Rick (Leslie Cheung) is not only an expert marksman but also an expert gun-modifier. He runs a shooting range which is also the locale for a competition where his fiercest rival is cop Miu (Alex Fong). During a pivotal event, a stockbroker who's not only failed in the tournament but also lost his all to the market, goes on a shooting rampage and Rick is the one that dares to put the deadly bullet in him. Cut to 3 years later and a bloody, multiple killing leaves trails of the "double tap" technique, something only few in Hong Kong has mastered, including Rick and he is indeed the one that's gone on this killing rampage. One that's not over...

Very much a commercial venture in style, look and execution, Double Tap is clearly still an effort with ambitions a little bit higher than just catering to the local box office. Those intentions I think the filmmakers realized couldn't take them to greater heights, as a character drama anyway, so the mantra in question instead becomes: breathe and focus to deliver top notch mainstream filmmaking, with the Derek Yee mark of quality instead. Law Chi Leung's first solo feature is therefore, entertaining, powerful and well-acted to a degree that this genre allows.

First thing that does strikes you after viewing is the darkness of the tale and in particular how it parallels the background to Leslie Cheung's suicide in 2003. The character of Rick is an introvert and one that clearly carries a lot of hidden darkness to him. You can see through the celluloid and it's a bit of a sad experience because of it. If concentrating fully on the movie instead, Law Chi Leung brings no deeper themes but one that obviously is part of the film is the question of vigilantes, as also examined in Righting Wrongs. Compared to that film, this is a movie from a generation of talent that did and does not focus on martial arts but it obviously comes through in either case. You can look at Rick and claim there's no real motive behind his very harsh actions but I think screenwriters Yeung Sin Ling, Yeung Chin Hung & Clarence Lee are making the point that Rick being an introvert leads up to this and there's no set path a mind will walk when doing this transition. That I feel is the most believable part in Leslie's character. The subsequent portrayal is very serviceable and intense but doesn't exactly stand out as fresh. But going back to filmmakers intentions though, this is supposed to be serviceable, which both Law Chi Leung and Derek Yee knows.

And having said that, I admire Law's very balanced and level headed style to the film that seems to find the good spots to visually stand out and the spots where other aspects should be at the forefront. You have the opening act which consists mostly of the shooting range competition that is DOP Venus Keung's chance to be MTV but it's also a compelling choice we realize because straight after one such sequence, you see how the filmmakers suitably take a breather when it's time to. Otherwise it's easy to drown an entire movie in a quick-cut, shaky camera style just because that's all you have to bring. Double Tap possesses more talent than that and all in all, narrative is brisk, tension is at times very good and the only real flaw in, again, this consciously mainstream effort with a dark twist, is that melodrama is taken 2-3 steps too far. You have a scene such as Alex Fong's Miu finally breaking that cool exterior but what Law and company needed to do was, like I described above with the camera style, stop and take a breather even here. Subtlety can work absolute magic. Learn from the scene where Fong, by himself, is just watching a crime scene where one of his closest friends has fallen victim to Rick.

Acting-wise, and with a limited depth to the characters, I think the late Leslie Cheung broke new ground here, at least in terms of the movies I've seen. The teen idol I never saw taking on these darker characters and it really made sense because he didn't seem to possess that particular edge. However, there comes a time when actors grow into maturity that allows that and Leslie I think did very well for himself here, best when his madness is about quiet passages rather than hysterics though. You do again wonder how much, at this time, the character reflected his inner struggles and you can't help but to miss him regardless of what performance you see. Had he still been with us, I think we would've seen an even more impressive growth but Cheung thankfully lives on for us to admire what he did accomplish in his lifetime.

Alongside the Leslie Cheung we find, and I keep coming back to this, one of the finest acting talent without a big break in Hong Kong cinema. Namely Alex Fong. However, he's one that seems to be forced to sink to the level of commercialism in order to be truly noticed but being backed by, Yee including in the recent One Nite In Mongkok, Fong's is certainly not giving up and as a bonus to fans, he has choosen his projects fairly well. There's few actors I can think of that exudes quiet dignity better than Alex, which is what the character is about. It's also very believable when that dignity can't overpower emotions and despite this role being more leaned towards commercial fodder, there's still humanity in the character and performance to appreciate. Ruby Wong appears as Rick's girlfriend and she still manages to make a solid impression despite given less to do.

Law Chi Leung's Double Tap won't be mistaken for possessing any great depth but the depth it does possess is more than most mainstream efforts dare to take a chance with and this Derek Yee production comes off looking much better because of it. A good double act in Leslie Cheung and Alex Fong combined with a compelling atmosphere makes Double Tap an action-thriller with mainstream intentions but definitely worthy of appreciation from all camps.

Leslie Cheung stars as Rick Pang, a gunsmith and expert marksman capable of shooting so accurately that he can place a second bullet almost exactly where the first one hit (this technique being known as a 'double tap'). The story begins with a shooting contest on a firing range in which Ring and Mui (Alex Fong), a local policeman, are closely matched. When the contest is interrupted by a crazed gunman Pang is forced to kill him to save his girlfriend Colleen (Ruby Wong). The experience of taking a life leaves Pang seriously disturbed.

The story then moves on three years and Mui is investigating a multiple murder where an assassin has killed a prosecution witness and his four police bodyguards. The bullet wounds on the victims show such evidence of precision on behalf of the killer that Pang becomes an obvious suspect, being that he is one of the few in Hong Kong capable of carrying out such a feat. Unfortunately for Mui events soon spiral out of control as the killer starts to take out members of his own squad leading to the film's frantic climax.

Although the plot might be quite straightforward this is more than made up for by the excellent acting from Leslie Cheung and Alex Fong. Leslie plays a much more sinister role than usual with a terrifically chilling look in his eyes and gives a performance that is just pure class. Alex Fong is also solid as Mui and Ruby Wong, as Pang's girlfriend, is stunning in every sense of the word. More of a thriller than an action movie Double Tap relies on the strength of the characters to carry it and the scenes where Pang undergoes hours of police interviews are as gripping as the following shoot outs.

My one complaint about the film concerns the lack of effort put into exploring how the events of the first half shaped Pang's character in the second. Rather than deal with this the film simply moves on three years leaving the viewer to simply accept the change without any explanation. This leaves a feeling that there is a bit of a black hole in the plot and really it seems like a bit of a cop out.

Like the films of John Woo there is a large amount of gun fetishism in the movie and great weight is placed on the gun as a key to power. In one memorable scene the police officers are seriously outgunned by the killer as his automatic holds 21 bullets while their revolvers can only hold 6. The film also briefly addresses the affect guns have had on today's violent society. At one point Pang tells his girlfriend, in particularly chilling tones, that it is not guns that kill people but people that use guns to kill. This is contradicted however by other scenes where guns accidentally misfire and an instance where Pang scolds Colleen for being careless in the way in which she hands a gun to him.

When the action does finally come it hits hard with a fair amount of bloodletting (with plenty of use of squibs). Although there are really only two scenes where this occurs they are comparable to anything Hong Kong has offered in recent years. The ferocity of these scenes is actually quite shocking although this is lessened in the final scenes by the use of some nice visual effects reminiscent of the Matrix. The camera work and choreography of the action is competent and gives the film a gritty realistic look rather than of John Woo-ish style.

Despite the lack of development of some of the characters Double Tap is still an intelligent and enjoyable movie with a very memorable performance from Leslie Cheung which, for that alone, makes it worth watching.

Rick Pang (Leslie Cheung) is a former champ, having left the competition circuit after a 1995 injury. Now working as a gunsmith and helping to train the occasional gunplay aspirant, Rick is on the range when another ace shooter - Inspector Miu (Alex Fong) - says he wants a face off. Rick, for some reason, agrees and at the next practical shooting competition the two are neck and neck. Competition peaks just as a disgruntled investor in the spectator stands has to spoil it all. He's lost $300 million in stocks and is on edge. He pulls a gun, gets all threatening and is ultimately double-tapped in the head by Rick. Previously one not one to kill ("No blood on my gun", he explains earlier), Rick suddenly discovers that killing feels great.

Three years later, there's a bloodbath in a hotel room. Forensics figure out how the dead guys were killed, the method of shooting used, and how long it took to top them off. Miu leads the case and rounds up all suspects from the gun club, including Rick. A lack of evidence sees Rick walk away scot-free. But Miu and his boys are sure Rick's their man. After all, reasons Miu, only Rick can do three double taps in five seconds. And so begins the cops' chase to pin their man.

Although the characters are not among the most well-developed or even three-dimensional around, the cast, which includes Joe Cheung (who also got co-credit for conceiving the movie's story and served as the show's shooting consultant), Vincent Kuk and Henry Fong Ping -- do a professional job. In brief, Double Tap is an enjoyable actioneer with some big-name star power. Expect bloody action and not much character development.