| Barely a step away from being a classic, Hit Team does a lot of things right, while not missing on much.
Daniel Wu gets a little bit of an edge as he is in charge of the Hit Team, a group of 4 SDU-types that investigate weapons smugglers. He is tasked with cracking a case involving a break-in at an underground black-market bank. Surprisingly the culprits are believed to be ex-cops, due to their advanced methods and weaponry. So there are really 2 sets of "good-guys" in the film: Wu's Hit Team, and Alex To's foursome that embark on a mission to steal back enough cash from those that injured their partner so that the injured partner can receive paralysis-saving medical attention.
The gunplay is all done believably well, and the rather masculine theme of honoring a fallen comrade is played up well, as both Wu and To are crusading for such fallen brethren. The tension between Wu and To is done very well, especially in a film genre where such professional interpersonal relationships are done poorly and with bucketfuls of sappy melodrama (see Chow Yun-Fat and Dean Shek in A Better Tomorrow 2.)
There are a limited number of love-interests in the film, all of which are given very minimal screen-time, but are all done quite well and don't seem tacked on. The plot is slightly far-fetched (how many ex-cops just up and decide to rob an underground bank?) but never dull or pointless. The film really is a lean, mean, bullet machine that won't make you think a lot, but will hold your interest. A solid, well-done example of the HK crime film genre. |