I must admit that I have seen the bad cut version of this movie. As soon as a fight begins and the enemies face each other, there is a cut and in the next seen, a dead man lies on the ground and the main actor continues its strange journey. I don't know who has cut this movie to pieces but that's probably the worst job I have ever seen as it makes this movie completely senseless in a ridiculous way and the little twists in the end which allow me to give at least some plus points for the final voting are really hard to observe and understand.

But I will try to ignore those cut down fight scenes and analyze this movie from another point of view and might realize that it doesn't get better in any way. The dialogues are simplistic and ridiculously humorist by accident. The acting is more wooden than in an old martial arts video game. The direction and filming is mediocre, the chosen settings are cheesy and ordinary, the music doesn't quite fit to the atmosphere. The movie represents some strange and provoking opinions: people joke about cripples, prostitutes, homosexuals, old people and women in general. Those racist, sexist and simply dumb prejudices are completely unnecessary and keep me away from getting an approach to any of the characters performed by the already quite wooden actors and actresses.

But the most important thing in such a movie are the fighting scenes after all and those that haven't been cut are simply terrible. the one armed fighter has no particular skills at all and not even a glimpse of elegance. His fights are as wooden, limited and crippled as the whole character and movie itself. You can see that the main character's enemies lose their battles in the most stupid ways and the nine guards and seemingly best fighters are nothing but a bad joke. One guy is fighting with a sword of two meters that burst into pieces like a piece of papier-mâché. Even for a low budget movie this scene was a great example for the quality of the entire movie. Ed Wood Junior couldn't have created a better piece of trash. That's probably the worst offering I have ever seen in a martial arts movie. Even Jean-Claude van Damme and Chuck Norris are faster and smarter.

In the end, I can't suggest this movie to anyone with one humorous exception. If you happen to have a party with some good friends and you had way too much beers or drugs in your head, you may laugh like hell while you watch this piece of trash but it's really hard to get yourself on such a low level that makes you appreciate this worst Asian movie I have ever seen in my life. No, honestly and to be serious, don't believe the good rating and avoid this at all costs. Check out my other reviews of Asian flicks, there are so many better films to find no matter what you're looking for.

When I first watched this movie, there were so many different genre elements that I wasn't sure what this movie would be like. It had some emotional drama bits and pieces, some humorous slapstick passages and focuses on the clash between Korean and Japanese culture and finally features a positive conclusion that concentrates on the approach or even slight reconciliation between the ancestral enemies. This cultural aspect gives a unique and interesting touch to the movie and distinguishes it from similar flicks.

The main attention still lies on the thriller genre with a couple of action sequences but this film is a modern and rather stylish flick and doesn't include artistic fighting scenes.

What really ties this diversified movie together are the two unique and very opposite main characters of the Japanese and the Korean police officer and their relationship. The characters are so intense and interesting that the movie could even be describes as a character study or an analysis of the Korean and Japanese culture, mentality and society. They also represent two different kinds of generation and the clash between them. Both actors do a surprisingly great job and I'm looking forward to see other movies featuring the unforgettable Tomoya Nagase and Min-su Choi.

The plot seems rather weak in the beginning and only works with those two brilliant actors and when you don't expect anything special from the seemingly ordinary plot, there is suddenly a big twist and the movie turns out to be a great robbery and even conspiracy flick that had the intention to let us think that the ending would be the ordinary explosive kidnapping story. The showdown is still rather mediocre but this turning point took me by surprise and accelerated the pace of the movie and pardons for some lengths before.

But instead of leading a mediocre plot to a great showdown, the ending sequences alone are the reason why i give seven and not eight points and why this movie is only quite good but not great. Everything is said after the final shooting and even though the characters ultimately develop and approach to each other in the last minutes, I must admit that the scenes right before the ending are overlong and unnecessary and that the final meeting between the two great characters is their weakest one and rather cheesy Hollywood stuff than the rather original Korean and Japanese way.

But if we forget about the rather disappointing ending and the mellow start, this movie is diversified and something quite unique. For some people, the different genre influences might be too overwhelming but to me this mixture is very interesting and makes this movie one of the most courageous and interesting ones I have seen in a while. even though my rating doesn't seem to be extraordinary for the mentioned reasons, I highly suggest the immediate purchase of this avant-garde movie to any fan of the Asian cinema, strong character movies and progressive thrillers.

This movie is a very entertaining mixture of "Die Hard", "Cliffhanger", "The Fugitive" and "The great silence" with a little touch of Asian culture, a very emotional background and a couple of smart little twists in the ending.

Even though this movie copies from some of the mentioned originals and hasn't the usual uniqueness and creativity of the Asian cinema, this flick is high paced and entertaining as well as addicting from the beginning to the end so that it should please to any fan of action thrillers. I must admit that I prefer this professional and energetic Japanese movie to the endless follow ups of many of the more and more repetitive and faceless originals or trendy remakes. Even more conservative fans of solid suspense movies should adore this movie that takes some bits and pieces from the best examples to fusion it to an own explosive movie.

The three best elements of the movie are first of all the stunning Japanese winter landscapes, the great development of the credible main characters from a mourning coward to a responsible saviour and the high paced, surprising and in the end very emotional closing scenes.

If you happen to like the mentioned movies, make sure to check this one out as it is one of the best of its kind from the last decade and worth to be purchased.

As there is no trailer on the internet, listen at least to the soundtrack:

Let me introduce you to this movie with a little warning. Don't expect it being a pure vengeance flick. You shouldn't also be misled by the fact that this movie comes from Hongkong and expect a high paced martial arts movie. This also isn't a movie about Chinese culture as it could take place in any other country. That's why this movie might especially please to people that rather watch traditional European thrillers and not to all fans of the Asian cinema. To some people this flick could be a soft but impressing introduction to Asian cinema. If you are in the same situation as me who adores Asian movies but who has a girlfriend and mother that rather dislike this kind of cinema, this movie could be what you have been looking for.

Take this movie as it is: a very entertaining cop thriller with a couple of moral and philosophic touches and a couple of more or less surprising twists. Those two aspects are enough to make this movie stand out from many others of its kind but this isn't enough to make a masterpiece of it. I should also mention the solid acting by most of the characters but the negative aspect is that the main character is played by the weakest actor that does a rather faceless performance and needs some time to grow into his role which leads to some lengths in the beginning. But the movie is worth the wait and many intriguing characters are introduced and the mid tempo pace kicks in after a mediocre start. The rest is the usual stuff including some explosive action scenes, a little bit of suspense, some humour and a little shot of romance.

This movie is worth to be watched and very entertaining but I wouldn't have bought it or watched it in the movie theatres. If you want a great Asian cop thriller go and check out the Korean "Memories of Murder" and check out some of my other reviews on this site.

Honestly said, this movie is a rather mediocre and even quite boring thriller with the usual scenario. There is not much tension or action in the movie and there are many lengths. Many people talk about twists and surprises but anyone that has already seen a couple of movies of the same genre won't be surprised at all. I was stunned reading about a twist in the film on this site and looked up on the internet if I had missed a detail but in fact the so called surprise was a clear fact for me right on from the beginning so that I didn't even realize it could have been a surprising element of the movie. Don't expect anything outstanding, memorable or intense in this flick.

This movie steals many elements from some classic suspense flicks like "Psycho" or "Blue Velvet" without reaching the intensity of those original masterpieces. A part of the human and tragic story of the two brothers, this movie adds nothing interesting to the genre at all. The plot is very thin, the dialogues are sometimes very artificial, the filming is rather old fashioned and some elements like the desert storm are completely unnecessary and add nothing to the main plot. The whole thing truly gets ridiculous in the end when the final showdown almost fails to find an end. I'm a little bit surprised that actors like Hopper and Boyle who have worked with the "crème de la crème" of Hollywood writers and directors have accepted acting in this weak flick.

What keeps me away from giving an even lower rating to this movie can be resumed in a couple of points. First of all, the opening scene is rather heavy to digest and a good way to kick this movie off. We have the true highlight right in the beginning. Another good point is the acting of some of the characters. The blind brother is well and emotionally played and the weird villain is a signature role for a great actor like Dennis Hopper. The other two main characters do a rather weak job in here though and the interactions between them are poor. I was negatively surprised by Lara Flynn Boyle that did a great job at almost the same time in the "Twin Peaks" series. Another good aspect is the emotional background story of the two brothers and their tragic fate.

I really can't suggest this film to fans of psycho thrillers or suspense flicks. This movie isn't even worth to be bought at a low price or rented at your local gas station. I am happy I only saw it on television and had at least some more or less entertaining hours in a relaxed atmosphere. Go for any other suspense movie I have mentioned in my reviews if your looking for a better genre flick.