Drug
War (2012/Johnnie To/Well Go USA Blu-ray)
Picture:
A- Sound: B Extras: D Film: B+
Timmy
Choi is a drug dealer/maker, and he just got busted. Threaten with
execution, he makes a deal with the cops, his life for the entire
cartel. As police chief Captain Zhang chases down various
informants, drivers, suppliers and kingpins, he play along undercover
as a buyer from Choi, but Choi plays a even more deadlier game, one
slip can blow the police's cover and endanger all the other lives of
the agents in the field. Choi and Zhang play a game of wits, trying
to stay ahead of one another, rules will be broken and loyalty and
duties will be tested, whomever loses will end up dead in the Johnnie
To thriller Drug War (2012).
Just
50 grams of meth is enough for the death penalty and Choi just got
caught with tons. His only way out is cut a deal with the cops, his
life for his entire cartel. The chance for getting the entire cartel
is just too tempting to past up, but Captain Zhang knows Choi will do
anything to escape the death penalty, he is the perfect informant,
yet the longer the deal goes on, the larger chance Choi has to betray
them. In the end, Choi is willing sacrifice anyone and anything to
be free, while Captain Zhang is willing to risk and sacrifice his own
life to stop the triad. What will be the result of the clashing of
such self will?
This
was a film with a script offering a solid game of cat and mouse, the
police force works tirelessly to stop drugs from entering the city.
As the film progress, roles reverse constantly, sometimes the police
has the upper hand and dealers are the ones in control, but whom ever
loses control first loses everything. The number of undercover
police was staggering, and it was amazing to see how the police
undercover persona was totally different, but it was unrealistic in
one way, with that many undercover police, someone from the cartel
should of recognized someone was a cop.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer was shot in
real anamorphic Technovision scope on 35mm film and is one of the
best-looking films of its kind we have seen in the last few years
with excellent color reproduction, composition, detail and depth.
Any kind of styling is not phony and does not hold back the
performance in the least. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Chinese 5.1 lossless mix is pretty
impressive throughout, though it has a few moments that hold it back
a bit. Sadly, a trailer is the only extra.
-
Ricky Chiang
