SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

GazerRise Fantastic!

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

pietroschek Agreeing with many of the positive reviews, and hence not reciting their context here, on this Taiwanese work or co-production I still want to add that it does not only tell the tale of a mentally troubled police investigator on his next job, but manages to combine story-depth with atmosphere in a way which has been lost to 'Hollywood'due the low budget bombardment we all could witness since Blair Witch Project & Paranormal were mis-considered great works.For those who know the Call of Cthulhu or Trail of Cthulhu role-playing game this movie is just one more tip of an iceberg, when it comes to the story potential. The actors kept any narcissism on a proverbial leash, clearly fulfilling their roles in the unfolding plot. Splendidly done so. The cult surprise-attacking the police right during the cops own advance combined shock-effect and action in a way I found thrilling indeed, as it means a skilled combination of two genres.I am surprised that it did not inspire to follow in its steps.

Kashmirgrey This film had an engaging premise. A murderer is shooting pellets laced with a mite-bearing, extremely hallucinogenic mold into air conditioners of intended victims. The victims then destroy themselves in a manner orchestrated by their killer.Now here is the disappointing part... The film could not decided if it was going to remain a mystery or a supernatural thriller. Unfortunately, by the time the credits rolled, I really didn't care.There are several different sub-plots traveling straight together in the first half of the film. Tony Leung Ka Fai plays a cop failing to cope with the attempted murder of his daughter and the suicide of a corrupt fellow officer he helped bring to justice. His daughter won't speak and his neglected wife is seeking a divorce. Amid the murders, Leung Ka Fai learns that a FBI agent specializing in behavioral science and assigned to work with him, has been summoned by his superiors for show. One of his fellow detectives alludes to this and that the government might have a malevolent purpose behind this. The investigation points towards supernatural forces, and we are led into a temple where we witness a murder take place in the midst of what appears to be a Taiwanese Satanic ceremony.All this flies straight together, but then each veers off in a separate direction, and in order to make sense and keep up with the story line, the viewer needs "double vision."

jesscat88 This is an amazing film. *minor spoilers*Gory, depressing and goddamn confusing at times, but it had the power of keeping me balanced on the edge of my seat for about seventy per cent of it. Seriously creepy stuff.As a warning though, there is nothing uplifting, hopeful, happy or optimistic in this film, so NOT something to watch if you like happy, resolved endings or need an emotional boost. It's more something to watch when you want your brains racked.Oh yes, it's an 18 due to a highly graphic fight between police and a cult. Numerous limbs and heads go flying. You have been warned.***** for suspense *** for comprehensibility and * for optimism

dromasca I am not a fan of Asian action movies, and I was concerned when I rented this film. It actually proved to be something very different - a mix of many well known themes with exotic (for us) Taiwanese culture flavor, and all is quite well done. We have a lot in this film - the righteous cop who pays for his integrity with the cost of his family life, the cop partners who hate one another, and learn later to work together and respect each other, the clash between the American and local (in this case Taiwanese) cultures, the X-files like conflicts between science and super-natural, between believers and skeptics. It is like the Taiwanese movie industry (which I know very little about) tried to catch back with all these themes in one single film. Surprisingly it works not bad, mostly because of a director who know how to keep the balance, and to direct the actors in this maze of themes. At the end the films fails to be memorable not because it is over-charged, but because the ending plays too much tribute to the mode of the openness to bizarre and as in many other films recently it is too long and too elaborated. However, it is worth seeing, and a different experience for the mystery-action films fans. 7/10 on my personal scale.