If indeed there is anything surprising about this cliché-packed genre fare, it’s the degree to which To and his screenwriter Wai Ka-Fai are prepared to indulge their flair for the ludicrous.
Vengeance (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:5
Fresh:4
Rotten:1
Average Rating:6.5/10
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Testud, Anthony Wong, Ka Tung Lam
Starring: Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Testud, Anthony Wong, Ka Tung Lam, Suet Lam, Simon Yam
Director: Johnnie To
Director: Johnnie To
Producer: Johnnie To
Screenwriter: Wai Ka Fei
Reviews for Vengeance
To’s visual style and soundscapes and the choreography of the film’s bullet ballet provide reasons to watch, but the contrived plot, some wooden English dialogue and Hallyday’s stilted perfomance derail proceedings well before the final showdown.
...the movie doesn't entirely go off the rails until the first major shoot-out rolls around...
Johnnie To and Johnny Hallyday have a bloody good time in "Vengeance," a smoothly executed revenge thriller that finds one of Hong Kong's genre masters in assured action-movie form.
Rational behavior takes a backseat to genre requirements, though few if any will care when the killers stalk each other with such a tongue-in-cheek sense of destiny and deliver deadpan dialogue that makes fun of their own absurdity.
Latest News for Vengeance
May 18, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report – Johnnie To Takes Vengeance in Cannes
Cannes is not usually known as a grand supporter of genre cinema, which is why you can count those sorts of movies in this year's selection on one hand. So it's an odd setting... More...
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