The Stool Pigeon

The term/title itself gets explained in the movie, which you should watch if you like Hong Kong action cinema in general. While most people are looking for the new John Woo (movie) or the new Johnnie To (movie), a veteran filmmaker almost slipped under the radar. And it would be a shame if you'd miss out on this one.

Action packed, but still with character driven plot(s), this will not let you rest easy. There is always moral dilemma involved and of course it is difficult to watch our hero go through some of the trials and tribulations he has to go through (and maybe not all that is supposed to be good, is actually good). That is another thing that you either love or hate. Thank you Dante Lam for this excellent movie

First off, let me say that Nick Cheung's performance was great. He has a few scenes where he really needs to show emotion, and he shines. Sadly, I would say this film is a little forgettable. It's a tale that we have seen told similarly in movies such as "Infernal Affairs" and "City On Fire" (especially the latter, with the jewelry store robbery and the warehouse standoff) but isn't done quite as well. It has a few highlights, such as the car chase with "White Christmas" playing in the background, or the jewlery store robbery, or even the fight in the abandoned room filled with chairs and tables, but other than those memorable moments, the rest seems like filler. It also contains a few side plots that seemed a bit cliché and unnecessary. It's entertaining, sure, but in the end, it will blend in with many Hong Kong films with similar plots.

Policeman Don Lee (Nick Cheung) often works with informants but numerous too-close calls and failed missions cause him to see the world as one betrayal after another -- then he meets Guy, and is given a new chance to change his views.

I have to give credit to the folks at Well Go USA. I have been reviewing the films they distribute for a while now, and they have been consistently good. "Stool Pigeon" is no exception, adding the genre of police action to the martial arts stories they have delivered us in the past. I assume not all Asian films are this good (in fact, I know they are not), so whoever does acquisitions for Well Go needs a raise.

What is this film? A bit of mystery, a lot of action, a crime thriller. It really should appeal to a wide audience. If you like films like "French Connection" or "Snatch", I think this will be your film. While not quite a masterpiece, it really does tell a strong, interesting and emotional story. It is a film I am eager to watch a second time.

The DVD/BD (it comes as a combo pack) has some nice features on, most notably the variety of languages and subtitles. You might prefer Cantonese with English subtitles. Perhaps you prefer English dubbing. Then again, maybe you speak Cantonese and would rather watch it without dubbing or subs... you are able to do any of these.

Stool Pigeon marks Hong Kong director Dante Lam's latest production as a unofficial sequel to the 2008 hit, Beast Stalker. Pairing up with Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung, the two leading actors from Beast Stalker, Stool Pigeon has no doubt, become one of the few worthy Hong Kong productions of the year.

Beast Stalker features Tse as a detective and Cheung, a half-blind hit-man, crosses path with each other and teaming up together to stop a crime. In Stool Pigeon, both Tse and Cheung swapped their roles. Tse is now an ex-convict nicknamed Ghost, who unwillingly work as a informant for Don Lee (Cheung) in order to clear debts left by his late father and to rescue his only sister out of prostitution.

Don plants Ghost into a group of robbers, lead by wanted criminal, Barbarian (Lu Yi). Don wants Ghost to provide the information about Barbarian's plot to rob a jewelry shop, so as to make an arrest. Ghost came across Barbarian's girlfriend, Dee (Kwei Lun Mei), whom both is in love with each other after meeting each other years ago. When Don found out Ghost has been forced to join the robbery, he find all ways to pull Ghost out of the situation.

Lam have two productions released in theaters this year: Fire of Conscience and Stool Pigeon. While critics finds Fire of Conscience seems to be a disappointment, Stool Pigeon makes it better. Both movies discuss morality, with the leading characters seems to share a similar background. Lam creates a role of male police detective losing his loved ones, with two different outcomes: Leon Lai uses violence to solve crimes in Fire of Conscience; Nick Cheung redeems his sins quietly by helping the people around him quietly in Stool Pigeon.

While Fire of Conscience seems to lack details in certain scenes, Stool Pigeon makes it up by detailing every aspects of the characters involved specifically. Here, we are able to see why Don is trying to pull Ghost out of the robbery: his hesitance in using his former informant leads to his informant being taken on revenge, thus losing the informant's sanity.

Lam also displays how people standing on both sides of the law can appear in different scenarios. Fire of Conscience portrays two detectives standing on both sides of the law, with Leon Lai tracking down and stopping his new partner Richie Jen from leaning on the wrong side of the law. In Stool Pigeon, audience can tell directly that Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung portrays two characters on different sides of the law easily, with one as a gangster, another a detective. However, both ends up in a path where both do not wish to take: which is to stand on the wrong side of the law, and using unethical methods to save themselves. Ultimately, both Tse and Cheung's role fits in the tag line of Stool Pigeon: Good and bad are both sinners.

Taiwanese actress Kwei Lun Mei sheds her image of the girl next door with her role of Dee, who is a woman with a past. Kwei does not have much appearance in Stool Pigeon, but her role makes it important as anybody else, especially her role is more than just explaining about the relationships between Ghost and Barbarian. Both Tse and Cheung has appeared in taking a more matured role with more refined skills to portray them. Tse continues with his bad boy image, but much older and tougher than the similar roles he taken years ago. Cheung appears more refined throughout his acting careers, which he did not disappoints the audience.

Overall, Stool Pigeon is not your usual crime thriller that does not require thinking. A through analysis on the plot and characters are required to understand Stool Pigeon, which definitely helps in one understanding the movie.

"In STALKER, Nicholas Tse plays a straight-arrow police sergeant, pitched against Nicky Cheung's ruthless, one-eyed kidnapper; whereas in PIGEON, the shoe is on the other foot, Cheung is a righteous police detective and Tse is the debt-ridden, ex-con stoolie he needs to protect from a dangerous gang of armed robbers. Both actors show confidence and versatility in their dual transitions. Cheung excels in a beastly, menacing presence in STALKER that the audience has never seen before, then morphs into a bespectacled, spiffy officer of the law whose reticent appearance dissembles his inner conflict; Tse is a single-minded redemption-seeking hot-head in STALKER, sometimes he can be schmaltzy, but goes low-key and quietly affecting in PIGEON where he really catches audience off guard for a maturer performance that elicits our commiserations."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.