R E V I E W :    Big Bullet  

Reviewed 12/16/00 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Universe / 1996 / 89 minutes
Directed by Benny Chan Muk-sing
Written by Susan Chan Suk-yin, Joe Ma Wai-ho, Benny Chan Muk-sing

Benny Chan Muk-sing's debut as a director was the hit A Moment of Romance. His undistinguished subsequent films, however, did not suggest that he would be capable of directing a tense, lean police thriller. So the critical and financial success of Big Bullet in the summer of 1996 evidently took most people by surprise.

Among others, he impressed Jackie Chan sufficiently so that Chan enlisted his services on his next film, Who Am I? His follow-up, Gen-X Cops, was another box office hit and inspired a sequel, Gen-Y Cops.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Lau Ching-Wan is a police sergeant who is transferred from the Serious Crimes Unit (investigating crimes) to the Emergency Unit (simply responding to them). His transfer is precipitated by his punching out a superior officer whose order got fellow officers killed. The plot follows him on his first day with the new unit, during which something happens to his friend and former direct superior (Francis Ng).

This film is full of excellent performances, good writing, and dynamic direction. The action is nearly non-stop but leaves a little breathing room for characterization on the fly. Besides Lau Ching-Wan, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Cheung Tat Ming, Theresa Lee, and Spencer Lam make up the other members of his unit, and provide able acting support. Anthony Wong and Yu Rongguang lurk in the background as the villains.

The film is rated as Category IIB. There are several scenes of explicit violence (blood spraying, a severed limb, many gunshot victims).

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

The DVD's widescreen (1.85 to 1) image quality is excellent. Fleshtones are natural, colors are vibrant, and blacks are deep.

The Dolby 5.1 sound is excellent with a wide and deep sound field and good use of the surrounds and sub-woofer. Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks are here. The white removable English subtitles are easy to read. Many typographical errors, though, and we miss out on what Anthony Wong is saying in Italian. Subtitles are also provided in traditional and simplified Chinese.

The excellent theatrical trailer as well as trailers for Lifeline, Young and Dangerous III, The Longest Nite, and Expect the Unexpected are included There are 8 chapters along with a full-motion chapter menu. Filmographies are given for Lau Ching-Wan, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Theresa Lee, Cheung Tat Ming, and Benny Chan.

Buy, rent, or pass?

My second viewing confirms my initial impression: a well-made action film with nuances that reward repeat showings. A purchase is recommended.

 

---

corrections? broken links? criticism? praise? please e-mail webmaster

this site is a non-commercial resource for region 1
original content copyright 2001 peter a. martin all rights reserved