The plot of this movie is not that different from any other cops-and-robbers movie, but “Full Alert” as directed by the late, great Ringo Lam is simply one of the best of its genre. After Mak(Francis Ng) is arrested for the murder of an architect, the lead investigator Bao(Lau Ching-wan) suspects Mak murdering the architect is only the beginning and he has plans to pull off a robbery.
“Full Alert” is a grim cop thriller whose moodiness is the only thing holding together the erratic aesthetics that Lam has brought together: Grand Guignol crime scene followed by a Friedkin-esque car chase followed by a Mann-esque heist. Then there are the two extraordinary lead performances by Lau Ching-wan and Francis Ng, both of whom have a silent-cinema physicality in the way they embody their violent, unhinged characters. “Full Alert” is not really about violence or anything in particular, but in its understanding that violence is fundamentally ugly and horrid, there is an integrity and menace to it that makes it unique.
Once again though, there’s nothing new here, it’s all just done incredibly well. Every cop film needs a car chase right? The one in “Full Alert” is incredible and looks improbably real and dangerous. Every cop film needs a heist right? The one here is an expressionistic marvel and an absolute nail-biter. The scene where a certain character climbs out of the sewer with the gun in his hand emerging first is one of those preposterously noirish flourishes that works by virtue of the film actually earning it.
The plot of this movie is not that different from any other cops-and-robbers movie, but “Full Alert” as directed by the late, great Ringo Lam is simply one of the best of its genre. After Mak(Francis Ng) is arrested for the murder of an architect, the lead investigator Bao(Lau Ching-wan) suspects Mak murdering the architect is only the beginning and he has plans to pull off a robbery.
“Full Alert” is a grim cop thriller whose moodiness is the only thing holding together the erratic aesthetics that Lam has brought together: Grand Guignol crime scene followed by a Friedkin-esque car chase followed by a Mann-esque heist. Then there are the two extraordinary lead performances by Lau Ching-wan and Francis Ng, both of whom have a silent-cinema physicality in the way they embody their violent, unhinged characters. “Full Alert” is not really about violence or anything in particular, but in its understanding that violence is fundamentally ugly and horrid, there is an integrity and menace to it that makes it unique.
Once again though, there’s nothing new here, it’s all just done incredibly well. Every cop film needs a car chase right? The one in “Full Alert” is incredible and looks improbably real and dangerous. Every cop film needs a heist right? The one here is an expressionistic marvel and an absolute nail-biter. The scene where a certain character climbs out of the sewer with the gun in his hand emerging first is one of those preposterously noirish flourishes that works by virtue of the film actually earning it.
