Full Alert (1997) User Reviews

Slightly better than standard cop flick

[Hoagy27 · 6/10 · 26 May 2011]

This cop flick breaks little new ground but does a good job covering many of the familiar cop-show tropes. The opening credit sequence is excellent. There's also a nice climax with some very fine closing lines. In between, near as I could tell, the acting was just so-so but my impressions are based on the undoubtedly lousy translation from Cantonese. In some cases the subtitles flash on the screen so fast I had to go back and read them again. This can only make mincemeat out of a film's pacing. However, you know someone is playing fast and loose with idioms when a loving mother coos soothingly to beloved child "Be quiet or I will beat you", and hardened criminals on the eve of a big heist admonish one another "Don't be nervous".

My favorite scenes:

The tough-cop hero is at home after a hard day. He's getting ready to take a nice bath. The tub is full of welcoming blue water and awaits his relaxation. He's pensively considering the day's grisly activity: a wild car chase through Hong Kong, a desperate shoot-out with vicious crooks, a buddy dies horribly… when into the tiny bathroom comes his crying young son. The kid cries and cries and cries: He wants his daddy! The hero instantly abandons his bath and takes the family for a walk in the park. Genius!

After getting beat up by thugs in a squalid alley (and it is clear Hong Kong has many squalid alleys) the hero's gun is dumped into a wet-gooey, over-full garbage can which the hero has no qualms about digging through, and dumping out in full Technicolor detail, to retrieve his gat (which still works fine… in this movie getting a gun wet is no problem at all… probably makes 'em work better).

At a crucial moment it has occurred to Crook 1 that Crook 2 may be a liability. Crook 1 gets the drop on Crook 2, shoves a gun in his face and announces this thought. Unfortunately, they are in the process of an armed robbery and Crook 1 seems to have forgotten that they are both armed. Crook 2 simply shoots Crook 1 in the foot and when Crook 1 stumbles Crook 2 fills him full of lead! (I've often wondered why this sort of thing doesn't happen more in movies.) But wait… there's more! It seems Crook 2 is a sensitive soul and pretty much instantly feels remorse for the killing. He is so overcome with grief he pauses in his stuffing of swag in sacks for the getaway to empty yet another gun into the corpse while yelling: "What are you looking at!?!?" He then collapses sobbing. Classic!

Finally, guys, here's something to remember: you can kick, pummel & thrash a guy … you can even handcuff and pistol-whip him and he will still come back and head-butt you the first chance he gets. However, you can take a girl totally out of action simply by giving her a contemptuous shove.

Predictable, yes... but still quite entertaining...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 21 July 2012]

"Full Alert" ("Go do gaai bei") is a fairly average movie of its genre, that being an action / drama / thriller movie of cat and mouse chasing between one police man and one criminal.

Sure, the story has been used countless times in other movies, and there is nothing really innovating or groundbreaking to be seen, then "Full Alert" is actually good entertainment. Why? Well because of the director's hand; Ringo Lam really managed to do a great job with this movie. But of course, the movie was this well-working not only because of the direction, but also by the very convincing and great acting performances by both Ching Wan Lau (playing inspector Pao) and Francis Ng (playing Mak Kwan). It should be said that all people in the movie were actually doing great jobs with their given roles.

There is just the right amount of action and suspense in "Full Alert" to keep it thrilling and interesting from start till end, but of course the acting worked wonders as well. I, personally, liked that the action took place in various places, but especially on the crowded streets of Hong Kong in broad daylight. That is just magnificent.

If you enjoy these types of crime movies, despite them being predictable to the core, then "Full Alert" is well worth checking out, as it has enough action to stand alongside any Hong Kong movie, and a solid storyline to keep the audience hooked. And if you enjoy the Hong Kong cinema of action movies, then you should give "Full Alert" a chance. Despite it being from 1997, then it still holds up today.

On a side note, it is a bit odd that it is only now in 2012 that I have come to know of and see this movie. Probably because I've never been much fan of Ching Wan Lau, even though he did a great job in this movie. Francis Ng, however, well I do like his movies, so it is about time that I got around to watching this movie.

Splendid

[g-89622 · 8/10 · 10 January 2022]

Lin Lingdong's work, the style is very strong, the whole film is in a rather depressing atmosphere, the rhythm is compact, interlocking, the plot is ups and downs, the vehicle chase battle is very exciting, the design of some special scenes is also ingenious, between the characters The description of psychological activities is a highlight of this film. Liu Qingyun and Wu Zhenyu's two major film emperors are very enjoyable, and the supporting roles are also powerful. Wu Zhenyu a little too hard.

Unexpectedly powerful

[DanStarkey · 10/10 · 23 December 2004]

Lau Ching Wan turns in an powerful performance as a tough cop who goes over the line in pursuit of his quarry and alter ego, played masterfully by Francis Ng. The film transforms from a formula competition between cop and robber midway through the film, to a gripping portrait of two men who must live with the life-and-death decisions that they make in their line of work. Who would have thought that such a shoot-em-up movie would address such deep issues, and do it so successfully? The director, Ringo Lam, is quite versatile, having also directed the excellent Jackie Chan action comedy "Twin Dragons," as well as star vehicles for Jean Claude Van Damme and Shu Qi.

The best crime drama of the year. Better than Heat.

[Rea-4 · 10/10 · 10 November 1998]

The best crime drama of the year. A familiar genre, but the story and the technique are all innovation. As soon as he appears, the thief (Ng) is captured by the inspector (Lau). The men then embark on a series of cat-and-mouse maneuvers that never fail to surprise. Action scenes are punctuated with dramatic ones, never leaving the audience any breathing space and trapping them with pressure-cooker intensity. The chase scenes and gun battles on Hong Kong's busy streets as well as the underwater explosion scenes are demonstrations of the director's talents. Lau and Ng turned in wonderful performances with their interpretation of the guilt that grips men of violence. - ManA lone Ho

A great film (One spoiler I suppose)

[Daniel_Of_Smeg · 10/10 · 8 April 2004]

I can honestly say this is the most intense, action packed yet also moving, police film ive ever seen. The relationship between Ng and Lau beautifully shows just how similar they both are, how the only difference between them is one chose the life of crime, whilst the other chose justice. Its a nice change from all the other conventional police films where the villians have no dimension to them. In my view this film isnt about the action and car chases, its about life, the paths we choose, the price we must pay for our decisions. Theres a lesson to be learned from this film, a film where the hero doesnt throw a party when he shoots the bad guy but sobs instead. Overall this is a very moving film and well worth watching. The action sequences are just a bonus in my view.

"With the reunification coming, we should be thinking only one throught: Peace."

[DoorsofDylan · 9/10 · 27 August 2023]

Before completing my Barbenheimer viewing by seeing Barbie (also reviewed) on the big screen,I decided to check the local CEX, where I found a title by film maker Ringo Lam that I had not heard of before, being sold for 50p. This led to me staying alert for the viewing.

View on the film:

Crushing the bright neon colours of his past films the moment Pao almost accidentally kills a biker ,(motorbikes being a major recurring motif in the works by the film maker) co-writer (with Yuen-Leung Poon, and working for the first of two times with the director, Wing-Kin Lau) / directing auteur Ringo Lam & cinematographer Andy Lam (who also co-edited with Angie Lam) reunite after Touch and Go (1991-also reviewed) to unleash a bruising, brittle atmosphere, where subtle muted colours lay bare the anxiety hanging in the air over the upcoming The Handover.

Superbly hanging the camera outside the car for long tracking shots, Lam drives the audience down to the bustling streets of Hong Kong for break-neck Action set-pieces, exploding in scatter-gun whip-pans and jump-cuts circling crisp wide-shots which display the fantastic stunt work, which Lam crunches with eerie dissolves, as Pao and Kwan lay in purgatory.

Handling all his determination to make this plan a success, Francis Ng gives a bruising performance as Kwan, whose calculating over figuring out the next move the police will make, is expressed by Ng with coiled body language, which springs up into fury, as Ng voices Kwan being left a loner, (a major recurring theme in Lam's works) gazing into the abyss.

Trying to do everything by the book, Ching Wan Lau gives a smashing performance as Pao, whose armour Lau has burn at the edges with fear, as it sinks into Lau that Kwan is prepared to walk all over his personal space.

Featuring a character who openly references the upcoming The Handover, the screenplay by Lau,Poon and Lam brilliantly have the event hang over all the characters, with the Heroic Bloodshed safety net of Lau's family life being torn apart by Kwan, who opens up a new, unthought of territory for Lau, via getting him in a cat and mouse mind-set, where each time Lau scratches and tries to turn this into an open and shut case, Kwan steps up with new threats, which makes clear that despite their shared desires, there is no easy escape for Kwan and Lau from remaining on full alert.