nedwalton

A Scanner Darkly is a movie that puts a new twist on the Undercover NARC in too deep genre and drops an acid laced hallucinogenic trip on it for you. What we have is Keanu Reeves playing Bob Arctor, a burnt out Narc who has been undercover so long that he no longer knows who he is or what side he's on. The enemy is the new drug on the block Substance-D and he's trying to fight the good fight. Been there done that right? Not exactly...in this new society based 7 years from today, in order to keep himself from being discovered, even his superiors no longer know who he is nor what side he is on. To aid in this Bob as well as his superiors must wear suits that change their identities rapidly keeping them unknown, this is a visual that must be seen to be believed.

As time goes on Bob falls farther and farther out of character and further and further into despair trying to find out who he is and what side he's on. Co-Starring as his crew of misfit house mates are Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson, as a burn out on the newest fad Substance-D is Rory Cochrane and as his girl who is so burnt out that she avoids physical contact, is Winona Ryder.

Now I don't normally care for movies with the undercover agent losing his identity and deciding where his loyalties lie (Infernal Affairs, Deep Cover, In too Deep...) but the cool "cartoon-like" visual provided enough spark to my interest and actually kept me glued to my seat in the theater. I also have to give props for excellent dialogue, and good chemistry between the actors. By the way Robert Downer Jr. does an excellent job as zoned out druggie (hmmmmmmm....) and his performance alone is spectacular. Not to mention that Woody Harrelson as well as Rory Cochrane lend excellent support to this vehicle.

So I say this, give it a look if you're into independent, visual stunners (CARTOONS), with an adult twist to them.

Now first off let me start by stating that Chanwook Park's "Vengeance Trilogy" for lack of better terminology is an amazing work of art. For those of you that are familiar with those (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, OldBoy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) you know what you're in for, violence, beautiful Korean background, and of course the underlying theme of REVENGE. Now lets get to it...

To begin we have Lee Geum-Ja, a woman who finds herself in prison after being convicted of the murder of a child. When she finds herself being released after 13 years she initiates an elaborate plan that began the moment she stepped into prison. Her plan was to avenge those who put her in jail. Using her wits and Chanwook Park using clever flashbacks, the first 3/4 of the movie is used to shed light on the many complicated pieces of her revenge puzzle, which include Creating friendships, making pacts, and utilizing every resource at her disposal Lee Geum-Ja to open up the dark side of her personality. The last 1/4 of the movie involves the final execution of her plan.

In my opinion Park is an excellent director with a style that is filled with beautiful scenery, and ugly human emotion to create the perfect blend of pain and pleasure that is customary of all of his vengeance trio. My opinions aside, what you get is in your face violence, sexuality, and did I mention VIOLENCE. This is a put-the-kids-to-bed type of film. If you are not accustomed to gore then this is not for you. So be warned, while this is the final of the trilogy and the most bounded of the 3 movies, you can believe that the volume is gonna be turned way up past the traditional American standards of violence.

As a fan of Asian cinema and of movies that push the limits, this is one that is done well and keeps you captivated with its intelligent and updated style. My favorite elements of this movie are the use of flashbacks to tell the witty, yet complicated story, and that the film sticks to its theme of vengeance with a die-hard, unwavering dedication. So watch out, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance will leave you asking yourself how far would you go for revenge?

For those of us out there that miss the "Old" John Woo from The Killer, Hard Boiled, and A Better Tomorrow 1&2, Johnny To comes to pick up where Woo left off with Fulltime Killers. Now while some call that a blatant bootleg or hijacking of John Woo's style, I call it a pleasant revisit.

Andy Lau plays Tok, a flamboyant leather clad professional killer who not only takes pride in his work but also looks to put himself in the spotlight with every kill he makes. Tok is a sort of tribute to one Castor Troy of Face-Off, with his flair and his trademark smile which he flashes at all times. Takashi Sorimachi plays O, a more traditional killer with a guilty conscience, who stays in the shadows and executes his job keeping himself out of the spotlight. O's guilty conscience is the result of an innocent getting caught up in his world. O is something of a tribute to Chow Yun-Fat's character in The Killer. As a result of O's more low-key approach he is the highest ranked and most sought after professional much to the dismay of Tok. Naturally a rivalry will result between these two polar opposites in an attempt to be the top.

Acting as a catalyst to this rivalry is the lovely Kelly Lin, playing Chin, a mild-mannered video store clerk who is bored by life. An incidental visit by Tok to her video store, and a second job cleaning O's apartment begins a chain of events that puts her in the middle of these two professional killers rivalry.

Fulltime Killer provides mind-blowing action scenes and a love triangle that even guys don't mind keeping up with. A throughly entertaining movie and a throwback to the "old" John Woo puts this movie high on my list. Give it a chance, and you'll be entertained at the very least.