City War

Oddly paced and strikingly shot, City War could have been a stone-cold classic of Hong Kong's vastly impressive line-up of heroic bloodshed actioners, unfortunately, it has to make do with writing that's painfully formulaic, extremely uneven and occasionally mindless. Yet, it's not all bad. The first two-thirds of the film takes on the form of a joyful romantic comedy, dominated by the happy-go-lucky presence of Chow Yun-fat's character. Then suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, the last third hits, and we are plunged into an abyss of gritty drama, graphic violence, tragedy and death. The massive tonal shift really upsets the film's balance but largely gets carried through the weaker moments thanks to the chemistry of Chow Yun-fat and Ti Lung being onscreen together again. It's all slickly directed by, Shaw Brothers graduate, Sun Chung with a bold use of colour while Michael Lai's score is suitably epic. Mashing together the stylings of Miami Vice with the Hong Kong criminal underground, City War isn't a classic by any means, it is a fully entertaining slice of 80s action and more than worthy of watching at least watch.