Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

HeadlinesExotic Boring

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Scarecrow-88 Interpol agents assembled from all parts of the globe have built evidence against a criminal known for armed robbery and drug trafficking, Panther Duen(Doi-yung Ng), cooperating with the Hong Kong Police force, operating under Commander Hong Sun(Simon Yam). But, a criminal alliance desire payback towards Hong Kong mafioso Tiger Duen(Ken Tong) who runs the Duen Syndicate getting rich off of gambling, drugs and prostitution..Tiger killed a man named Dominick(..along with others who participated in an armed robbery)whose brother, Petros(Michael Biehn), a former Captain for the Colombian army, seeks revenge, aligning himself with former Korean colonel, Ko Tsung Yuon(Jun-ho Heo) and his intimidating staff of talented killers. Soon the agents will join forces with a transportation cop, Kong Long(Sammo Hung), a demoted former Sergeant on the police force who cost the lives of six officers disobeying orders in a shootout with Ko Tsung Yuon and his men during a bank robbery, in an attempt to stop the criminal alliance from getting their hands on a roll of film containing the bank account number and password for all the firearms and drug dealers in the possession of Tiger's ex-lover, Yau Ching(Bingbing Li), for whom Petros gets romantically involved(..he instigates the relationship, at first, to get his hands on the film, but soon actually falls in love with Ching).When I noticed this movie at a local Blockbuster, I was quite taken aback regarding the very eclectic cast in this movie. It seems to feature the who's-who of Asian cinema. And, this has a really great part for Michael Biehn, who is still in fine form as a difficult adversary for the young, green(..but impressively talented)agents out to get him and his gang of highly skilled assassins. Maggie Q has a nifty role as a silent(..and deadly) sniper, working for Ko, often exchanging gunfire with Yu Xia(..as the agents' ace marksman Luo Zai Jun), including one superb sequence in a cemetery as gravestones are blasted apart, not to mention the phenomenal action set piece where both teams partake in an epic shootout within an alley. Vanness Wu is the inexperienced, but courageous(..also brainy)Wang Sun Ho, who becomes Petros main foe, with their highlight shooting match featured during the climax of the film. Talking about exciting, Sammo Hung and Jun-ho Heo have two classic fights, one in a locker room, another in an abandoned warehouse..Heo carries a mean sword and how Hung combats him without one has got to be seen. Even though Hung might be overweight, smoking away on his cigars, this man has some very fast hands(..I think one can tell, thanks to clever camera techniques and editing that Hung, no matter how athletic he might be, used a stuntman sometimes)and his work opposite Heo is a marvel to experience.Rounding out the cast of Interpol agents are Shengyi Huang as the agents' lone female teammate Pak Yut Suet(..her fate is heartbreaking, bringing a lump to the throat), Lawrence Chou as James Lam, and Shawn Yue as Hung Kei Lok. Accompanying Ko's gang are the brutish, hulking former Navy Seal Joe Pearson(Mark Henderson)and martial arts(..and gunner)expert Lee Chen Pei(Philip Ng). There are splendid shootouts between rival groups with lots of ammunition wasted without anyone even hit(..kind of amusing in that both teams are so talented they know how to keep from getting killed), although the casualties that result in the alley set the stage for the spectacular mall sequence featuring Biehn's Petros making life very difficult for agents Sun Ho and Lok as they attempt to halt his recovery of the roll of film. Also, the film features an exhilarating entrapment of Commander Hang Sun's police force where Ko and Petros somehow eliminate their enemies, allowing Tiger Duen to escape. Director Daniel Lee also provides characters with backgrounds and stories, fleshing them out as human beings..particularly Kong Long(..whose estranged daughter wants nothing to do with him, and his guilt losing officers thanks to a hasty decision on his part), Petros(..his willingness to kill whoever it takes to get his revenge, yet having a code of honor in regards to lying to anyone), and the talented young cast have moments devoted to their roles. Lee also provides the characters with B&W vignettes dedicated to each one's particular skill along with a brief description of who they are. There are times where Lee allows the film to get carried away with hyper-kinetic camera work and quick-cut editing, but there are still some awe-inspiring moments of sheer genius, plus some stunningly developed set-pieces. A real heart-pounding, cold-blooded, ultra-violent actioner from Daniel Lee.

keracunan Non existent plot, tons of poorly directed / super-cheesy scenes (Snipers / world famous sharpshooters who can't even hit their targets a few feet away? plus what's up with the ending?---> a bunch of law enforcers vandalizing a carnival's shooting gallery? WTH?), technical mistakes (how many bullets can you fit into a magazine of a glock? 100+? These people fire their guns without the need of reloading). The movie is so bad that even senior Hollywood actor like Michael Biehn (Aliens, terminator) can't save this junk.DO not watch this movie (I realized that I wasted some good 100 minutes of my precious life on this one). Hopefully the director would either stop making movies, or learn more for his next movie.

Lt_Coffey_182 The anticipation I had for this film sparked a major interest in Asian cinema and for that reason alone, I am glad this film exists. On finally seeing Dragon Squad, it is obvious that is not one the best written or best acted films but it is a highly entertaining, fast paced and well directed action piece. Perhaps for me, this film was a victim to my own expectations.Dragon Squad is immensely stylish and Daniel Lee does a tremendous job to grab the audience's attention via clever use of camera wizardry. In some scenes, he overdoes the slow motion and cut backs, but overall, he is extremely impressive. The way he integrates news report like flashes within the film is very clever in terms of pace as it saves on huge chunks of exposition to explain what is happening and characters' background. Whilst it is a fresh approach, I've always been in favour of setting the scene and character development. Lee would have done well to remember that these are the basics when it comes to a good plot.With the exception of Petros (Michael Biehn) and Ching's (Li Bing Bing) story, the character stories are somewhat neglected and rushed. Sammo Hung's relationship with his daughter could have been explored much more and would have given good contrast to the bloodshed that was occurring elsewhere in the film. There was an attempt at background explanations for the 'Dragon Squad' and although they were good and went to some length to explain the characters, there was hardly any closure on the issues. The plot as a whole however, is very good. The tale two groups chasing one man for different reasons is very compelling and the way the groups interact with each other is very good. To put it one way, Dragon Squad has a great body but not quite enough bones to hold it all together.Negativity aside, the action in the film is brilliant. Some of the best shootout scenes I've witnessed (and that's a lot!) are on this film; it is stunning to watch. Biehn, Shawn Yue and Maggie Q all really shine in these scenes. Their weapon handling is brilliant and they do a fantastic job of adding personality to the action scenes. The sniper battles are very good as they add tension and also means the action on the ground can flourish uninterrupted. Dragon Squad really sets itself above its peers with these scenes as it doesn't stray in to the realms of nonsense like Hard Boiled did and instead, tries to remain on a more realistic level.The cast is somewhat mixed. Shawn Yue is very good in all of his scenes, he is likable and the scenes with his paralysed brother are very touching. The rest of the 'Dragon Squad' however, are all pretty bad. Vanness Wu in particular was extremely wooden and definitely should have stuck to doing pop songs. Sammo Hung was a much needed cast member. His movement in the fight scenes was very good and he certainly shone when compared to the main characters. Michael Biehn as the lead villain was excellent. These are the kind of roles he loves and really took this one by the reigns. Biehn makes his villain a sympathetic and likable one but is also totally ruthless. This is one of Biehn's best roles in years and he was a joy to watch; definitely the stand out performance. Maggie Q was slightly underused in this film but her role was the silent but deadly sniper so she fitted perfectly in to the requirements of the character. Simon Yam was also good in his small role as the chief of police. He adds another dimension to Hung's character and gives a very generous performance.The music in the film is brilliant. The drum score is at the heart of Dragon Squad's atmosphere and it is so effective at putting the audience on edge. This is classic Hong Kong action music and the length of time this particular sound has lasted further shows how effective it is. There is extreme contrast within the music as on one hand there are these intense instrumentals and on the other, there are slow, emotional pop songs. Lee really uses music as part of the film and it is brilliant at heightening Dragon Squad's impact.Overall, this is a very good film despite its many flaws. With a little more attention to character development, this could have been one of the year's best films. The director, however, focused more on action set pieces and these alone take the film to a very good level. Dragon Squad has quality stamped all over it and deserves much more recognition than it's been given.

rmj1971 Daniel Lee must have watched too many Michael Bay films, such is the speed of the editing in Dragon Squad. On top of that, the director throws in a myriad of cinematic tricks and gimmicks in an obvious attempt to try and capture a hip audience for his picture. Slow-motion, fast-motion, filters, crazy camera angles, bloody violence, a group of young actors that could pass for designer clothes store mannequins; your average thirteen year-old would probably think this is one of the best films ever made. Maybe that's the point. To a more (ahem) mature viewer, however, the movie plays like an extended pop video, where a long fringe or moody look is supposed to give our anguished heroes some depth. It doesn't. In fact as you watch the film, it begins to resemble an ultra-violent version of the A-Team. For surely only in that classic of 80s t.v. could almost a dozen protagonists firing automatic weapons in a narrow alley not hit each other with a single shot for five minutes. Aren't these people supposed to be highly trained cops and ex-special forces nutters? Duh? But then it happens. One of our paper-thin leads takes a bullet to the brain and suddenly Lee's film hits the ground running, becoming a darker and more twisted bastard of a film. So what's to recommend to the curious viewer about this movie? Well, the last half-hour is certainly more satisfyingly gritty, if just as silly, as all that has preceded it. On top of that, with our fledgling super-cops a charisma-free zone, it's up to old hands to give Dragon Squad some bite. Fortunately, (though given little to work with) Maggie Q, Michael Biehn, Sammo Hung and Jun-ho Heo managed to interject some weight into proceedings through sheer force of personality. Sammo and Heo's characters personal battle within the narrative is the film's highlight, culminating in a decent punch-up that is well choreographed by Hung protégé Chin Kar Lok. The numerous gun battles are also finely staged, certainly more brutal and bloody than the balletic shootouts of John Woo's justifiably lauded Hong Kong output. The film also has an excellent original soundtrack and there are some fun cameos, including Simon Yam (somewhat wasted), Kung-fu legend Gordon Lui (funny) and Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan (wooden). So if you're looking for a popcorn action flick with an Asian flavour, I guess you could do worse than Dragon Squad. You could also do a lot better.