497e39180f After losing control of his car and crashing into a local restaurant, a man loses consciousness on the street. Later, while working on a case, the police's anti-drug division captain, Zhang Lei (Honglei Sun), realizes that the man in the crash is drug lord Tian Ming (Louis Koo). In order to avoid the death penalty, Tian Ming helps the police put a stop to the entire drug trafficking circuit, but just as soon as the police are ready to make a large bust, Tian Ming makes a decision that shocks everyone involved. A drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid is coerced into betraying his former accomplices as part of an undercover operation. I admit that after reading some great reviews, I went into this movie expecting big things, and that might be why I felt so led down.<br/><br/>This is by no means a bad movie. There are some good twists here and there, accompanied by a gritty and truthful style of directing unseen it most Hollywood products. I mean in what serious Hollywood movie can you see cops pulling over to pee in the middle of the road. The acting by the two lead actors was great. Loius Koo was subtle as the villain, while Honglei Sun saved his boring role with his flexibility. I also like the way some villains were portrayed, showing them as more humane than in most other products from mainland China. <br/><br/>But ultimately, it still doesn't live up to its potential. The cops in this movie, staying true to Chinese propaganda, are all one- dimensional heroes who are always willing to sacrificed for the greater good. There were no internal conflicts, no questions asked, not even some hesitations. They all just quietly do what they're told. In fact, most of them maintained only one facial expression throughout the movie: anger. They were mere puppets used to show the movie's story, not realistic and engaging characters. And of course, the ending with the good triumph over evil can be seen from miles away, despite the director's effort to spice it up.<br/><br/>Considered the strict media censorship in China, this was probably the best the director could do, but it's still a waste of a nice premise. That's why I'm really looking forward to the upcoming South Korean remake. "Drug War" is an interesting and compelling film, but it is far too long and there are far too many plot flaws to be memorable. Along with the plot flaws, there are literally dozens of "good guys" and "bad guys", so it can be hard to keep track of who's who, especially when the shooting starts and when you've got 3 seconds to see who bought the farm before the camera angle changes.<br/><br/>That being said, the main characters do a good job and there are several minor characters ( a drug boss who laughs, two deaf mute low level gangsters) who give the film a certain charm. Moreover, the glance we get of law enforcement in China is certainly eye opening.<br/><br/>Best of all is the ending, with a shootout that certainly rates in the top 10 of murder and mayhem, although falling short of such classics as "The Wild Bunch", "Yojimbo", "The Seven Samurai" and "The Beast of the City." The film is a singularly huge, relentless, all-encompassing set piece that mutates and spasms with terrifying lack of foresight. It's all business, business, business.
Drug War is a crime story. This is a movie against the drug. In this current world movies like this are necessary. It delivers each and every audience about the issues, difficulties, negatives of drugs. It’s an awareness for every people. evolis printers
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370 weeks ago