When 2000 AD first came out I was quite excited for it! Starring the gorgeous Aaron Kwok and directed by Gordon Chan - who had impressed with some great titles previously - it was bound to be pretty damn good! The trailer had me hooked with its fast editing that showed non-stop action and some pretty cool shots. Then finally, it got its release in the UK via Hong Kong Legends...
And it certainly didn't disappoint!
While its first 5 minutes features some impressive jet flying which leads right to the attack of a passenger plane over the city - the following 30 minutes is definitely a slow burner as it introduces the characters, mostly in scenes without any music or atmospheric sound that starts to get boring as the story rolls along, but stick with it.
Because right after that, we are treated to a fantastic chase sequence as the yummy Kwok chases down sniper Ken Lo who has just attacked his brothers car (played by Ray Lui) with some close calls, fantastic shots and nice choreography courtesy of Yuen Tak. This change of pace thankfully shakes things up as gamer-geek Aaron starts to lose his cool in trying to find his brothers killer, all while trying to avoid the police team led by the great Francis Ng (who for once isn't playing a nut job)...
I really like 2000 AD. While it may annoy some viewers by taking its time here and there, it equally surprises with sudden outbursts of violence and action, delivered in style via some inventive gunplay and martial arts along with some very nice cinematography and editing that enhances the tension!
The music and sound editing itself did annoy me somewhat. While not terrible, it just seemed less polished than the rest of the film which really stood out to me - that, and a few odd editing choices during the more dramatic stuff and cut scenes that just looked out of place compared to the rest of the film. The wonderful Daniel Wu (Into The Badlands) plays Aaron's closest friend and gets to throw a few moves but ultimately, this is all about Kwok being the action hero. I do like Andrew Lin as the villain of the show. He looks and move well and comes across as a toned down version of his role in The Black Sheep Affair...
Yes the script and story may not be the greatest, and some co-stars and roles may seem oddly miscast and out of place, but I do think 2000 AD holds up as a great Hong Kong action thriller that (to me) is Gordon Chan's last great film as a director!
Overall: Although dated in some respect, 2000 AD is stylishly made with some incredible action and a lot of fun!!
