 |  |  | | 
It just sit right with me, this film, a mix of chinese and english spoken, the use of gender and cultural clashes, and as for the ex-usa soldiers, in the film, they are pretty uselesses as villians. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| |  | |  |
| | | | | Gordon Chan shows the world that he can direct a large-scale action movie, but so what? The subject of the anti-terrorist Special Duties Unit is rigidly fitted into the mold of 'internationalization' but this plainly shows that Chan is at a loss what to do. Previous films about the SDU have always focused on the sovereign power of physical strength, but Final Option (the predecessor of First Option) puts its emphasis on the 'ethics' of physical power, or the sense of responsibility that comes with disciplined solidarity. However, in First Option, the weapon rules. The foe is overpowered not by virtues but by weapons. Idealism gives way to pragmatism, but this is a helpless compromise! | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
| | | |
| Behold, the Big Brother of Hong Kong cinema! Gordon Chan, hitherto our most intellectual director, has just made the best action film of 1996. First Option is much more superior than those movies that cost tens of millions aimed at the 'international market'. The few familiar background locations in Hong Kong cinema -- offices, factories, docks, and woods -- all transform themselves into spaces where drama and action are interlocked. There is drama among men in the macho tradition (yanggang in Chinese) just as there is drama in those scenes between the male and female leads. The crack team of the SDU is composed of men without faces but that's because they represent the average Hong Kong citizen and bring out in sharper relief, Michael Wong's heroic image. Wong carries the burden of career, love, and friendship, and in putting them to the test, action and emotion become one. Who says spectacle is all the film has to offer? |
| | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
| | | | | This attempt at generic and personal reflection is a step-up in ambition for Gordon Chan. He makes the shift away from sunny camaraderie to delineate characters overcast by personal complexes, setting the parameters and the challenges that the environment imposes on the person, finally pointing them towards the positive path of overcoming one's foes no matter how strong they are. All these within the context of an action genre! However, using Michael Wong (who plays the chief officer of the SDU) as a personal symbol to signify all sorts of social issues, is simply scratching the surface. And to undermine the elitist SDU by highlighting Customs officers as a more introspective and vigorous bunch of uniformed men, is to expose Chan's helplessness in reconciling ideals with reality. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
| | | | | The filmmaker's knowledge about his subject and his commitment to it, is best reflected in the quality of the work produced. This is the basis of one's professionalism. All the technical departments demonstrate an appropriate degree of professionalism, something that is most lacking in Hong Kong cinema. A sense of helplessness pervades the entire film and the unmistakable message is, try and do your best: meet every predicament with a whole-hearted resolve and think positive! The filmmaker's missionary vision towards his medium is something we should treasure. Minor details and human affairs are all rendered with well-observed and refined ingenuity. It is no overstatement to say that Gordon Chan is the most human among local directors. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
|
