Hit Team (2001)
An undercover cop badly injured in a raid is blamed for the raid's failure and thrown out of the police department. His injuries result in his being paralyzed form the waist down, and doctors tell him that if he doesn't have an operation within a few months, the paralysis will be permanent. His friends in the police department decide that, since the underworld was responsible for their friend's injuries, the money for the operation should come from them, and they set out to get it.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
Expected more
Better Late Then Never
Best movie of this year hands down!
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
I wonder why I sat all the way through this movie even though it was obvious within the first 3 minutes that it was bad....probably because I paid money to rent it instead of seeing it on TV for free. First of all, don't be fooled by the slick video cover, the movie looks awful - it has that unmistakable straight-to-video look of any low-budget American actioner. The script is disconnected and doesn't make any sense - most of the time you can't even tell the characters apart. And if you're expecting quality action (it is a Hong Kong movie, after all), forget it: the "action" comes mostly in the form of generic shootouts, which are so badly directed it's hard to know who's shooting at whom. There is also a brief, unexciting car chase, and absolutely no martial arts. The two main actors aren't bad, but everything else surrounding them is. 0.5 out of 4 stars.
HIT TEAM (Chong Zhuang Jing Cha)Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby DigitalMembers of an elite police squad investigate a series of raids on an underground Triad bank, carried out by rogue officers to fund medical treatment for a colleague (Chin Kar-lok) who was injured in the line of duty.Minor league crime drama, toplined by rising star Daniel Wu as the team leader torn between devotion to duty and compassion for his quarry's altruistic motives. Unfortunately, Wu is much too young for the role, and he allows himself to be upstaged by co-star Alex To (SKYLINE CRUISERS) as the wayward cop prepared to sacrifice everything for his beloved friend (veteran actor/director Chin). Action specialist Dante Lam (JIANG HU: THE TRIAD ZONE, THE TWINS EFFECT, etc.) overcomes the limitations of a meager budget to fashion a series of dynamic set-pieces, though he relies heavily on the combined efforts of cinematographer Tony Cheung and editor Chan Kei-hop to shape the material accordingly. Like so many HK movies before it, HIT TEAM is tinged with melancholy, as good men are forced to sublimate their law-abiding instincts for the greater good, regardless of the consequences, and the movie is strengthened considerably by this emotional undercurrent.(Cantonese dialogue)
One of the few action films from Hong Kong in 2001 that went mostly ignored. Despite the cast of mostly pop idols (a sure sign that a film will, in a word, be "lame"), HIT TEAM works as an action film and nothing more. The story needs some sort and is rather predictable, not to mention being a bit cheesy, but the film's superior action sequences save it from Hong Kong oblivion.Of nose is a couple of gunfights where director Dante Lam channelled Michael Mann ala HEAT. HIT TEAM is one of recent Hong Kong action films that have started to break the mold of what a "Hong Kong action film" is. The gunfight is now more realistic, which translates into sheer excitement.Still, HIT TEAM does have some big problems. Of note is the storyline, which is too formulaic. Also, the movie boasts some of the worst English subtitles known to man. Truly, truly horrible. But the whole thing is worth it just for the thrilling action.7 out of 10.
good film making dante lam directs good actors in an incredible explosion of action... the script is not bad at all and some scenes (especially the robbery) are totally beautiful... good stuff