Review: Although a Media Asia film, 2000 AD is a joint production between Singapore and Hong Kong and the films events are spread across the two counties. Much of the promotional material for this film includes Top Gun-esque images of fighter jets and Kwok posing in air force gear. This is misleading as his character is not involved in the armed forces in any way, however this is not really to the detriment of the film. The fighter jets in the film are part of an initially exciting opening sequence which eventually disappoints as we learn they are only running a practice drill, which serves to illustrate the importance of computers and telecommunications in warfare. Still, the action picks up briefly when Ken Lo’s assassin character brings down an airplane with a rocket launcher at the request of corrupt CIA agent Andrew Lin. Lin, who was actually supposed to play a positive role in the film, is still effective as the sly villain who seeks to crash much of South East Asia’s computer systems. Aaron Kwok is effectively cast as the spoilt, immature ‘computer geek’ who during the course of the film has to grow up and take more responsibility once his brother is firstly arrested as a spy and later murdered. Kwok demonstrates a credible amount of athleticism and martial arts, as well as a fair degree of screen presence and charisma.

It is however Francis Ng who famously steals the movie from Kwok with an understated, award winning performance of a heroic and professional Hong Kong policeman. Even the surprisingly competent English dubbed track on the HK Legends DVD does justice to a performance which injects heart and depth into an otherwise plain and two dimensional supporting character. Gordon Chan allows Ng just enough time during scenes to get his character across. Unfortunately, the rest of his GSU unit are not given much time to flesh out their characters (only the female member; Fanny, is introduced to the audience when she comes on to Peter). Still they come across as loyal and dedicated, especially in the car park shoot out where make a stand to protect Peter and the mysterious Selena; a ‘can she or can’t she be trusted’ character played by Phyllis Quek.

The other stand out performance is that of Yu Beng-lim who plays an officer in Singapore’s Information Warfare Unit as part of a parallel side story to the main action in Hong Kong. As opposed to Ng’s seriousness, he plays his role very broad and as a result provides the film with much needed comic relief. In particular, his over the phone dressing down of his subordinate (played by James Lai) is hilarious. Daniel Wu also provides occasional comedy playing Peter’s dopey friend Benny. Generally though he is wasted, only contributing the occasional kick or the occasional expression. However his ‘pervert look’ in the night club and his police distraction in Singapore show comic potential.

One may argue that the pacing of the film is slightly off, however I would suggest that this serves to develop both the plot and the characters sufficiently. This allows for the transition of Peter from immature to responsible and allows the audience to grow attached to, and care about the characters involved in the following action sequences. Still, this may bore some viewers as the main action only gets going about 30 minutes in to the film. The relatively realistic action in the film is weighted toward the later half and consists of mostly gunplay, vehicular stunts and the occasional fist fight. When Peter faces Ken Low’s character, it is a scrappy and grounded brawl in the dirt, later when Peter meets Mr Woo (Andrew Lin) atop a large building roof, we see a more prolonged and complex fight. The martial arts here resembles a kick boxing style contest rather than traditional kung-fu or over the top ‘wire-fu’ as the two exchange kicks, knees, elbows and even head butts. Perhaps surprisingly, the gunfights in this film are the stand out sequences. They use sparingly precise slow motion and the occasional speed up to enhance the motion of the shooters while the bullets zip around them piercing metal and shattering glass. The purposeful use of monotone colors adds weight to these scenes, rendering them within a serious tone, stripping the gunplay of its usual glamour. These scenes end with lingering shots of the carnage, portraying the dead as victims or fallen heroes, not just faceless expendables. This also complements the idea prevalent in the film; the difference between video game violence and harsh reality.

First class supporting performances, refreshingly mature gunfights and Arthur Wong’s consistently excellent cinematography are the key features of a all round good action film, with only the occasional yet forgivable plot hole. While hardly ground breaking, 2000 AD is different and entertaining enough to warrant at least a rental, if only for Francis Ng’s performance if nothing else.

REVIEW:
2000 A.D. is an exciting thriller about all-too-silly computer nerd Aaron Kwok embarking on a path of revenge as he attempts to find out just what and who is behind the murder of his successful brother Greg, who was also a CIA agent. What makes this film work best is Kwok's performance and believability. We shrug off his characterization as the geeky, spend-thrift computer company owner who is in debt up to his eyeballs and is constantly bailed out by older brother Greg. When his brother is dramatically killed right before his very eyes, the impact is translated to us quite graphically, as we see it happen from both the sniper's point of view and Peter's. His next actions are really reactions to the events which he has witnessed and the deep-felt need to avenge his brother's death. All those years of game-playing with best friend Benny will pay off in spades as he launches himself headlong into danger without any self-concern. But the transition is handled so well by actor and director that we accept it easily, and thus accept the rest of the story. We are sucked into the action before we know what has happened, and can appreciate Peter's need for retribution all that much more.

Kwok's Peter is aided by best friend Benny (Daniel Wu) as he follows a mysterious trail of secret plans, computer code and viruses across the Far East in order to stop a shadowy organization from destroying South East Asia's banking systems in order to become rich. Of particular note among the numerous secondary characters are Ken Lo (former Jackie Chan bodyguard and a villain in Drunken Master 2) as the rapid-fire sniper with a pretty nasty rifle that seriously blows hell out of cars and people. His character is firmly established in what is one of the best ambush scenes on film as he takes out a police car with so much icy cool and control that he clearly upstages the film's main villain.

Starring Aaron Kwok (The Storm Riders, China Strike Force) as Peter, Phyllis Quek (The Makeover, Born Wild) as Salina, his brother's fiancée, Daniel Wu (Devil Face/Angel Heart, Born Wild, Gen-X Cops) as Peter's best friend Benny, Ray Lui (To Be Number 1, The Suspect) as the brother, and Francis Ng (Hong Kong Triad, Bullets Over Summer, Gen-X Cops) as police Captain Ronald Ng.

Directed by veteran actioner Gordon Chan (Fist of Legend, The Final Option), this gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller was co-written by Chan and Stu Zicherman, who is scripting the upcoming Elektra film starring Jennifer Garner. 2000 A.D. is a nicely scripted action film that sucks you in from the opening five minutes and just builds to ever more increasing suspense against impossible odds until the quite satisfying climax.

Full of top-notch special effects and the highest production values, and with a relatively new cast supported by several recognizable Hong Kong actors, 2000 A.D. delivers as one of the best suspense films of the past few years. This is a film that everyone can enjoy.

In 2000 A.D., our boy Aaron plays some kind of dot-com yuppie who is sucked into an international terrorism plot that may or may not have involved his brother (Ray Lui) and his fiancee (Phyillis Quek). Aided by his best friend (Daniel Wu), his girlfriend (Gigi Choi) and a mysterious Malaysian agent (Lai Hing Cheung), Aaron must together who is on which side before the leader of the terrorists (Andrew Lin) and his henchman (Ken Lo) kill him and finish a program which can destroy the world's computer systems.

The plot isn't exactly mind-blowing, but 2000 A.D. moves along at a fast clip, so you don't notice the shortcomings too much. Though the script is frankly pretty bad at times -- the beginning scene takes place at a military base and is a perplexing mish-mash of English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and there are a few clunkers delivered throughout the film. Perhaps not coincidentally, the lines in English are the worst, but maybe it's because they have selected the usual horrible gweilo actors to deliver them.

On the other side of the coin, there are a few impressive performances that manage to balance out some of the crap. Andrew Lin and Ken Lo make for a pair of formidable villains, Daniel Wu shows why he is one of the more promising young actors in Hong Kong, and Francis Ng simply kicks ass. He takes a small role of a cop -- just a generic character -- and really makes it own. I wouldn't say it's Oscar-worthy, but it's damn good. Ng always has this way of portraying intensity without going over the top, and 2000 A.D. is one of his best performances to date.

As for the action, 2000 A.D. definitely delivers the goods. The first couple of action bits display the bad CGI a lot of new Hong Kong action movies suffer from, but things get better from then on, as Gordan Chan switches to more of an "old school" style in the vein of his movie Big Bullet. In particular, there is a manic shootout in a parking garage that stands out as one of the best action sequences to come out of Hong Kong in recent years.

Overall, 2000 A.D. isn't anything mind-blowing. If you're not a huge action fan or like to nit-pick movies, then most likely you'll want to skip this one. But if you like fast and furious Hong Kong action, then you could do a lot worse than 2000 A.D., especially compared to many other recent so-called "action" films, from both HK and Hollywood.

REVIEW:
2000 A.D. is a great example of what a big-budget action/conspiracy movie can be when its done right. It's applicable to modern times, has character that viewers relate to, an interesting plot, and some great action. It's a great example of what a blockbuster action movie can be without feeling empty and manufactured.

One of the greatest things about 2000 A.D. is the characters. Maybe being a gamer and a computer guy of about the same age, this is amplified, but I was totally hooked to the main characters. They were my type of guys. They were regular guys, too. I could really identify with them. Even if you don't match the age and interest demographic of our protagonists, you should still appreciate their down-to-earth personalities and the situation they get caught up in.

The plot does get somewhat convoluted at points, and at times openly tries to drive home a point about information warfare being the warfare of the future. But, neither of these aspects is overwhelming. The plot is very interesting, though, as we see a regular guy get pulled into a huge situation and start uncovering a conspiracy. He's going to have to know where to place his trust and stay determined in his mission. Slowly, more and more of what is going on is revealed until we are the climax, where the final piece of the conspiracy is revealed leading to a fairly exciting climax. It starts out a bit slow, but once it cranks up - this movie locks you in.

The performances here were pretty solid. Aaron Kwok and Daniel Wu nailed their characters. I enjoyed their interaction, joking with each other, giving each other advice etc. They portrayed their relationship well. James Lye, as a Singaporean agent following Peter's travels, is extremely charismatic and appealing for a character with such limited screen time. A smaller role, with Francis Ng as the lead Hong Kong agent on this case, is quite cool with his determined, but calm and laid-back demeanor. Most of the other supporting characters fill their roles well, too. Only a couple of the white actors leave a little something to be desired (not terribly uncommon in HK movies), and even then - they still aren't as bad as the horrible white actors in "Who Am I?" and "Hot War".

Action is also excellent here. Most of it is comprised of shootouts, handled well, not going too far in the slow-mo John-Woo ripoff direction or the shaky-camera documentary style direction. It's straightforward solid shootout action, captured well. There is also some solid hand-to-hand combat at times, with lots of use of environment and, yet again, slick camerawork. One cool effect to note in the action scenes is the purple tinted images during the most extreme, death-filled parts of some shootouts. It really captures the right mood for that particular moment and adds to the tension.

2000 A.D. is what good action movies are. It's got great characters, a solid plot, and some great action. It's stylish in that recent big-budget HK production type of way, but doesn't push that stylishness in your face too much, as some films will. This is definitely one of the best action movies to come out of Hong Kong in recent years and goes to show that not all of the new big-budget HK action movies have to be "soul-less".

Aaron Kwok stars in this modern techno-thriller directed by 'Fist Of Legend' helmer, Gordon Chan. Computer whiz-kid Aaron Kwok's shady brother is murdered and soon becomes embroiled himself in a far-reaching conspiracy 'Enemy of the State' style as he tries to avoid being killed, find his brother’s killer but doesn’t know who to trust.

Kwok has been a huge film and pop star in HK since the 1980's and adds another string to his bow with this huge-budget, highly stylish blockbuster, but for me, doesn’t exude much charisma, and as a result, I find it difficult to empathise with his character. There are numerous well-crafted action scenes throughout and Kwok, thanks to his dance training, still handles Yuen Tak's choreography with relative ease. Aside from a few short fights, the action highlight comes via Ken Lo's cold-blooded assassin in a car park shootout as he attempts to leave no man (or car, or wall) standing. The stylish direction of this scene in particular highlight why Gordon Chan is so highly regarded. I hope he does just as good a job on the upcoming Jackie Chan supernatural actioner 'Highbinders'.

Although this movie was enjoyable from start to finish, it still lacked something to make it an above average thriller, while the few surprises in store make it unlikely to be viewed more than once. As such, it borders on 3 to 4 stars but I certainly recommend a rental...

It's been two years since Aaron Kwok was last seen on the screen with The Storm Riders. He's back in this action-packed thriller directed by Gordan Chan, director of Jackie Chan's Thunderbolt. Aaron Kwok doesn't do much, but to be honest, it doesn't really happen until his fight with Andrew Lin (his flying side kick looks awesome). Daniel Wu, a martial artist from the USA, does little in the movie in terms of action. He's more of a lackey and the guy who should be getting his butt kicked so much. Making their HK debuts are Gigi Choi (as Aaron's girlfriend), Phyllis Quek (as the rogue Salina) and James Lye (as partner Eric). Francis Ng, the best actor of the film IMHO, is great as Inspector Ng. Ken Lo also does a great job acting (not speaking much) as the stone cold Bobby. By the end of the film, you're not sure what happened to him. Yuen Tak did a good job with the action sequences, combining more gunplay with some awesome martial arts from non-martial artists Kwok and Lin (who totally wowed me in Blacksheep Affair - see this film). The plot was all out of it. You have to keep trying to guess who's the good guys and villains (supporting players, wise), but this film will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Chan's intention was to make this film similar to a video game. State-of-the-art visual effects, stunning kung-fu fighting action on top of skyscrapers, stunts in mid-air and on steep stairways, rush-of-adrenaline car chases are some of the features of 2000 A.D.

The film 2000 A.D is about a carefree computer game expert, Peter (Aaron Kwok), who becomes involved in a deadly game to save the world's computer systems from a destructive computer bug. He gets involved when his brother ,Greg Li, is violently killed by the bad guys of the show as he is involved in creating the bug.

Phyllis Quek plays Salina, Greg's more-than-meets-the-eye girl friend. This Singaporean found it nice working with Gordon Chan as he was friendly and understanding. 'He was very friendly and active'. James Lye, star of Singapore's top-rated law enforcer drama Triple Nine plays yet another law enforcing role in this movie. Rookie Gigi Choi plays Peter's lovely fiancée ,Janet.

Pros: Breathtaking action, cool storyline, state-of-the-art effects and good drama. Not to forget, one of the best Chinese movie soundtracks around.

Cons: A little farfetched as Peter seems to avoid getting shot all the time, especially at the last scene where he was running head on towards Kelvin while Kelvin fired shots at him and Peter escaped unhurt. The ending of the show was too abrupt which makes you wonder whether if they were rushing to complete filming it for Chinese New Year.

Aaron Kwok plays Peter, a computer geek who gets drawn into an international conspiracy when his brother, Greg (Ray Lui), turns up unexpectedly. Greg is a computer virus expert on the run from the US government who has in his possession one of the most destructive virus programs ever written. This has brought attention from international terrorists who will go to any lengths to acquire said virus and Peter and Greg soon find themselves in danger.

With the story line established in the first half hour the film then takes off at breakneck speed with gun battles, martial arts and car chases aplenty. Director Gordon Chan brings a fresh look to the action sequences and the end result is so intense and impressive that I have to say that I haven't seen anything of the like since Hard Boiled. A centrepiece shoot out in a multi-storey car park is especially gripping as is the fantastic car chase through Singapore. As far as the martial arts are concerned the fight choreography has a gritty real look that still manages to impress.

The acting from all parties is excellent. Andrew Lin (the baddy from Black Sheep Affair) gives another great villainous performance and Ken Lo is just awesome as his right hand man (although he doesn't have to do much actual acting, he just looks well hard). Francis Ng appears in a supporting role but it's probably one of his best ever as the no-nonsense police officer. But this is really Aaron's film and he gives the performance of his life, both convincing as computer nerd in the first half hour and as reluctant hero thrown in above his head.

Another point worth making is that for once all of the English speaking actors are quite competent. This is usually the place where some of the best movies have been let down but in 2000AD there are none of the cringe-making moments that were so evident in 'Black Sheep Affair'.

Throughout is has a very stylish look and the soundtrack is effective (sort of X files moody type stuff). The movie has obviously had pots of money thrown at it and the frequent English dialogue obviously points to an intended international market.

I just can't praise this film enough, nothing I've seen in the past five years compares in terms of action. Absolutely unmissable.