Reviews:First Option
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ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
A big budget critical and commercial success from the director of "Fist of Legend" and Jackie Chan's forthcoming big-budget fantasy action-adventure "Highbinders", "First Option" is an intense action-drama depicting a battle of wits between a crack SDU unit and a criminal gang made up of American ex-special forces operatives.
With dazzling action-sequences from impresario Bruce Law, "First Option" is a stunning example of enlightened creative energy and dramatic vision from one of South East Asia’s most acclaimed and successful directors.
-HKL
In this prequel to The Final Option, Michael Wong returns as Stone Wong (nice name there), the tough leader of the SDU. This time, the team is after a group of ex-Navy Seals who are trying to bring a powerful new drug known as "ice" to the streets of Hong Kong. Like its predecessor, First Option concentrates a lot of its' time on dealing with the problems the SDU members have off the job, and that -- like Final Option -- is the film's main problem. This type of movie has been done better many times before, and First Option adds nothing new to the mix. The finale is okay, but it's nothing to save this movie from being average.
-HK Film (see my profile)
http://www.hkfilm.net
| After Final Option, First Option. Gordon Chan teams up a second time with the Special Duties Unit (SDU) in a no-nonsense action movie. Here they come up against a criminal gang made up of American soldiers and ex-SDU members. Produced by Media Asia, First Option was a huge success, both critically and commercially, over the similar film, Best of the Best (Chinese title: Final Option 2), produced by Golden Harvest after its break-up with Gordon Chan, and released in the same month.
WONG plays a team leader of the S.D.U. at the edge of a career breakdown, due to his breakup in love and alcoholism. He was summoned to support a group of custom officers who faced fire attacks during a drug trafficking raid. SDU and the customs belong to different working fields of duties, but were brought together after the incident to form a special operation team. WONG thinks that the female leader of the customs is useless and careless when facing heavily armed traffickers. But after several discoveries of trafficker's hideouts, he starts to feel that both departments should work together to destroy the syndicate. Entertaining, action-packed film about the SDU, Hong Kong's answer to SWAT is a prequel to the Final Option. But unlike that film, First Option spends little time on the private lives of the characters - It's all crazed SDU action. Very Hollywood in feel. If you want action, this film will appeal to you. However, viewers without a yen for guns and action may find little beyond the action scenes to keep their interest. Characters are barely explored. Still, First Option is one of the best pure action movies ever produced in Hong Kong. |
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