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| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Gordon Chan, Dante Lam |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 01 January, 1998 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Tai Seng Video |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Widescreen, Dolby |
| TYPE: | Foreign Film - Chinese |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 601643600949 |
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Customer Reviews of Beast Cops
... A very impressive and entertaining movie, with the characters being the chief virtue, and the image of the world it creates a close second. The characters are definately human beings, not perfect, nor are their follies unsymathetic (with a few exceptions), and they really feel like part of the world in the film... which is also a testament to the quality of the acting (it really is a relief whenever I see a "cop movie" where the acting and dialogue aren't of the "overdone hard-boiled" type). As is stated early in the movie, the difference between cops and gangsters is often negligable, and, obviously, really just components of the same system.
I can't say if cops and gangsters really act like this anywhere, but, for some reason, their respective situations in Beast Cops seem more true to life than the impressions given by many other HK movies (think: where police who sometimes cooperate with gangsters are always bad, and the "good" cops are always in direct moral opposition to the gangsters... even in the movies that blur the distinction and make room for more grey-area). Although it's occasionally punctuated by violence, Beast Cops is more about the daily lives of its protagonists than the "redemption" of the frumpy cop (if anything, it's about how the frumpy cop and the slightly high-strung new boss influence each-other, as well as the dynamics of the gangsters as they adapt to the new cop and the temporary leave-of-absence taken by one of their Big Brothers). Visually, Beast Cops is also very well done (the sets are pretty nice too... couldnt' get enough of the junky apartment... the green cafe was also nice counterpart to the slightly dishelved world).
Intermittently and simutaneously humorous, happy, sad, and content... and one of the few movies I'd as readily recommend a purchase as a rental (It just made me happy, although rewatching might diminish the effect... so if you're on a budget, there are probably movies more worth purchase...).
PS: You might want to try and get ahold of the UK Region 2 DVD, as it features commentaries and interviews... overall, a much better release. [really... why the US is generally stuck with Miramax edited dub-only releases and equally barebones ones from distributors that seem to just re-encode and add softsubs to HK bootlegs completely eludes me... especially since there's a MUCH bigger audience here...]
Unpredictable and original
Like a lot of Hong Kong films, Beast Cops has chaotic shifts in tone, occasionally bizarre humor, and manically over the top violence. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It sure works in Beast Cops, which would probably suffer from being too predictable. What starts off as a fairly serious drama about a gambling addicted and somewhat corrupt cop turns into a domestic comedy/revenge actioner/mob thriller. In one scene you'll have a character suddenly killed with a machete, in the next you'll have seriously hysterical comic moments from Anthony Wong as the corrupt cop.
I've never seen a film work two extremes so successfully and naturally, without seeming convoluted in any way. It's an action film, to be sure, but one that incorporates the rhythms and feel of real life, complete with the comic bits and kidding banter. It probably plays a little bit better as a comedy, despite the brutal violence of the last showdown (a showdown that still has room for a couple of hilarious throwaway moments from Anthony Wong). Michael Wong, usually about as charismatic as cardboard, here is utilized beautifully in a more comic role, and more directors should take heed of his fairly impressive work here in a role that totally goes against type. Roy Cheung has the most serious role here, and essentially shows up and does his usual great work without breaking a sweat. But the movie belongs to Anthony Wong, who won a Best Actor award in Hong Kong for this film. He shows remarkable range here, and he really just might be the best actor in HK today. You see his work here, then watch Full Contact, Hard Boiled, and Big Bullet, and you wonder how it can be the same guy.
Along with The Mission, this is one of the best 'New Wave' Hong Kong pictures.
Definitely different.
This was one of the first movies I saw when I was becoming acquainted with the Hong Kong action genre. This is an incredible, visually-stunning exercise in action. Now, it is not action on the same level as John Woo or Tsui Hark. But this is a great drama and action movie all at the same time. It has graphic violence, language and mild sexuality (as in don't see it for that reason or you'll be disappointed). If you like cop dramas and action films and don't mind reading a movie (though I do enjoy when the dubbing is different than the subtitles), Beast Cops is a great movie.