Oi yue shing

Francis Ng is probably my favorite Hong Kong actor (tied with Simon Yam). "Exiled" (2006), "The Mission" (1999), "Infernal Affairs 2" (2003), "Curse of Lola" (2005), and "Crazy 'N the City" (2005) are some of my favorite flicks. I've only recently discovered that Francis will apparently star in any movie that comes across his desk. This includes some mediocre to downright awful films, which include "Wo Hu" (2006), "Too Many Ways To Be No. 1" (1997), "Karmic Mahjong" (2006), "The Closet" (2007), and "H.K. Triad" (1999). It's really disheartening to see such a charismatic actor in so many bad films. So much so, in fact, that I'm always nervous when watching them because of the chance that it could be another disaster. Will someone give this guy a good script? And for God's sakes, keep Wong Jing away from him!

That said, I rented "A War Named Desire" and was just hoping that it would turn out okay. Needless to say, I was unprepared for such a spectacular dramatic action film that will go down as one of my all time favorites. In fact, I have officially declared that this film is *far superior* to most of John Woo's early classics, including "A Better Tomorrow" (1986), "The Killer" (1989), and "Bullet In the Head" (1990) – all films that I consider very good. More reasoning on this later.

I don't like writing a long plot synopsis in my reviews, so here's a quickie. A man seeks to settle a debt with his gangster brother, but inadvertently becomes involved in a gang war. The story is familiar but intelligent, with multiple conflicts introduced to keep things interesting all the way through. Better yet, each conflict follows a logical progression where character motivation is completely understandable. You don't have people coming from out from nowhere to introduce obstacles out of the blue. When someone shows up, it's for a reason – and an important one at that.

The greatest asset of this film though are the characters, with each serving an important role. It's very difficult to create a single memorable character, but "A War Named Desire" produced three! Most interestingly, all three characters (played by Francis Ng, Gigi Leung, and Dave Wong) are total badasses, but they are reserved badasses who only take action when necessary. This is evident in that the action scenes are backloaded toward the latter half of the movie. If the filmmakers are able to convince the viewer that the characters are likable, respectable, and deadly before the finale, it provides massive potential for some truly classic moments. This film most definitely provides them!

I personally haven't seen such emotionally charged action since "Kill Zone" (2005). There are a number of hair-raising moments during the final half hour, with each character given the opportunity to shine numerous times. These scenes are about as perfect as one could possibly imagine, and outperform the finales of the highly acclaimed John Woo films mentioned previously. Why? Simple. They avoid all of the over-dramatic melodrama and eye-rolling, drawn out moments prevalent in Woo's entries. Yes, "A Better Tomorrow" and "The Killer" are really good, but their concluding gun battles get excessively cheesy and cringe-worthy at times. I watch those scenes and say to myself, "I know to feel sad, John. I'm not so stupid that you need to beat it into my forehead for minutes on end."

"A War Named Desire" avoids these faults by limiting the slow-motion shots and doing away with all of the sickly sweet nicknames and homoerotic eye-gazing. When something bad happens, this film doesn't overdo it. The filmmakers know that the characters are developed to the point where the viewer is concerned for their well-being without the need for cheap cinematic tricks. That's what makes these scenes so powerful and propels this film into a stratosphere that the aforementioned titles were unable to achieve.

The shootouts are less epic in terms of bullet and body count, but they come off as far more realistic than other films of this type. With few exceptions, the action is grounded to make every gunshot count, and positioning comes expertly into play during an apartment battle. One scene in particular, involving a knife, goes down as a classic, hair-raising suspense sequence that tops any John Woo movie, with the exception of maybe "Hard Boiled" (1992). The action in Woo's other films left me asking myself, "Our heroes are in the midst of a shootout with 30 bad guys and they have enough time for melodramatic chatting and walking around in open spaces?" I don't have a problem with unrealistic action, but in a dramatic action flick it's definitely an added bonus when realism presents itself.

I know I'll get all sorts of flack by putting this relatively unknown gem (only 115 votes is ludicrous!) against highly regarded classics. I don't care. I personally consider "A War Named Desire" to be *much* better than those movies. Check it out and decide for yourself. It's practically a perfect action movie.

A War Named Desire is a well done Hong Kong triad gangster movie (set in Thailand). It is rather violent, but it is not a non-stop action movie, it is a violent gangster drama. This is a movie similar to the gangster movies by Johnnie To (Milkyway productions) and if you like The Longest Nite and A Hero Never Dies, I am convinced that you will also like A War Named Desire. There is no silly HK humor in A War Named Desire, it is serious all the way.

The story is never boring or too slow but Alan Mak, the director still manages to develop the main characters so that they become real people with emotions, people to care about which makes the movie more engaging. It is interesting to see the two main characters, the brothers played by Daniel Chen and Francis Ng. How will the younger brother (Chen) react to his brothers gangster activities? Is the older brother just an emotionless gangster? Both Chen and Francis Ng does a fine job acting, they are unusually believable and Gigi Leung is also good as a dangerous femme fatale. It is also nice to see the locations in Thailand for a change and there are good scenes from the celebrations of the traditional Thai New Year (in April if I am not mistaken),especially the knife scene with Gigi Leung.

The last 30 minutes of the movie consists of one of the best final gun battles ever filmed and we get to see many nice bloodsquibs when the bullets enter the bodies. Before that there is one of the best death scenes I have ever seen, a tragedy on the back of a Toyota pickup. Scenes like these makes this movie hard to forget.

The photography is also very good, sometimes beautiful and it is obvious already from the very first scene that this is a well made quality movie with high production values.

If you like A War Named Desired, I can also recommend The Odd Ones Die and the thai gangster movie 2499 antapan krong muang (2499 Dang Bireley's And Young Gangsters) who is about a real life thai gangster, active in the 50's (hence the title, the thai year 2499 is approximately 1950).

"A War Named Desire" is a good, solid entry into Hong Kong's Triad Thriller canon. The film possesses many aspects that sets it apart from the other films of the genre, making it feel fresh and unique.

The most striking aspect of the film is the film's focus. Unlike the typical Triad thrillers of this time, "A War Named Desire" focuses mainly on the narrative and the characters so the film viewer will ultimately receive a more enriching and rewarding experience.

The narrative itself is unique in that it shows material we often do not see in the Triad genre. The film takes place entirely in Thailand and the director Siu Fai Mak paints this country as an exotic and distant land, totally unique and isolated from the rest of the world. This approach was done for several reasons: One, to enhance the feeling of separation from home we see in the younger brother, and two, to show this different country to the people of Hong Kong who may never see it otherwise.

The narrative is more concerned with the ever evolving relationship between the two brothers than with action or the criminal actions of the triad, which is what makes this move special. We become emotionally evolved with all these characters, especially the two brothers but also with the woman and her love for the older brother.

And the performances simply enhance this effect. Francis Ng is one of Hong Kong's most talented actors, he can articulate the emotions he is feeling on screen flawlessly. The performances are real and raw, nothing over the top or exaggerated as most Triad thrillers seems to have. As a result, we totally accept everything the film tries to sell us. When they reach the fatalistic climax, we are truly in suspense and worry for them because of their development and growth.

Yet the film doesn't totally disregard action, though there isn't much of it to speak of. The film climaxes with one of the most beautiful and poetic action sequences put on celluloid. The film has the participants moving around one another in balletic fashion, shooting their guns in desperation and smooth control. If you had to watch the film for one single reason, it would be for this truly stunning set piece.

However, even with all this praise there are still negatives in the film. The narrative, while emotionally riveting, suffers from pacing issues. The film lingers too long on some unnecessary scenes that don't help in accomplishing very much for the film's overall impact. This will most likely distant genre enthusiasts who are watching this film for only the action sequences, or don't care for story and merely want to be impressed by visual spectacles.

Yet those who truly appreciate film as an art form, those who appreciate to be enlightened and moved by a truly engrossing story, by those who want to see a film that is atypical of other films of its ilk, then this is a strongly recommended film.

This is one of those movies not for the faint-hearted, as a couple of the characters in the movie learn themselves. Triad/gangster movies have been around forever, but this is one of the best I've seen in a long while. And an outing to Thailand makes it even more worthwhile.

I can't say that I'm a fan of the genre and rarely watch such films, but the composition of this movie captured my attention and wouldn't let go. The on-screen presence of the characters is very powerful. Francis Ng and Daniel Chan work well together, although Chan sometimes seems uncomfortably quiet in his role. There are some extremely well-written and well-choreographed scenes. The scene where Francis Ng and Gigi Leung dance in the night club whilst in control of a shoot out was brilliantly done, and the finale was simply brilliant. A great plot, nicely placed twists and some adrenaline-loaded action, it's an enjoyment to watch.

Excitement, drama, cinematography, it had it all. A War Named Desire. A film worth watching.

One to watch for brilliance.

A well acted and engrossing gangster movie shot in Thailand. Younger brother from HK visits older brother, who is a mid-level mobster in Thailand. He is looking to recoup money the brother took from the family when he fled HK 15 years earlier. His pesky girlfriend, refusing to stay in HK, learns the hard way that there's more to Thailand than elephant rides.

The elder brother is caught up in an internal struggle within the mob. Someone is injecting drugs into their gambling operation. His search leads to a tug of war, with the brother and girlfriend caught in the middle. Plenty of action and an excellent story line. Highly recommended for those who enjoy this type of film.