Full Contact Review
Grim, stark portrayal of honor, bloodshed, and betrayal among gangsters is to director Ringo_Lam's oeuvre what Hard-Boiled is to John_Woo's. Frequently outrageous and over the top, Full Contact is nonetheless a well made film that helps set the standard for the genre. Though comparisons to Woo (like that made above) are inevitable, especially because of Chow Yun-Fat in the lead role, Lam is a different kind of director and, accordingly, Full Contact is a different sort of beast. Although it opens with a robbery that rapidly turns into a shoot-'em-up, there's none of the balletic, elegant violence that characterizes Woo and his imitators. When the camera lingers over the carnage, it's not a lovingly choreographed sweep; structured like a Western, Full Contact might be Hong Kong's answer to Sam_Peckinpah. And unlike in Chow's films for Woo, for which he is best known in the West, there's little that's noble about Chow's character in this one; he's heroic only by comparison to the psychotic gangsters he takes down one by one. Fortunately, Chow is up to the challenge of portraying a character of questionable morals in an honorable light, and Anthony_Wong and Ann_Bridgewater, respectively playing his best friend and wife, are equally top-notch. Three-dimensional characters are almost a bonus in a film like this, but the cast helps raise Full Contact head and shoulders above its counterparts. Lam's direction is excellent as well; his fine control of the action and pacing keeps the film from peaking too soon, and even a bullet's-eye view during a climactic shoot-out in a nightclub works in the movie's favor. The level of violence makes most of what Hollywood produces tame by comparison; then again, Full Contact is also a far better film, that belongs on the must-watch list of any fan of the genre. Genevieve Williams, Rovi
Great Film Moments:
- In Theaters
- This Week
- Coming Soon
- New on DVD
Browse More Movies:
