Movie Review

Vengeance
Rating: 8.5

by Johnnie To
China, 2009
starring: Johnny Hallyday and some chinese guys














After Election 1 & 2 left a big impression on me I thought this would be a good movie, but it really took me by surprise.  Many scenes drew me in with unusual style, mood, atmosphere and pacing and I felt totally engrossed.  I could call parts of this movie wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, harrowing or anything that sounds epic and creates a big impact.  As a whole it's really good if not great.  One battle scene I found to be mostly uninteresting or else just over the top, but it was still pretty.
Johnnie To is really an exceptional filmmaker.  As evidence from this movie alone, he really likes to play with what he has and create many unique and fun pieces throughout the movie.  The characters are really interesting and the plot feels special.  Style, color, and lighting are primary play toys for To.
Something that stood out to me was that this movie went beyond the fondly embraced Hong Kong styles of filmmaking and often felt like an international movie.
Highly Recommended.

imdb | don't bother with a trailer, it'll be more fun to just see it.

-Jared