Writer: Casey Chong

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Watch this if you liked: "Hit Team" and "Cold War".

As one of the most anticipated Hong Kong movies of the year, "Firestorm" is heavily promoted as Andy Lau's comeback to his serious-cop role since the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy as well as the explosive action sequences shown in the trailers. The hype is mostly real in "Firestorm".

Andy Lau plays Lui, a tough senior police inspector who values integrity in his work ethic. When the police force is humiliated by a gang of seasoned criminals, led by Nam (Hu Jun) during a daring armored car heist on the broad daylight, Lui quickly responded by launching an all-out war against them.

Prior to "Firestorm", director Alan Yuen was primarily known for his screenwriting talent such as the Jackie Chan-starred "New Police Story" and "Rob-B-Hood". But in his rare writing-and-directing combo since "Princess D" in 2002, Yuen proves to be a versatile filmmaker who knows well how to craft a high-octane action thriller that rivaled some of the best action directors in Hong Kong (namely Benny Chan of "The White Storm" fame and Dante Lam of "The Viral Factor" fame).

Speaking of action sequences, Chin Kar-Lok's stunt choreography is top notch. All the action sequences here are exhilaratingly paced that gives the viewers a sense of kinetic aura. The 'all-hell-breaks-loose' gunfight finale at the Central district is easily the best of the bunch. It's an electrifying sequence that deserves a spot as one of the best action designs ever staged in a long while. The only gripe about these otherwise flawless action sequences are the spotty CG effects which almost ruined the visceral impact.

Meanwhile, Alan Yuen's screenplay is compelling if sometimes bumpy. While the twists and turns are admirable in the second half, Yuen seems to be trying too hard to make his plot as complex as possible. A little restraint would have help to balance his heavy-handed plot nicely.

As for the cast, Andy Lau delivers an engaging presence as Lui. Despite already advancing at the age of 52, Lau still has the edgy charisma and physical attributes to handle lots of dangerous stunts. Hu Jun is coolly charismatic as Nam while Gordon Lam gives a solid support as the conflicted To. Other supporting cast is equally substantial as well, including some of the veteran TVB actors (from Kenny Wong to Ray Lui) that appear throughout the movie.

"Firestorm" may have been far from perfect, but the movie is reasonably entertaining enough to satisfy lots of action fans.


Cinema Online, 05 December 2013