Fatal Move 夺帅 英语影评

The backdrop is Hong Kong and the focus is the violent world of the triads. Sammo Hung plays Lung, the notorious gang leader while Simon Yam takes on the role of his younger brother Yung. Things start to fall apart for Lung's mob when a drug deal goes wrong, a kidnap turns into a murder and a secret mission turns into a massacre.

It is all too familiar. When a movie revolves around a Hong Kong triad, one can expect an impressive body count and lots of gunfire with a blend of martial arts. A successful Hong Kong triad film doesn't necessarily need a good and original plot or outstanding performances by the cast. All it needs is nail biting car chases and beautifully choreographed martial arts. Alas, you'll get none of that in "Fatal Move".

Dennis Law is a familiar name in the Hong Kong movie business. He's a producer, writer and director with titles such as "Election" and "Love @ First Note" on his resume. With the success and experience of being part of "Election", one would assume that this film would follow in those footsteps. Unfortunately, Dennis Law took a step backwards and brings us what I can only describe as a 'fatal movie'. The film was filled with too many random subplots that the main theme was lost along the way. In the end, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the 'fatal moves' that kill them all.

As for the cast, I dare not say that it is an A-list one after that performance. Sammo Hung made it through 2 seasons of "Martial Law" but when it comes to the big screens it seems as if he has lost his mojo. Simon Yam, who by the way is one of the most sought after actors in Hong Kong, gave a mediocre performance that could have easily been done by any ordinary 'ah beng' gangster you see on the streets. It seems to be a trend for Hong Kong movies for the cast to completely over-do the acting part, making everything feel unnatural and forced.

When my ticket was stamped with the words "for 18 years and above" I was hoping to see some crafty fight scenes and a bit of gore. I'd like to believe that there were some relatively violent scenes that we the Malaysian audience just weren't allowed to see. The censorship board had a field day chopping this up just so viewers can try to piece the puzzles back together. The pieces that were left weren't exactly brutal either. We do get a massacre and a few standoffs with an outstanding body count but the victims mostly suffer from the average gunshot wound. Where's the pizzazz?

One must not forget that Sammo Hung is after all a talented martial arts expert. You can't have a movie with him without a heads up battle. Which leads us to the obligatory final battle, but one that isn't good against evil. All through the film, viewers will be waiting for this one scene and they will ultimately be disappointed. Sammo Hung could've probably pulled it off 10 years ago but nowadays, he looks like a pudgy grandpa doing some form of advanced yoga. And what's with the over-amplified sound effects? Throwing punches sounds like banging drums these days.

In all fairness, Hong Kong movies can't always be compared to Hollywood blockbusters. They have more misses than they do hits. "Fatal Move" manages to just sit comfortably on the fence, being neither good nor bad. But if you're looking for something to follow in the footsteps of "Infernal Affairs", I suggest you just watch "The Departed". "Fatal Move" should be left for those who are looking for mindless entertainment.