Nai-Hoi Yau, who wrote the screenplay, is very talented. He has written the electrying traid film "Election" for Mr. To. And with this film he makes a simple story, refreshing for the audience. The story is great, about five men hired to protect a traid boss in trouble.

The ensemble cast bounces off the screen, with each character presenting their own litte traits. It was a joy to see a cast so lively, and it shows on screen how each character responds to one another working as a team.

The action was pulse-pounding, with bullets flying everywhere. This being a Johnnie To actioner, he always has this magic of making his cast in a furious action battle so cool. "The Mission" is one of my favorite Johnnie To films. It is stylish but simple and with some twist and turns. It still stands out, looking amazing every time I watch it.

"The Mission" is a 5 star film, and with a Hollywood remake on its way, I hope it also has the vibrant feeling of this one. Because without a great cast working together off- and on-screen, this film would have never worked with its intriguing story and direction.

The trailer promised action--more action than I could shake a chopstick at. This film didn't have any though. It was a long, boring police drama based on a true story (supposedly) of a high profile kidnapping in which Chan plays a relentless cop. It's dialog heavy and the acting is terrible.

On one hand, as a Jackie Chan film, it's easily among his worst, and I can't understand why people like it so much. I've come to expect over-the-top action, stunts and fighting with amazing set pieces from his films. This was a bit of a departure from his other films at the time as he played a darker and more serious realistic character. That doesn't mean it's good. He's played a darker character in other films where it totally works. Here it's just a waste of talent.

As a police drama, it fails as well because the story is cliched and dull. It's also mostly a failure as an action film--until the end, that is, where it earns that extra half a star.

I recommend watching this like a porn: just fast forward through all the talking and watch the action. Basically, skip the first 4/5ths of this movie until you get to the end--and even then, it's barely worth your time. The action and set-pieces scattered throughout were weak for the most part and nothing you haven't seen. It's not until the very end that we finally get to see some classic JC--it's pretty clear which scenes he directed.

Even when things were exploding everywhere and the story had reached its ultimate climax, I was catching myself drifting off and just thinking about how Jackie Chan's hair kept changing length throughout the film, as though they had to do a bunch of reshoots or else they shot it out of sequence. That's probably why it felt so uneven.

Ultimately I'd say skip it, but most people out there seem to think this is some quality genius work. I'm a Jackie Chan enthusiast, but his comedic energy isn't what was missing here--what was missing was a good movie. There's literally nothing worth seeing that they don't show in the trailer. I'd suggest picking up "New Police Story" for a better example of a darker side of Chan, or "Thunderbolt" for some of the most fantastic stunts in a Chan film ever (just try to ignore the actual car racing scenes) instead.

The real eye catcher of this flick is Brad Allen. He is a member of the Jackie Chan stunt man team and has two stand-out, high quality throwdowns with the Chan-man himself. These battles resonate with the energy and sharpness of the classic Jackie vs. Benny "The Jet" fights.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SLICK AND FAMOUS: There is a dope fight involving Jackie, some guys and bunch of baseball bats. Nice. Brad Allen is still an unknown and it's a shame, because with his clean technique and fierce agility he can probably hang with all the big boys. In the end fight versus Jackie, Brad executes a jumping QUADRUPLE front kick! No strings attached. Seriously.

FINAL WORDS FROM A BASTARD: Ignore the lame love story and get it because you like to see people kick and punch each other. And that is your right. Power to the people! I need more coffee, I'm losin' it over here...