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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved watching this, May 27, 2006
This review is from: PTU (DVD)
This is not an action flick, this is a film. A piece of cinema. There are some stylized scenes in this movie that stick in my head. A film noir in the glaring lights of Tsim Tsa Tsui. I really enjoyed the 'caper' quality of the film (i.e. everyone all connected to everyone else) but found the film just really interesting to look at, even with whatever quality film they were using.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Police Tactical Unit, November 23, 2004
This review is from: PTU (DVD)
Johnnie To's police drama/dark comedy about a night with Hong Kong's PTU is a taut, efficient piece of cinema.
The movie follows the events that transpired when a roguish anti-organized crime police officer loses his gun after a confrontation with some young gang members. A roving team of PTU chances upon him. Since he is up for promotion, he asks the PTU not to report the loss of the gun. Despite objections from other officers, the squad leader (Simon Yam) promises to help him find it. These set a chain of events that will lead to major repercussions in the Hong Kong underworld.
The joy of watching PTU is in the intense, dead-pan performance and the chuckles brought by the darkly-humorous situations, even if the movie's plot and resolution is highly reminiscent of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels with some elements of InterMission (although this came before the Irish movie).
A film about honor, duty, and commitment, PTU is well worth a watch, if not a purchase. It is not a "loud" movie, as compared to stereotypical HK police films. One of the best I've seen in the genre, the somewhat predictable ending notwithstanding.
What prevents me from giving this a perfect score is the VERY cheesy 80s era guitar/synth score. To think this film was made in 2003, Johnnie To could've used a less-grating/irritating musical score that would've accentuate the mood of the film. Normally, I wouldn't mind but the soundtrack was so intrusive and yes, I will say again, very cheesy, you cannot help but not notice it.
Although, not in the level of the first Infernal Affairs, PTU is still a solid addition to one's Asian movie collection.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
(3.5 STARS) A Missing Gun: Stylish Noir from Hong Kong New Wave Director, January 20, 2006
This review is from: PTU (DVD)
`PTU' stands for Police Tactical Unit, which really exists as one special force in Hong Kong police. `PTU' follows a series of events triggered by one killing of young gangster in the middle of the night. The murder is followed by one police officer's blunder - he loses his gun - and the special police forces led by dead serious inspector Ho (Simon Yam, `Tomb Raider 2') searches the lost gun, using whatever method they can use. Ho knows that his decision could compromise the team's position, and that he has to find the missing gun by the morning. And there is another police force CID (Criminal Investigation Department) that is suspicious of Ho's moves.
Johnny To spent two years to complete the film and you can see he made great efforts to get the stylish shots. The lighting (and the spotlighting) in each frame of shots is beautifully done, and considering the fact that almost all the scenes were shot at night, the results are simply wonderful. Moreover, Johnny To provides dark humor in the most unexpected way, See how the disgraced cop loses his gun, for example. Some viewers might find it impossible and ridiculous. But if you are a Johnny To fan, you know he means it.
However, the film's story is not strong enough to sustain its 90 minutes. It starts brilliantly, and develops to some extent, but is finally reduced to a familiar theme of morality among the police. The theme itself is interesting, but the film dwells too much on it, and as a result the actions that interest us at the beginning of the film get slower as the film unfolds. Though the final chapter has a big shoot-out, the film's wrap-up is weak and slightly confusing.
`PTU' would never disappoint the fans of prolific Hong Kong director Johnny To with ultra-stylish photography and detailed descriptions of characters. But even the fans would not ignore the obvious weakness of the second half, which should be faster and simpler. Still, among many entries in his filmography, `PTU' is above average, if not as good as `The Mission' his best for me.
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