nokturnal-rapport

Gripping, smart, and a joy to watch.

The acting is excellent and the main leads are my favorite. Honglei, a hardened narcotic cop, is collected, methodological, and intelligent. You can tell he has earned his keep and has seen some crazy things behind those eyes. He's like the calm before the storm, readily break loose. He leads a high profiled operation to bust possibly the largest drug ring in the counntry and his lead is Louis, a captured meth supplier. Louis is not to be outshone: calculated, cunning, and above all, selfish. I find his character to be easily one of the greatest villains for he appears harmless but you can't really know what he has in mind. One scene you might think he has repented, another scene he might convince you otherwise. He is a great villain because he's deceptive, cunning, selfish, and he's willing to do anything for survival, including turning against his own kin but the catch is that he doesn't look capable of such evil. That's why he's great. Appearance is deceiving. The two main leads are completely opposite. The cop appears cold, distanced, and seemingly emotionless yet pursues a good cause and cares for his underlings while the crook appears warmer, more expressive, seemingly harmless yet inhuman underneath. Great contrast. The story is tight, the actions are neat - the shootout between the mute brothers and the cops and the grand finale scene are superb. A battle of both brain and brawn.

I think this film is underrated. I didn't expect much but it was a pleasant surprise. It's gritty, some what unsettling, and raw with emotions. It might start slow but it rewards those who're patient. Considering the premise - the dangerous line of work and the thin boundary an informant has to walk, it's not inappropriate for it to be dark and I wasn't turned off by the ending. I wasn't in for a Disney ending from the start. I think it's more realistic and all the build ups channeled well to the end. It's emotional and you get to see from both sides and their unspoken rationales and they're both right in their own respect and sometimes there's nothing more they can do. I was drawn into the dilemma, the unsettling conscience, the consequences of one's action, the fear, the adrenaline rush, the pressure, the guilt etc. The action sequence is not nice and pretty like that of Jackie Chan's. It's honest, brutal, and it's real, and it's scary because that's how things are settle on the street in the East. There's no hero; you've just got to do what you've gotta do. A good film in my book.