Shun liu ni liu

Version: Cantonese, with English subtitles (by SBS).

'Time and Tide' is easily one of the best action movies I've ever seen. Nic Tse plays a regular guy trying to make money for his child, and is way out of his element as a bartender when he joins a protection service. Tse is the hero of the story, but it is Wu Bai who rules most of the action.

Despite other comments about the movie's plot, I thought it was pretty good. Simply put, we have an everyday guy just trying to help someone out, and befriends a bad guy, the action hero, who is working for similar reasons.

However, the action is where its at, and 'Time and Tide' delivers. There are some great, kinetic action scenes, including one inside/on a building, which I think is one of the best action scenes ever made.

9/10 - Great action movie, but may not appeal to fans of the genre. The awesome genre.

The effect of music videos over the past two decades on the film industry has been phenomenal. Directors such as Spike Jonze ("Being John Malcovich") & Tarsem ("The Cell") started their careers in the music video game. Soundtracks and their accompanying videos are as much part of the advertising of a movie as the trailers themselves. Most importantly, techniques used in popular music videos are often mimicked in feature films. Economy has played a large part too, and now with the popularity and relative low-cost of digital cameras and effects almost anyone can create a visually alluring piece of eye-candy.

David Fincher upped the ante of digital effects with "Fight Club". A original storyline with an even more original script, it initially received a lukewarm response before becoming a cult favourite. Mr. Fincher is an example of a director using a new medium with a combination of precise care and wonderful abandon.

And then there is Guy Ritchie. A mostly talentless hack who in "Snatch" proved that fancy camera effects and funny accents will wear themselves out if there is nothing to support it.

"Time & Tide" by Tsui Hark is both a homage to the films that helped popularize a new visual style and it raises the bar a few more (large) notches. It is by turns brilliant, relentless, and breathtaking.

"Time & Tide" follows the interweaving lives of a pregnant lesbian cop, two mercenary friends and their underworld dealings, and a pregnant surrogate woman drawn into their world. Thematically it delves into issues ranging from mafia-like loyalty to Peckinpah-esuqe themes of man entering manhood through violence. But what is most impressive in "Time & Tide" is the delicate balance of tension and release. Something that flashy directors like Guy Ritchie should be paying attention too. The last two action sequences are phenomenal and take up a good half of the movie, but with Mr. Hark's careful direction you hardly notice. The first sequence is simply unequaled, taking place in three apartment towers in the tenements of Hong Kong. The second in a train station and stadium downtown. It is in these sequences that requires characters to hold back their flaring emotions in order to survive that Mr. Hark clearly flexes his directorial muscles. In a sequence which involves a young man trapped in an apartment slowly filling with gas, its conclusion is one of the most clever bits of action in recent memory.

"Time & Tide" is the real deal. An action film that delivers from beginning to end and doesn't blow its load halfway through. It is also truly cares about its characters and valiantly tries to delve into large issues. However, it never takes itself too seriously and for any action fan this is a must.

Highly recommended. Do not pass this up.

Tsui Hark is a great cinematographer. As a director, though, his movies tend to suffer from two things - jerkiness and confusion. The latter usually stems from the former, that is, scenes often lack any sort of transition, but are put together too abruptly. So it can be hard to figure out just what the heck is going on, nor does it let the plot sink in. He tends to focus more on visuals than trying to convey a coherent story.

Time & Tide definitely suffers from his trademark style. It's often tricky to follow just what is happening. That said, there is a very good movie in here, although the main character, the young punk bodyguard, is not particularly likable.

The action scenes are quite unique, especially the fight in the tenement apartment building. I don't think I've seen anything like that.

On the down side, some of the movie, the parts trying to fill out the lives of the 2 main heroes and their pregnant women was sort of a snoozer and something of a cheap way to make the characters more interesting.

Most people will say I'm crazy but I actually liked this movie. I think Tsui Hark is a very clever action director. I seen his American efforts with Van Damme, even though I hated both movies i did like some of the action sequences. Like in Knock Off I really liked the last shootout and in Double Team, when Van Damme's character escaped from that island.

As for this movie Tsui Hark is really given the chance to shine and this time with better actors. I thought Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai did a great job with they're roles as did Candy Lo. I was expecting more screen time with Cathy Liu's character. The acting is pretty good for a Hong Kong action movie. In other words it seem more naturalistic than compared to many other Hong Kong movies where a lot of the time the actors overact. I really liked how the movie was shot. There was this one shot where Wu bai's character jumps from the window of a apartment building and the camera follows him as he decends. It just makes me wonder how they did that.

Now for the flaws, there are a lot of characters that just show up. The plot gets confusing at times and what could of really made this movie better was a better script. I wished they could of build of the Tse and Liu's story a lot more. It was a good attention grabber in the beginning but then it gets ignored at the end and maybe more of Tse's narration of the movie. Despites all these flaws this movie was still good because of the stylish action scenes. So basically look for the action scenes and good performances by Tse, Wu Bai, Lo, and Liu. It's a good popcorn flick to just enjoy.

The only thing about this movie I didn't understand was why people found it incoherent (not a single mainstream reviewer got it). It's not linear, paint-by-numbers Hollywood exposition - but there IS a definite plot and if you pay attention there's actually some very nice subtle storytelling. Surrounded of course by some very kinetic, "let's see you rip this off" action scenes. Tsui Hark is out ahead of the curve again.