Fulltime Killer (2001)

Very best movie i ever watch

One of my all time favorites.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

So you have read the plot synopses people have left. This film is about two hit men. O is Japanese, and he has a samurai approach to life. He is disciplined, clean, detached, and efficient. He kills without remorse and he kills without relish. Tok is an up-and-coming hit-man of a very different sort. He is wildly showy. He has style. He loves overkill. He loves his work, and he hates his rival, O. O is the top hit-man on the East side of the Pacific Rim, and Tok wants his title.Some have commented that this is the same old hum-drum from the Hong Kong studios. I have to disagree. "Full Time Killer" is slick and polished in a way that most of the New Wave of HK action films are not. "Full Time Killer" does follow the common formula of two rivals hunting each other and hunting the same girl, but it is not the story that I thought set this film above others of the genre. Andy Lau gives a memorable flamboyant performance as Tok, a joker and a devil at the same time. O's repression and sense of honor make him the sympathetic rival, particularly when it becomes clear that he isn't restrained from engaging his enemy, but rather he doesn't know how to act on his own behalf.Plus, you have to love how the lead flies in those gunfights.I hope I didn't read too much into this film, but I recommend it to everybody. For 102 minutes I had a 10/10 experience.

Full time killer is a mismatch of a film. Tries to be one thing, then another, then back again and so on. The film centres round two hit men and a women, with one aiming to finish the other off so he can be the best hit man around. The romance angle is not heavy but is poorly developed as she is in between the two of them.Acting by Andy Lau is also awful, and his part is so OTT that it is cringe worthy. The film is also done in 3 languages, with the spoken English being embarrassingly bad at times. Should have been kept alone in one language.Saying that, the movie has a few redeeming features. The main hit-man "O" is wonderfully done and is the main (only?) reason you will watch till the end. Else, the sniper scenes are good, but not great.Each to their own, but to me this was a poor effort, which even with a good starting idea was poorly executed. Maybe next time.

There's a plot in there somewhere about two assassins and a girl they both have feelings for. One of them wants to take the number one assassin title from the other. But really this film is just a exercise in style over substance. The thing is the style IS great and it's very fun to watch. Well at least it attempts to get serious. A few nice set-pieces though.My Grade: C+ DVD Extras: 25 minute Making of; 23 minute behind the Scenes; Bios for Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, and Johnnie To; Theatrical Trailer; and Trailers for "The Believer", "the Last Minute" and "Scratch"

"Fulltime Killer" is not quite as good as John Woo's (just plain) "Killer". The super-stylish direction catches your attention, and the flashbacks and changes of focus among the four main characters are confidently and successfully integrated into the narrative. Also all the performances are good. But if you're looking for any qualities like originality, substance or realism you've come to the wrong place. (**1/2)