Heroic Duo (2003)

An upstanding HK police officer commits a crime against his own station, but he doesn't know why. Tough cop Ken Li (Ekin Cheng) is on the case, but he needs help, so enlists hypnotist and convicted criminal Jack Lai (Leon Lai).
There's a recurring theme of weaknesses being either overcome in time of need or preyed upon by a stronger willed individual; and because everyone in the film has a secret that they're guarding, they're all vulnerable to attack.
It has some neat ideas that are forced to share space with obligatory action scenes, but overall the film is too scattershot for my liking. An attentive rewrite that brought strengths to the fore and evened out everything else could've made a huge difference to the final product.

2½ unlocks out of 5

Re-cycle (2006)

Labeling Re-cycle a horror movie is a bit of a stretch, but it's all the better for its lack of big scares. This is a parade of the fantastic, a tale of a writer's mind and all the ideas that lurk within. The plot sometimes feels like an excuse to showcase spectacular visuals, and I'm perfectly okay with this.

There's no denying that Re-cycle's script is a little lacking, but it's such a visual treat it's hard to care. The Pang Brothers have always had a great visual style, but this is their masterpiece, a buffet's worth of visual feasts. I would have loved this even if it had no plot at all. It was just so imaginative and was a joy to watch. As long as you don't come in expecting an involving story, you'll have a terrific time with this one.

4 forests of corpses out of 5.