Gatao 2: Rise of the King

A fair stab (pun intended) at making a Jonny To style modern gangster showdown movie, with what looks like a large dollop of SK style, particularly where the cinematography is concerned. There's some very tasteful slow pullbacks, pivot pans and tracking shots (with some smooth dronework thrown in) that tells me they didn't skimp on the quality, and hope it could be fixed in post with crappy editing and efx. The script isn't fantastically original, reminding me unerringly of the classic Chow Yun Fat triad movies, with more than a hint of Miike's Black Society trilogy, but the acting and delivery is excellent. The action sequences are brutal, amoral, and merciless, in the gloriously coldblooded Paris Lockdown style.

Overall, not the best triad turf war movie ever made, but the production values lift it into the realm of the absorbing and very watchable. My rating: five beers, and two packs of salted cashews.= a solid 7 .