2000 AD: Viewer Comments

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: Knockaabout, Knock Off, She Shoots Straight, and China Strike Force (English language Version)

The title of this movie is rather deceptive...it's not about some Y2K bug or other such catastrophe waiting to be sprung on the world at the point at which most people thought the new millennium began (it was actually January 1st, 2001, whether you want to believe it or not). Lots of computers, but nobody mentions what year it is. Maybe they were trying to capitalize on millennium fever...

Anyway, this is a film that starts out dull but gets a hell of a lot better if you give it a chance. The first half hour is very boring, and I remained unconvinced that I should give a shit about any of the characters. But in due time the bullets start flying, the blood starts splattering, and there is some good hand-to-hand fighting...something too many action films lack these days. The shootouts and fights are handled in a very down-to-earth manner. No super-charged music, no flashy camera angles, no absurd heroics. Just sudden violence. The protagonists don't valiantly do battle because it's the right thing to do; they deal with it because they have no choice. I like it.

The cast is well-rounded, with no performances standing out as particularly excellent or suckworthy. Aaron Kwok eventually wins you over as the hapless everyman who gets thrust into extraordinary circumstances, newcomer Gigi Choi is reasonably likable as his girlfriend, and Phyllis Quek ably portrays a mysterious spy-type woman. Most guys will have a hard time taking their eyes off of her.

The story is fairly convoluted, with more than a few characters to keep track of. That's good, but the general interest level isn't particularly high. Also, the ending is pretty lame. As in many, MANY other HK movies it is very abrupt and gives you the feeling that the writers didn't have a clue what to do after the primary conflict is resolved.

Not bad, not bad. Nice to see an HK action movie where the main heroes and villains aren't your usual cops and robbers. A decent film to watch to get away from the endless chop-socky stuff that Asian cinema is synonymous with here in the west. Especially if you're a nerd like me or MPM.

..."2000 A.D." is highly entertaining. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting all this excitement out of a Gordon Chan film. Usually, his films have odd pacing (see "Thunderbolt" and "First Option) and are often bland (with an exception of "Beast Cops"). It resembles a fast-paced, action-stuffed Benny Chan (Big Bullet) film more than anything - speaking of which, Benny actually serves as "producer" to this film (hmmm?). Some ultra-sweet shoot-outs and some hand-to-hand combat are nicely spread throughout, as well as a neat car chase that reminds me of those Jackie Chan/James Bond sequences, where the cars bash all over chairs and tables while people are trying to have their lunch.

I haven't seen enough of Aaron Kwok's work to to justify his acting qualities, but from what I've seen, the guy seems to get the job done. Daniel Wu, who was kind of annoying in "Gen-X Cops" came off real cool in this one - his character is very real and very likable. James Lye, who plays that Singaporean agent was also very natural. And how about the beautiful Phyllis Quek - need I say more? Her looks seem just as strong as her acting - she did great. As for the woman who played Aaron's girlfriend, she really didn't have enough dialogue to show what she's made of. Her character was actually useless in the plot.

Ken Lo, who was impressive, seemed to have traded in his "kicks" for some pretty mean "guns", the result: a villain you really wanna see get his ass beat. The incredible Francis Ng has a small but meaningful role, very similar to his role in "Big Bullet".

Watch out Hollywood, these new Hong Kong action films are catching up with your quality of work. Not only that, but they've got more guts, more imagination, and are a helluva lot more entertaining! A must see - I can't wait for the sequel, which it hints at the end.