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Time and Tide

Time and Tide

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Time" waits for no-one.
Review: Pay attention to this film or it will leave you behind with the intensity and speed it moves at.

Tyler (real life Chinese musician Nicholas Tse) plays, who works at a bar when not for a bodyguard firm. Policewoman Ho-ming and her inspector girlfriend have a fight in said bar one night. It leads to Tyler and Ho-ming meeting, drinking a lot in bars at one end of the street and throwing up on traffic at the other end.

Waking up the next morning in his apartment in bed together is especially bad news, especially since she has a gun. Fortunately Tyler has the sense to get his pants back on before she then wakes up and threatens to shoot him. Did they or didn't they is the big question and it is answered in short order when the next scene is captioned "9 months later".

So, what does this first 6 minutes actually have to do with the rest of the film? Not as much as you'd think despite this being the beginning. The film is not so much about Tyler but his friend Jack (Wu Bai, a Taiwanese musician in real life). He works for a butcher and is married to Jennifer, daughter of a Hong Kong mobster Mr. Hong. He doesn't think much of Jack.

Tyler's firm is given the job of protecting Mr. Hong but things get complicated. Some old friends of Jack's turn up from Brazil and ask him to kill someone. In his past life (unknown to everyone else), Jack was part of this team of mercenaries called The Angels. They kill people for a living and ably demonstrated this while in Brazil, just before coming to Hong Kong. Unfortunately for Jack, the target turns out to be his father-in-law. Jack registers his opinion of this idea later by killing his former boss instead and stealing a lot of money from his former compatriots in a daring hit and following escape.

The last 45 minutes of the film are some of the best non-stop action you'll ever see as the Angels attempt to ambush Jack at his apartment. Combat spills over to a pitched battle at Kowloon Station and a nearby stadium hosting a rock concert. Two of the main protagonists fight to the death with guns, grenades, fists and feet above the unsuspecting audience while Tyler tries to deliver Jennifer's baby in the basement and avoid being killed at the same time.

You have to feel sorry for Tyler, he blunders into things a lot. He tries to do the right thing for Ho-ming and puts money under her door. She wants him to get lost and her dog eats the money. Her girlfriend puts a dent in his skull. He tries to do his job. He foils the first attempted hit on Mr. Hong (not by the Angels) and narrowly avoids being shot in a fight with the assassin. All he gets in return is hit for leaving his post and threatened with being fired because no-one saw the fight and the assassin escaped. Clearly out of his league, it's a continuing source of amazement that he isn't killed. Later Tyler temporarily foils Jack's escape (then Jack is forced to beat him up to get away). This gets Tyler accused of being in league with him for stealing the money and being locked in the back of a truck until he confesses to being in on it. This is all (bad) news for him and its getting worse all the time.

Seeing him then break into Jack's apartment with a sledgehammer in search the stolen money, unaware that it is staked out by a number of heavily armed mercenaries is funny. Watching him burst through doors with a fake gun while a heavily armed man hiding inside and snipers outside decide whether or not to kill him is quite hilarious. Tyler goes on leading a charmed life as people step in front of bullets meant for him and narrowly avoids being blown up thanks to everyday kitchen appliances.

The acrobatics are amazing and just within the realm of the possible. The fight in Jack's apartment block is a particular highlight. Human agility is pushed to the limit. The combatants fight, run and scramble from building to building on ropes with no visible break from one motion to the next. Each jump,leap, punch and kick flows without a break from one to the next (but not like Crouching Tiger either - different but equal). Things are enhanced by innovative use of "Point of thrown object views" and "Frozen rotational explosion perspective" (you'll have to see what I mean) which add to the experience (and no, they're not ripping off The Matrix, which borrowed heavily from Hong Kong cinema in the first place). Even Tyler who spends a lot of time being swatted like a fly has a lot of agility and athleticism, it's just that the numerous people trying to kill him have the edge on him with that score.

Tyler settles differences with Ho-ming, Jennifer delivers safely, Jack achieves redemption, the guilty are smited and Tsui Hark receives atonement for Double Team and Knock Off.

This film was reviewed in Time magazine (at least the Asia-Pacific region) quite favorably and got a cinema/DVD/video release in Australia.

Don't think about why Jack's friends didn't kill Mr. Hong themselves. Also they actually speak Portuguese more than Spanish in Brazil (Some scenes are in English and Spanish as well as Cantonese) . Just suspend disbelief, things just "are" in this film.

The acting is very good (musicians or not, they do a very good job and I think one of them contributed to the excellent music in this film). This film is close to perfect for an action film and surpassing anything done in the US. I strongly recommend you see this film. Buy it if there's no other way to find it.

Hopefully not being remade in the US anytime soon, preferably not at all.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: The movie tried but it failed in my eyes. I gave it a chance, tried to follow what was going on and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to turn it off not baring to watch the last 30 minutes of this movie. It started off pretty good but then it get so choppy you have no clue what is going on and I missed the connection with the characters over all because the movie was taking me down a path I didn't enjoy. What was missing is WHY were all these people here? What was up with the one guy speaking english and spanish? Who was he and what was the point of him being there? Now I tend not to think during movies and enjoy them for what they are, just to let myself get swept away into a different place for a great experience but this movie failed to do it for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love movies like this, I loved such brilliant movies as Eat Drink Man Woman, Bangkok Dangerous (2000), The Road Home to name a few. I'm a sucker for asian/foreign films. If I was choosing a movie just based on how beautiful everyone was, then yeah the only reason I'd chose this film, that is all it has to offer anyone. Disapointed. Just seemed a lot of things were cut out and should have been explained so to keep people hooked and wanting to find out what happens. Just this didn't do it for me and is one I wouldn't recomend to anyone. Looking for a better movie? Check out Bangkok Dangerous (2000), the guys are hot, the plot is great and the action is sizzling. I'm still looking for films that will woo me, this one just didn't do it.

In final thoughts, I would have given this movie 1 star, but I gave this film an extra star for its effort in trying to be good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best movies i have seen
Review: This has to be one of the best movies i have seen. And believe me i have seen everything from 2 beat Shaw Brothers kung fu movies to classic Yuen Woo ping movies to Tsui Hark classics, to graphic horror/animation movies(ricki oh) then to John woo's classics. I have seen everything and this has to be my favorite. I rented this movie expecting a new stylish Kung Fu film, but i came out with one of the best Gun-fu action films i have ever seen. when i first rented it i watched it twice in a row. But dont rent this movie expecting Once upon atime in china kung fu action. Think of this as a more hip modern Hard Boiled with maybe a teaspoon of kungfu. But dont make the same mistake as i did renting this and another movie, and if u do watch this movie second, because most likely the other vieo wont compare to this, lime me i couldnt watch my other rental because it would ruin the greatness of this. And the two real good stars in this are Couto Remotigue jr.(the villan) and Wu bia the real star. ENJOY!!!!!!!(and if ur having trouble between picking Tokyo raiders and this, PICK THIS OVER IT DO URSELF THE FAVOR)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tsui Hark's Tidal Wave
Review: This is a good action movie for those who like HK action flicks, and for those who are brand new to it. You can read the other reviews for the plot, it's the action your looking for and there is plenty of it! Wu Bai as Juan, the ex-mercenary, is awesome. I became a Nicolas Tse fan after Gen-X Cops, but Wu Bai steals this movie. The cat and mouse sequence in the apartment building between Juan and his former partners has to be the highlight of the movie. There are flaws in this movie, but they mostly have to do with the plot sequencing. You have to watch this movie a second time to figure out who everyone is. You also question why Nicolas Tse's character, Trey, continues to run around with a fake gun through two-thirds of the movie. What's he going to do, throw it at the bad guys? My only other disappointment was that there was no added extras to the DVD. A behind the scenes documentary would have been a nice touch. Overall a good action movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Tsui Hark did not out do John Woo
Review: This is perhaps to most overated Hong Kong action flick I have seen. Everyone of my friends told me how good this action flick was and since Eggbert and Older gave it two thumbs up, I decided to give it a try. I was very saddened. The story is very stupid and exaggerated. They even have spanish speaking Asian assasins in this flick(they speak as fluently as any spanish speaker)which makes it even cornier. But like most action movies is not so much about the story it's about the action, and that's what I anticipated. But the action didn't thrill me like it did in such action flicks such as "Hard Boiled" "Face Off" or even "The Black Mask". Believe me, if you like John Woo or Robert Rodriguez you have seen a lot of ground broken in action, and this movie doesn't even come close to that. Tsui Hark doesn't come close to accomplishing what his former best friend John Woo has done. In this film Tsui Hark recycles the action of films like the lackluster "The Big Hit", and "Way of the Gun"(except Time and Tide had no blood). Heck, this movie reminded me so much of the atrocious "Big Hit" just with more uninspired action sequences. I continue to ponder how people were so amazed by this movie, I guess they never seen a John Woo flick. But believe me if you are interested in checking out this movie please watch "Hard Boiled" or even "Desperado" instead. But if you like embarrassing movies like "The Big Hit" or "Way of the Gun" go ahead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie is not about the script
Review: This movie has a script, but you will have to watch it twice before understanding why things happened. The camera work is awesome as well as the stunts and gunfights. ... I'll rather watch this over any "hollywood" action movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW, Tsui Hark, you are the man!
Review: This movie is outstanding: action, drama, comedy and a little bit of romance. It starts out fast so you better pay attention. (Or you can see it a second time like I did). Tyler (Nicolas Tse) has a one night stand with a cop (she's gay) and plants his seed. Jack (Wu Bai) is from South America trying to start a quiet life with his pregnat wife, however, his friends (a.k.a. malitia) are on his tail. They want him to kill his father-in-law or they kill him. Tyler meets Jack, they become friends. Tyler gets caught up in the maddness because Jack didn't have the heart to kill him when Tyler acidently gets in the way of his escape from the malitia after killing the boss. From that point on it is straight war fare. The camera angles, special affects, gun play (oh yes, this is a violent film and I loved every minuet of it) and the fight sceans it was all breath taking. This is a movie that one must see again and again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a good solid action movie!
Review: this movie was great, it was directed well (although at times i forgot it was a Tsui Hark movie due to the different style of directing.)
anyway its definitely worth owning if you like john woo's early films or other ultraviolent hong kong flicks!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Contender
Review: This should be regarded as a Hark Tsui film. Just a reminder, Tsui entered the Hollywood arena with "Double Team" starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and a few titles with Jet Li.

Not that it's a earth-shattering title, but "Time & Tide" does have its merit and I'm just going to stay on the merit.

This is a story with a nice tie with the beginning and end scene that says the nature of men is good. That's nice, or nice enough. Inside this coating, is an action-packed feature film that reminds me heavily of "Die Hard", actions based around elite force being bad guys, and a good guy that somehow (incredibly) negotiate around all the tight corners. For some reason, personally, I feel Tsui wants to show the movie-goers that he's a bit better than John Woo.

Okay, it's an action film with a drama coating, but ultimately it has a flare of reality with Tse's character, someone silly enough to believe that a air-gun can make a difference. It's almost unfair to say this is Tsui's statement that he's better than Woo, but if you just want a lot of action-excitment, maybe you'd understand.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: This was my first Tsui Hark flick, and ya know what? It was pretty nice. For those of you who like seeing people get shot up, you'll love this, as there are plenty of bullets whizzing around.

What I really enjoyed though, was the relationship between Tyler(one of the main characters) and his lesbian lady cop friend. It was one of the best nice-guy-turned-bodyguard-for-gansters-so-he-can-make-money-to-try-and-take-care-of-this-lesbian-cop-he-knocked-up-but-she's-too-damned-independant-and-proud-(not to mention pissed off)-to-let-some-man(ESPECIALLY a man)-help-her kind of relationship I've ever seen, (and there are so many of those around, aren't there...). Seriously, it was really sweet when the lesbian cop eventually warmed up to Tyler. And the woman who played the lesbian cop was VERY pretty. Sure she was in the movie for like only seven minutes, but she had a very cute smile. So yes, cute lesbian cop smile with lots of guns directed by Tsui Hark merits a well deserved five stars!


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