2000 AD

Director: Gordon Chan

Starring: Aaron Kwok, Daniel Wu, Ray Lui, Phyllis Quek, James Lai, Andrew Lin, Ken Lo and Francis Ng

Plot: Two computer geeks (Aaron Kwok and Daniel Wu) are pulled into a deadly web involving international terrorists (lead by Andrew Lin) by their computer software designing brother (Ray Lui). An experienced police officer (Francis Ng) is brought into investigate, while an undercover Singaporean officer (James Lai) is doing the same thing.

Review: This Gordon Chan picture is a non-stop action packed thriller that was a huge hit in Hong Kong. 2000 AD had a massive budget for Hong Kong standards and Gordan used it wisely, he invested in exquisite Singaporean settings, special effects and the handy camera work of Arthur Wong. The music is refreshing and fits in well with the on screen visuals, the opening credits are superb and will not be forgotten in a while. The script, even though its very confusing at times, is well written. The only problem I had is that there is too much spoken English, surprisingly not preformed by Daniel Wu.

The action scenes are focused on shootouts and chases, the audience is treated to realistic gun battles, gripping car chases, manic foot chases and dangerous hand to hand combat. Yuen Tak, the action director, certainly had his hand full with these multiple jobs.

The CGI is quite noticeable, examples of this include a plane being shot out of the sky but the more insignificant scenes include effects that are almost unnoticeable such as when Aaron is struck by a van. I found that the transitions were very distracting, it doesn’t allow the film to flow and breaks the audiences focus. I’m not sure if Gordan came up with the idea or the editor but in my mind I feel that they are unnecessary.

Aaron Kwok was a very impressive fighter and seemed to easily match the skills of Andrew Lin. Daniel Wu gets a few brief moments of action, in one he breaks out a Bruce Lee impression. Andrew Lin is a sneaky yet fierce character and so is his minion played by Ken Lo. Even though he is in a supporting role, Francis Ng, steals the show with his masterful acting as an aging police officer.

Phyllis Quek stars as Ray Lui’s girlfriend, she had only acted in television productions before. Gigi Choi plays Aaron’s girlfriend and she is also a newcomer to filmmaking, she had previously acted in a few commercials. James Lai plays the young Singaporean police officer, again like the leading ladies, he hasn’t had that much experience acting in films. Yu Beng Lim plays the boss of the Singaporean police, he speaks mainly in English. Cynthia Koh plays his assistant, Stephanie Chan plays Francis’s assistant and finally Kim Yip appears to give a cameo as the judge.

Overall 2000 AD is nice addition to the lengthy Gordon Chan filmography, and is certainly worth watching. Its pure entertainment, just sit back, relax and enjoy the high production values, realistic action and a spine chilling car explosion.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10.0