Infernal Affairs III (2003)

Serving as both a sequel and a prequel (of sorts) to the first film, Part III brings back Tony Leung and Andy Lau to their respective roles, which makes all the difference for a short while. (It jumps around in time quite a bit, but it's simple enough to follow if you're familiar enough with Part I.) But as the story goes on it becomes clear that very little of it is worth learning about; and some parts of it are so contrived as to be just plain bad. Ultimately, the extra info about certain events will no doubt please a percentage of viewers, for me it's an unnecessary and overlong addition to the first film's taught story.

2½ couch sleeps out of 5

Bullet in the Head (1990)

John Woo’s harrowing war drama started life as a prequel to A Better Tomorrow (1986) but was changed, expanded, and infused with a more politically poignant ideology. It follows three friends who end up in Vietnam during the war. They’re there to make their fortune, not to fight, but in conflict no one is exempt from suspicion.
It propelled Tony Leung into stardom, and he deserved it. He delivers perfectly the kind of inner turmoil nuances that Woo fills all of his heroes with. It’s a long film and not always an enjoyable viewing experience, but it’s one that Woo fans will want to endure.
The more ambivalent alternate ending is better, imo.

3½ inner scars out of 5

Gorgeous (1999)

Are there any attractive women left in Asia that Jackie Chan hasn't worked with? This time he's with the beautiful Shu Qi. It's a change of pace for the action star, with more time spent in safe rom com territory than on dangerous action; it even has a romance building musical montage!
Some of the combat really is fantastic, but it feels out of place with the rest of the film. My attentions would likely have wandered elsewhere long before the end if it wasn't for the presence of Jackie and Shu.

2½ bottled wishes out of 5

Hero (2002)

A visually stunning film filled with colour and grace that was unfairly compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) upon release. Both films are about honour and sacrifice, but beyond that they're very different.
While Hero is technically a part of the martial arts genre, there's much more to it than mere spectacle. The feelings and motivations that fuel the fighting are of more importance, so if you choose to ignore that side of it, then you'll be getting less than half of the full story.
It gathered together some of the best actors in China, all of whom gave subtly different performances for each of the interconnected stories.
Composer Tan Dun's score is as beautiful as Yimou's imagery.

5 flickering flames out of 5

Cause: The Birth of Hero (2002)

A documentary by Gan Lu about the making of Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002) that’s almost twice as long as the film it documents. It’s a tedious, amateur film with no thought put into construction or presentation. The audio drops in and out frequently and the organisation is appallingly bad. It fails to capture the essence of its subject. It feels instead like a cheaply made wedding video, replete with wind noise and half-assed framing. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to watch it more than once.

1 wrap party out of 5

Lust, Caution (2007)

It should be renamed Slow, Caution.
The sumptuous lighting and quality acting can't disguise the fact that it moves at a snail's pace; a lame snail drunk on saline.

2 games of Mahjong out of 5

2046 (2004)

A sequel for the Chow Mo-wan character from Wong's superior In the Mood for Love (2000). Thanks to some rewrites of a script that was unconnected in any way it’s both a companion piece and a mirror to the previous film.
There are some sci-fi elements, which were intended to fill almost half the running time but were scaled down for budgetary reasons; it’s a shame because that part is fascinating visually and the most emotionally engaging.
I would rather have seen the Cannes version because this one left me cold and longing for the heart that warmed the previous film.

2½ train rides out of 5

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Maggie Cheung's presence seduces every frame in which she appears in this film. A simple lingering shot of her hand on a doorframe becomes something sensual and highlights perfectly the fleeting nature of beauty perceived and the timidity associated with first steps.
It’s a slowly blossoming melodrama that won’t appeal to everyone, but if you’re one of the lucky ones that it speaks to you’ll fall in love.
Wong Kar-wai uses his lens in such a way that his shots made me feel like I was intruding into the characters’ private lives.

4½ rehearsals out of 5

Red Cliff: Part II (2009)

Part II delivers on what Part I teased. Opposing sides, building on strengths and exploiting enemy weaknesses are what John Woo excels at.

NOTE: Part I and II together run for approx 286 mins. The "International cut" is the 2 parts combined but butchered to 148 mins.

4 stanzas of war out of 5

Red Cliff: Part I (2008)

A lavish historical epic that drips money from every scene.  It’s set around real events during the end of the Chinese Han Dynasty so director John Woo doesn't have guns to play around with, instead he gets creative with spears and swords, a lot.  Less stylised combat and more time devoted to the many characters would have earned it an even better score.

3 fake beards out of 5

Butterfly and Sword (1993)

Aka: San Lau Sing Woo Dip Gim

Take some flying assassins, arms, legs and heads severed frequently, beautiful women and an awkward love triangle, add to giant pot and stir. The resulting mix has action galore but some very clumsy storytelling interspersed. It's an adaptation of a martial arts novel by Gu Long, but I've no idea how faithful it is. Best bit: a sword technique where the hero literally rips through the torso of an antagonist and comes out his back! Jebus wept! It’s brutal and hilarious all at the same time.

3 bamboo and bendy swords out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)

aka: Sien Lui Yau Wan III: Do Do Do

A new setting and new characters mean this is a sequel in name only; if they'd changed the title before release no one would've noticed. It’s still good and still worth watching. It has monks, tree demons, exploding people and all the cool shit we've come to expect from these kinds of films. It’s a good thing it ended here, though; there were bits of CGI creeping in and too much of that crap would've been a huge mistake.

3½ bitches and money are always trouble out of 5

MOU GAN DOU [INFERNAL AFFAIRS] [2002]

Hong Kong takes everything Michael Mann has done and perfected it in the first of a trilogy. Infernal Affairs is a near perfect crime-drama that wastes not a second of film. From beginning to end I was enthralled with the tightly wound pacing, performances and plot reveals.
While the characters begin to question which side they are actually one, the viewer is forced to question which side they are rooting for without being manipulated or spoon fed plot twists like we're stupid.
There are a few shots of overly stylized silliness and plot points that go nowhere but all that is forgiven for just how well the story is told. For a movie that's filled with pretty pop stars turned actors this surprises, enthralls and forces me to beg for more.

4 Rooftops out of 5

Hard Boiled (1992)

Before John Woo went to Hollywood to knock out crap uninspired action films, he made quality like Hard Boiled in his native China.

Chow plays a Dirty Harry style cop with a personal mission and a personal demon to exorcise. Even when he's left holding the baby, he kicks ass.
The Woo motifs are all present: extremely stylish dual-wielding slow motion pistol fights, exploding shotgun shells, a dozen near misses in one shoot-out, subtle dualities in plot and character, and doves (in an unusual way this time). It's one of the defining films of the genre.

4 more squibs and bloodpacks out of 5