazing what a couple of minutes will do for a film.This is as nasty a crime film as you will ever see. Ringo Lam goes straight for the throat of a contemporary Asia crumbling into a gaudy, violent nihilism. The moral center is held to be a thin hope that maybe the right thing can be done for an innocent girl wounded unnecessarily during a gang fight. Everything else is blood, perversion, and flashy neon.Sounds like a good reason not to see the film? Not so. This is one of the least exploitative exploitation flicks around - the film doesn't suggest that anyone in it is having fun, even the psychos laughing as buildings blow up, with people in them. In a world where everything is meaningless and anything goes, finding meaning becomes the only reason to live and the only real accomplishment.Cinematically, this is Ringo Lam in top form, developing a style that is often as flashy and hollow as the culture it portrays, but through which moments of intense realism burst forth, reminding us of the real pain such violence entails. Many films (East and West) have since imitated this style, but without Ringo Lam's sense of moral critique, it can easily become just so much flash and glitter, of the kind Lam is actually criticizing here.Finally, one must remark the excellent performances by all the actors involved.A very disturbing, but very excellent - and in an important sense, a very necessary - film.

Very good movie, action scenes are on the top of the line, very stylish jut like The Killer (another, and probably the best Chow Yun Fat as of yet), the plot is very powerful as well as it is focusing on Friendship, Betrayal, and Cowardness. The good thing is that it is unpredictable based on Jeff's friend's cowardness, but just wish for the best, i'm not going to give out any spoilers.all in all, this is a must see movie, in fact all chow yun fat's movies are a must see, but i usually prefer the collaboration of CYF with John Woo, but Ringo Lam directs this piece very well and i must say it is the second best CYF movie i've seen and i've seen many of his movies and i have never rated one of his movies under 8, so i'm going to go ahead and give this a 10.

Let's be honest here: if this exact same flick had been made in America, it wouldn't have been given a second look, but it's a Hong Kong production and, inevitably, a hyped-up "cult classic". Go figure. Anyway, the revenge plot is familiar, and the film, lacking the emotional power of "The Killer" (the only other Chow Yun-Fat flick I've seen; both it and he were much better), becomes an empty display of pyrotechnics. And a very long one, too. (*1/2)