The dreamy flow back and forth through time and memory and the shifting point of view across four narrators casts the sleek stylistics of 21st-century Hong Kong cinema between tortured existential heroics and tall tale.
Fulltime Killer (2002)
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Reviews Counted:33
Fresh:19
Rotten:14
Average Rating:6.3/10
Theatrical Release:Mar 21, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: For many years O resides in an isolated world of killing and loneliness. He closes himself up even more after the death of his love NANCY. O owns a spotless apartment, but actually lives in a safe... For many years O resides in an isolated world of killing and loneliness. He closes himself up even more after the death of his love NANCY. O owns a spotless apartment, but actually lives in a safe shelter across the street. His life begins to change as his feelings for the innocent CHIN intensifies. Chin, hired to clean an apartment, has never met her mysterious employer. In fact she doesn't even know that she resembles the previous housekeeper. Chin begins to learn more about her secret employer when TOK shows up. TOK, flamboyant and reckless, fancies the thrill of killing and is driven to become the No. 1 killer. He creates doubt in Chin's mind and her loyalty towards her employer. Little does Chin know that Tok's intention is to reveal the true identity of her employer... O. Lee, an experienced International Police Chief Inspector, has been on the tail of O for more than 5 years. It is Lee who unveils the devastating past of the sharpshooters. LOK GAN WAH, and his younger brother LOK TAI WAH, who both suffer from brain disease. The two sharpshooters disappeared mysteriously after losing the gold medal. O, provoked by Tok and pursued by Lee, goes to his manager C7 for help. Unbeknownst to O, his manager is actually Lok Gan Wah... the older brother of Tok. Tok's insistence in challenging O into duel forces him to rescue O out of the arresting hands of Officer Lee. The two barely escape the pursuing police, and vanish together. Which killer will come out alive? -- © 2001 Teamwork Motion Pictures [More]
Starring: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Simon Yam, Cherrie Ying
Starring: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Simon Yam, Cherrie Ying, Kelly Lin
Director: Johnny To, Wai Ka-Fai
Director: Johnny To, Wai Ka-Fai
Screenwriter: Joey O'Bryan, Wai Ka-Fai
Producer: Johnny To, Wai Ka-Fai, Andy Lau
Studio: Palm Pictures
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Reviews for Fulltime Killer
So what is the point? Lovingly choreographed bloodshed taking place in a pristine movie neverland, basically.
One of the most exciting action films to come out of China in recent years.
There's undeniable enjoyment to be had from films crammed with movie references, but the fun wears thin -- then out -- when there's nothing else happening.
It's gruesome violence combined with tongue-in-cheek humor...fans of this genre will flock to Fulltime Killer, and they'll be blown away.
Often overwrought and at times positively irritating, the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself.
Charged with as much psychological depth as gun-slinging violence, Johnny To and Wai Ka Fai's slick thriller brought a welcome jolt of adrenaline to the moribund Hong Kong action genre.
The tale of Tok (Andy Lau), a sleek sociopath on the trail of O (Takashi Sorimachi), the most legendary of Asian hitmen, is too scattershot to take hold.
Together, Tok and O orchestrate a buoyant, darkly funny dance of death. In the process, they demonstrate that there's still a lot of life in Hong Kong cinema.
Fans of the modern day Hong Kong action film finally have the worthy successor to A Better Tomorrow and The Killer which they have been patiently waiting for.
There's a fine chemistry of contrasts between Lau's exuberance and the quiet, slow-burning intensity Takashi Sorimachi brings to his role.
Is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo, double-pistoled, ballistic-pyrotechnic Hong Kong action aesthetic?
This picture is murder by numbers, and as easy to be bored by as your ABC's, despite a few whopping shootouts.
As in most Hong Kong thrillers, it's the visuals -- love those boldly choreographed shootouts! -- and moments of absurdity that count.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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