The Viral Factor (2012) User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: The Viral Factor

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 21 January 2012]

One of Hong Kong's rising film directors, Dante Lam has gained prominence over the last few years for his lavishly produced, hard hitting cop action thrillers underlined by thick melodrama between the main characters. His latest film The Viral Factor is obvious in having Lam's signature plastered all over, that this could be Dante's spiritual interpretation of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow with brothers on opposite sides of the law having to put aside their obvious differences to work together against a common enemy and goal.

The story bore some shades of intention from Woo's Mission: Impossible 2, where a virus got created to hold the world ransom at the breakout of an epidemic. In The Viral Factor, this comes in the form of weaponizing a variant of the smallpox virus, where a corrupt pharmaceutical company had employed thugs to obtain one of the last remnants of the virus, and to fund both its viral nature, and to come up with the medicine and the vaccine, thereby earning itself billions in profits, and adulation from the world for its cures. Talk about being both the devil and angel at the same time, and making tons of money from it.

With Dante Lam and Ng Wai Lun sharing screenplay responsibilities from a Candy Leung story, The Viral Factor soon has this premise put on the back-burner as it focused instead on the brotherly bonds or the lack thereof between international cop Jon Wan Fei (Jay Chou), introduced through his dream of getting yanked out of trouble by an invisible hand, and that of perennial robber Wan Yang (Nicholas Tse), a consistently wanted man in Malaysia who commits the largest of crime, and with the backing of corrupt cops, almost always finds a way out of either the court house or the jail. With the Beijing based cop learning from his Mother (Elaine Jin) about her wanting to seek forgiveness from his dad (Liu Kai-chi) and brother for walking out on them, Jon makes the trip to Malaysia to track them down, despite nursing a "bullet-in-the-head" injury that decided to rear its ugly head only during flights (for product placement purposes), or when it's plot convenient.

And it is in Kuala Lumpur that the film spends significant time in, with Jon finally reconciling with his dad, his brother amidst under testy situations since both come from different sides of the law, and getting themselves in the way of the villains led by Andy On in full typecast, who are all after a scientist Rachel (Lin Peng) who has the skillset to weaponize the virus, and Wan Yang's daughter who gets captured as collateral. The two brothers have little time to get to know each other since a number of tasks get put in their way that requires plenty of shoot- em-ups to complete, but given this is a Dante Lam film, he'll craft enough emotional scenes in between for the building of camaraderie, and one of the better dramatic moments come when both brothers have to hide at an abandoned construction site and open themselves up, one who's brought up in Malaysia thus very fluent in Cantonese (thankfully and curiously the censors here allowed this to be in full and without dubbing), and the other conversing in Mandarin only. Some may find this a little bit unbelievable, but trust me I'd just appreciate that Nicholas Tse wasn't dubbed over.

I would liken Dante Lam to Hollywood's Michael Bay for his penchant of blowing things up, and almost always featuring some of the latest toys in weaponry for their characters to gear up and use. From the get go in Jay Chou's scene in Jordan where his extradition of a doctor and his family goes awry no thanks to an ambush, it's full on military mode and precision as he tackles this sequence, and every other action sequence later, with craft to rival the best of the West. No doubt some scenes may be overly long and indulgent just to showcase what Lam can do, repetitive even, but amongst his filmography The Viral Factor demonstrates just how Lam has continued to improve upon his action delivery. And what makes him stand out is the insistence to focus on the human emotion, so that his characters don't pass off as one dimensional and having an emotional void.

Jay Chou has come out to proclaim that this would be his final action film, but to that I'd say never say never. He's more of a singer than actor, although I have to admit he does have screen charisma and have progressed quite nicely from his rather wooden outing in Curse of the Golden Flower. Nicholas Tse on the other hand shows why he's top dog now, with that ability to balance the more dramatic moments and holding his own during the action sequences. His acting has developed from when he first started out, relying on his "idol" looks and poser attitude then, to grow into a bona fide actor now, with some of his best work done under the watch of Dante Lam.

It's a surprise to have lined this up for the Lunar New Year since this is a period for comedies and family friendly entertainment, but if you're in the mood for some action, The Viral Factor lives up to expectation despite minor plot quibbles and loopholes and underlines Dante Lam's ambition and capability to helm large action spectacles, with the promise of more to come.

Better than it ought to be

[simon_booth · 7/10 · 13 May 2012]

A team of military special forces are escorting a scientist and his family in the Middle East when they are ambushed by terrorists, intent on taking the scientist's work on a genetically engineered super-strain of smallpox and using it for their own private financial gain. One of the operatives receives a bullet in the head, but declines to stay in hospital to recuperate, instead heading off to Malaysia to look for his estranged father and the brother he never knew he had. As luck would have it, this course of action brings him back in contact and indeed conflict with the terrorists.

Hong Kong does not typically do hi-tech action thrillers very well, and terrorists seeking super-viruses is certainly a red flag when it comes to a Hong Kong movie. The smarter Hong Kong's scriptwriters try to make their characters sound, the dumber they usually come across, and this is no exception. Additionally, credibility-stretching coincidences are rarely a hallmark of a well-written script. One incredible coincidence which becomes the centre-piece of the story, exploring how the effects of random probability or the hand of fate can transform a person's life, can make for an interesting story and film. When your hi-tech action thriller introduces at least 3 unbelievable coincidences in an attempt to make your story about super-viruses seem more coherent, you should probably realise you've taken the wrong track.

In short, the script for The Viral Factor is a mess... ridiculously, eyeball rollingly so, really. The annoying thing is that it's all quite unnecessary... at its heart there is a story of two estranged brothers that have found themselves on opposite sides of the law, but who have to cooperate to protect their family and see if they can find forgiveness and redemption. The implausible coincidences don't really add anything to that scenario, and the whole terrorists with super-viruses aspect is basically not needed, too. They're plot devices that speak of a weak writer, one who feels that the simple motivations of family, love, guilt and redemption just aren't enough to engage the viewer... when in fact they're the only parts of the script that do.

Somehow, the glaring flaws in the story do not derail The Viral Factor nearly as much as you feel they ought to. The writing is awful, but pretty much everything else about the film is good. Dante Lam's direction is strong, the performances from Jay Chou and Nic Tse are good, visuals and production values are excellent and the action scenes are top calibre. Some individual scenes are well written and executed, and there is generally a lot to like about the film. Generally, the further the whole 'Viral Factor' aspect is pushed into the background, the more engaging and enjoyable the film is - and for much of the running time it is indeed relegated to the background.

If Lam had had the confidence to just excise all the hi-tech espionage type fluff and focus on the emotional core of the story, he could have made a great film here... though admittedly he'd have robbed himself of some excuses for staging some quite remarkable action scenes (though I'm sure he'd have found a way). As it is, I guess he can take some credit for managing to produce a pretty solid film despite the self-imposed handicap of a ridiculous script.

All over the place

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 13 September 2012]

The plot is all over the place and you shouldn't worry about it, because it will pull the fun out of your viewing pleasure (if you can call it that). It doesn't make much sense most of the time too, so just try to get on that ride and enjoy it while it lasts. While I do like Asian action cinema in all its variety (be it from Hong Kong, South Korea or Japan), this one does not have the strength other movies do. It is too simple (though it tries to be complicated) and light for its own good most of the time.

The actors are actually good, but I can't shake the feeling that they weren't comfortable with the script either. But the action scenes do not disappoint, which is why I gave it that rating. Still with a bit of emotional power behind it, it could have been even better.

Full of actions & unconvincing coincidental happenings

[moviesbest · 23 January 2012]

This is another typical action movie from HK that will be loved by those who watch with their right-sided brain but not those with left-sided brain. Better still if watch without working on the brains.Anyway, you have no time for the brain. Scenes are fast, action start right from the beginning till end, mostly well filmed, fast paced but the whole story, main plots and sub-plots right to the action details are full of multi-layered coincidental happenings or actions and events all in the nick time that the audience will find it unconvincing and unbelievable. If only they have paid more attention to the script instead of the action. Revealing the characters or more of the story will spoil the fun, there are also too many loose ends. One important role's mum actually got lost in the middle of the action. Most of the acting are good except for Jay Chou who look lost throughout the movie but it's OK considering his "problem". The location of KL(Kuala Lumpur) made the movie better; instead of usual HK.

Action is OK, story , not so important

[ayoreinf · 7/10 · 14 July 2012]

Who said an action movie needs a story at all. Just throw in some martial experts, some guns, one or two big villains, a few good cops a few corrupt ones, and don't forget some innocent bystanders - every thing will work out on its own. It almost does, the action moves so fast you don't have the time to stop and realize nothing made sense here. While watching I simply had a vague awkward feeling but once the movie ended and I tried to figure out what I was seeing it really downed on me. It was simply a flimsy excuse for a script. Our hero might be looking for the tiniest needle in a huge haystack, never fear, fate will throw it right in front of his feet before he even starts searching. Coincidents are not things that happen every now and again, it's the way Dante Lam's universe operate, it's the solution for every problem that might hold the pace of his movie an extra second. So the action scenes do work, the melodrama is exactly as one would expect, but if you really want to enjoy this one don't stop to think about it.

HK Neo Reviews: The Viral Factor

[webmaster-3017 · 7/10 · 1 February 2012]

Dante Lam is fast becoming one of the most consistently good directors from Hong Kong. With Beast Stalker and Stool Pigeon under his belt, Lam once again impresses in The Viral Factor. There is something about this film that takes hold of you and despite the tame finale; Viral Factor manages to come up with plenty of guns, body counts and high stake stunts to entertain action fans. Casting Lam's regular Nicholas Tse and Liu Kai-chi springs no surprise in the good acting department, but it is the mis-cast of Jay Chou that ruins an otherwise pretty good flick.

Jay Chou has zero facial expressions, his eyes are too small for any type of impact and his face is that of a wooden statue. Comparing with the matured reigning Best Actor in Tse, Chou is purely poor and totally out of place. Tse on the other hand oozes with confidence and in one scene his eyes was so intense that it bulges out to the audience. Tse has all the hall-mark of a versatile actor and another Best Actor gonk does not seem far away. Liu Kai-chi once again gives a scene stealing display as the gambling addict yet loving father. Another weak link is the villainous turn from Andy On and it is clear that he lacks the menacing presence that is required of the role. Like Chou, On is too wooden to have any impact on the audience.

All in all, The Viral Factor is a decent Hong Kong action-er that shoots and shoots from start to finish. With some indifferent acting display and a tame finale, the film ultimately suffers and stops it from elevating the film to the same level as the wonderful Beast Stalker or even The Stool Pigeon for that matter. In hindsight, if Chou and On are replaced by the likes of Nick Cheung and Francis Ng respectively, the film will probably go leaps and bounds. Still, The Viral Factor entertains from start to finish and for Hong Kong film nowadays, one shouldn't expect perfection…

Neo rates it 7.5/10

Great action sequences compensate for over-complicated script.

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 21 October 2019]

'The Viral Factor' could have been so much better had they kept the premise simple. They tried so hard to complicate the film. With so many characters and back stories, the film is complicated on another level, though.

This film has a number of issues. There's too much unnecessary killings (like a John Woo film). The background actors were very bad. They did not act realistic at all. Even during gunfire scenes, they simply stood there passively watching. They were stocky and seemingly had no idea what to do. They didn't act or react to the circumstances.

Despite these flaws, though, this is not a bad movie. The photography is stunning and the action sequences are sensational. This fast-paced action-packed thriller is pure adrenaline and worth watching for the action alone. 'The Viral Factor' truly is exciting entertainment.

An action thriller that's full of action

[Abdulxoxo · 6/10 · 15 December 2020]

The film's plot revolves an International Security Affairs agent who is betrayed and shot in the head while transporting a valuable asset to another country. After recovery, he realizes he doesn't have much time left so sets out to find his estranged brother and also meets up with a doctor willing to look into treatment for his condition. When his brother attempts to kidnap the doctor, they are forced to work together to stop the criminals from unleashing a disease on the world.

This film has a good cast and a bit likable characters, the plotline tho is subpar, the beginning is promising but the focus of the story totally move from being about a chemical virus to a story about two estranged brothers. It also gets melodrama in some places and features questionable editing decisions that hurt the film's pacing and overall story consistency, as well as the viewer's emotional bond with the characters. However, majority of the film is action-packed, it features all kinds of action sequences, be it, foot chases, gun shootouts, hand-to-hand combats, you name it. While some of them are well-choreographed and intense, the others are so clumsy and unrealistic. Moreover, the shaky camera-work and fast-cutting editing makes them headache-inducing at times.

Overall, Viral factor could've been better, if it spends time developing the characters, then maybe it would have leave an impact on the audience. Nevertheless, it's entertaining, and the performances are good; Jay Chou and Nicholas did well in the lead roles. The visuals and overall production value is spot-on.

A movie about a virus threat and brothers reuniting. One's a cop, the other a terrorist.

[monaco-lai · 3/10 · 4 June 2012]

This movie gets a 4/10 for its good photography work and action sequences, but as a film, it fails. The story is overly long and stretches one's incredulity. Plus, the lead actors do not die, no matter that they were shot point-blank and shown to be hurt or dead. The scene cuts to another without explaining how they survived. A scene where one of them falls into a shaft and emerges unhurt was, how to put it? Quite incredible. There were also just to many coincidences. If everything happened in a confined space, fine. But these are international terrorists and agents.

And the ideal of a rogue agent is no longer fresh. It's been done to death in Mission Impossible and 007 movies. Directors like Dante Lam must think the audience to be very dumb to fall for the same line again.

The first part of the movie feels as if director is trying to cut a "Hey, I can do that too", mimicking camera work and clear as sky photographic shots ala Transformers and Hurt Locker. That the locale is a war-torn area does not help. It's to reminiscent of recent war movies. Best to just move it along or show something different.

What impresses is how much action they managed to shoot in Malaysia. If you live around that region, you'll enjoy the scenes. Jackie Chan hasn't filmed there in a while and so this is welcomed.

What started as promising degenerated into an overly long story arc. Perhaps the story of a virus for sale isn't that exciting anymore. It would have been a better story about how one agent coped with his loss and injury. Perhaps finding redemption and revenge and what else. HK movies typically dilute human emotion into convenient clichés, and that's their problem. They forget that it is not always that simple or straight forward. Do HKongers ever pause to reflect? Go deeper? Be different? Not by the evidence of this movie.

Dante Lam may be a competent action director, but even though he has shown he is as capable as Michael Bay. He has also demonstrated that his story-telling is just as bad. All maybe worse.

sub-par action flick

[dmuel · 4/10 · 15 March 2012]

Sorry, but I cannot agree with all the rave reviews offered on this site. Here we have a Chinese Jason-Bourne-like character, who is on the trail of, and also abetting and saving a terrorist; a plot that involves possible use of biological weapons, corrupt agents, deadly gunfire and his mama. In short, it's something of a mess, but lots of gun-play, fistfights, and explosions will keep some folks happy.

I was inclined to leave this film early, but I find movies with Jay Zhou (or Chou as it's spelled here) amusing. Mr. Zhou has all the thespian skills of a turnip. He has his sullen face, his angry face, his sad face....in his last several films he does little talking. His shtick is to stare into the distance one way or another, and he plays this to a tee here. He can't act! Will someone please tell his paymaster! In this film a small portion of the dialog is in English, but I doubt anyone will understand Mr. Zhou's thick accent. Good thing there's subtitles! Suffice it to say, in this story the world will be doomed unless Jay Zhou succeeds.

In many scenes, the cops don't just seem helpless to stop the terrorists, they are helpless. The bad guys are near super-human, incredibly resourceful, and it's child's play for them to either gun down or escape from an army of machine-gun toting police. Several scenes definitely strain credulity; the action is not realistic, but clearly is comic-book fare.

An odd addition to the plot was the attempt to introduce sentimentality regarding one of the terrorists. This is a man who kills people, does kill many on screen, and somehow the director wants to show us his "human" side, (in this case with the introduction of a daughter that is little more than a prop in the movie), to induce pity or sympathy for him. Sorry, this guy is a killer (killers don't make good fathers, so the daughter is better off if he's not around), and he should die! John Woo did better at this sort of thing, because his Killer killed other criminals, but in this movie innocent people die. The director has connections and money, and Jay Zhou, but he has much to learn!

An action fan's dream come true

[mayurdeepz · 8/10 · 19 January 2012]

There was a time not very long ago, when movies from Hong Kong meant one thing : "ACTION" sometimes an overdose of it. But regardless of the naysayers, they were quiet brilliant at it. But then they grew either too frivolous or too serious and sometimes too pretentious for their own good. Dante Lam (one of the better ones out there) in the face of this gradual change has earned himself a name for sticking to his "guns"; literally. & if the experience of his latest offer is anything to go by, the trend may just catch up again. I for one will not be complaining.

The GOOD : This potentially could be the most accomplished HK "action" movie in a contemporary sense of the word and setting. There have been a few masterclasses but most of them are either from the age of the Kings & Queens or of characters with super powers (yawn inducing). "The Viral Factor" does not have any gravity defying stunts nor does it have a single shot which is used to glamorise the protagonist or the antagonist. With all due respect to Donnie Yen, considered the best action man in town and my favourite too, there have been too many caricatured villains in his movies. Nothing like that in TVF. Its bare knuckles, blood splattered walls, rusty nails / water pipes, plenty of body bags, big guns in extended street chase sequences, car crashes, rocket launchers, helicopter chases and the list goes on. You absolutely have to give it to the director for his no holds barred approach from start to finish. He does not pretend its anything else. The leads Jay Chou & Nicholas Tse, have done a fantastic job and quite possibly have produced their best work yet. Chinese lads are not known for histrionics but some demanding & long single shots have brought out the best in them. Nicholas Tse in my book has grown to be in a different league compared to his "Dragon Tiger Gate" days and character.The story although not a pathbreaker has a sense of nobility in it with a platform for a large spectrum of emotions. The almost unseen city skyline that of KL (in a movie before this) is used as a backdrop and that adds on the rare but tingling after taste that the movie leaves. I was very curious to see how it'd turn up and its fair to say I am mighty impressed as I have lived right in the middle of almost all the places the story evolves through. The BAD : The screenplay does not do any huge favours to the story and is the biggest let down of the movie. It stands as the biggest deterrent to what it could have been. Mostly because, the 2nd n 3rd acts which is the glue that holds the end to the start tends to give a convoluted feel. There is nothing wrong in the story, but the sequence of events and there by its impact could have been spot on with some crisp writing. The editing leaves a little to be desired coz if that was snappy, TVF could have been an immortal piece of ACTION cinema. All these also mean that the runtime could do with some some chopping. Another sore point of the proceedings esp. for the non English speaking crowd, is the amount of English used in the script. Some of them were necessary and fits well. But I could not digest the main baddie delivering almost all his lines and most importantly the ones that mattered to the eventual development of the story, in English. And if it counts at all, I don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin nor understand 1 bit. Considering this is predominantly aimed at the Chinese with a more than liberal approach begging the westerners to pay a visit, the subtitles alone would have sufficed.

The FINAL WORD : Its recommended for the action fan. Go and have Yourself a great time at the theater. One of the best ways to kick off a new year.

Read more reviews http://mayurdeep.com

Absurd action movie without a clear theme

[aisuru2001 · 4/10 · 25 January 2012]

This movie has great action scenes, no doubt about it. The cinematography looks great. Some parts of it have good acting, too. However, in all the movie lacks a clear theme, which is expressed in the fact that it switches between action and melodrama or even tragedy. The latter seem pathetic and out of place. Moreover, this movie has nothing new that other action movies have not had before. Many of the main characters survive incredible stunts. In any real life situation, they would have already died. The bad guys are as usually way too good to be real. Also they are more merciless than in the real world. People rarely kill with such impunity as the movie shows and get away with it, especially not in Malaysia. The movie makes the country appear like the wild wild west. Furthermore, the implausible story surrounding the virus seems unbelievable as well. While the evil guys want to create a virus so they can sell the antidote for a profit, the fact that the virus can be so easily assembled flies in the face of science. The movie makes it look like some computer virus or Lego construction set. At the end of the movie, there are also many loose ends, which adds to the incoherence of the plot. So unless you are an action fan looking for another thrill ride and willing to ignore inconsistencies, this unconvincing movie will have very little to offer for you.

2 out of 5

One long family chase

[dumsumdumfai · 5/10 · 21 February 2013]

Man, it's a common problem with some of these large HK productions - that it wants to have everything.

The story behind the movie is basically a terrorist plot to infect. But then it adds long lost brother relationship. And adds a corrupted Malaysian cop plot. Add a female doctor to kidnap. Man, overboiled.

There are some good action scene but mostly in the beginning shots in Jordan.

The scene on the train shifted from action to famly drama. Dante likes to do that. But it always takes me out of the movie.

And Jay is too stoic when go along side Nicholas. Sigh...

Lot of action sequences but vapid

[KineticSeoul · 4/10 · 31 March 2013]

This is a action movie with a good enough budget for a Hong Kong action flick. But the primary focus of this movie is the action. When it comes down to it, it's basically one of those trademark Hong Kong cop movie with one brother who is a cop and the other who is on the other side of the law but because of the situation they are in. They end up teaming up although they have different reasons for fighting, even if the villains they are against is the same. The two brothers are played by Jay Chou and Nicholas Tse. Nicholas Tse who tries way too hard to show off his acting chops in this and goes over the top to the point I couldn't take it seriously. The thing is the main slow down of this movie is when it tries to throw a bunch of cliché Hong Kong action flick elements into the story. Which I just couldn't take seriously at all. Sometimes this works but not this time around. This flick started out kinda promising but it just started to go all over the place without it being immersive or all that entertaining. This flick basically tries uber hard to be super cool with characters trying super cool and that includes the villains as well. The thing is this movie has a lot of action in it, even if some of the action sequences and character decisions don't make much sense. It's a action movie that has no memorable action scenes and vapid for the most part. Despite all the shootouts and explosions I was bored with this one.

4/10

A perfect combination of high-octane action and poignant human drama, this big-budget action thriller is a pure thrill of joy for action fans

[moviexclusive · 9/10 · 13 January 2012]

Forgive us if we wax lyrical about Dante's latest film- it represents not only his best work to date, but it is also easily the most accomplished contemporary action thriller from Hong Kong/ China. Yes we kid you not- each one of the breathtaking action sequences that Dante stages with aplomb can rival the kind of stuff we've only seen so far in big-budget Hollywood movies, and to think that Dante has managed to accomplish it with only a fraction with what it would have cost in a Hollywood production is a triumphant feat in itself.

Dante's ambitions for what is- at US$17 million- his most expensive production to date is clear right from the beginning, kicking off with an edge-of-your-seat gripping sequence in the heart of Jordan where a group of highly trained International Disease Commission (IDC) operatives are ambushed while escorting a scientist who has just created a lethal biological weapon from mutating the smallpox virus. Besides orchestrating a jaw-dropping sequence where an RPG explodes under a tank and causes it to tumble off the road and down a cliff, the veteran man of action stages an intense street battle in the style of 'Green Zone' that leaves the entire team dead- save for Jon (Jay Chou) and his leader Sean (Andy Tien).

The latter is however alive for an entirely different reason- Sean was in fact behind the very ambush, just so he can sell the virus and its cure to a wealthy buyer halfway around the world. As for Jon, he has to live with a bullet lodged in his brain, which becomes the cause of the severe headaches he encounters from time to time. While recuperating, Jon finds out from his remorseful mother that he has an older brother living with his father in Malaysia, the separation a deliberate act by his mother some many years back to get away from his gambling addict of a dad.

En route to Malaysia, Jon meets Rachel (Lin Peng), a medical scientist tasked by the Asian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) to study the newly created virus. Rachel also happens to be the target of a group of kidnappers led by Yang (Nicholas Tse), and Jon unwittingly gets dragged along when he tries to rescue her. Thus, with a bit of narrative convenience, Dante and his recent muse Jack Ng put brother against brother on different sides of the law- though as you would expect, at some point the two long-lost brothers will eventually reconcile to defeat a common enemy.

Pretty much two-thirds of the movie is set in and around the streets of Kuala Lumpur, and the gleaming metropolis as well as its grittier outskirts prove to be an impressive backdrop for the unfolding action. From the crowded streets around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) to the bustling KL Sentral railway station, Dante keeps the adrenaline pumping and never lets the pace slip. Personally taking charge of the stunt design and entrusting the action direction to another of his frequent collaborators Chin Kar Lok, Dante ups the ante with every elaborate sequence he stages.

And trust us when we say that each one of them is as exhilarating as the next- from a shootout along a busy road packed with cars bumper to bumper, to a car chase right in the heart of KLCC, to a helicopter chase around the iconic buildings of the KL skyline, to a three-way battle at a construction site, and finally to a climactic showdown set on board a freighter, there is just so much for action fans to drool over. Thankfully, his d.p. Kenny Tse doesn't adopt the shaky-cam style of Hollywood's 'Bourne' trilogies and wannabes- he keeps the camera steady so the audience can take in every shot, and complements the rest of them with the occasional wide shot to give a panoramic perspective.

But this is not merely a collection of well-shot action sequences; rather, at its core, Dante has fashioned a moving story about the immutable bond of brotherhood. Beyond the guns and bullets, there are gripping moments of tense emotion as both Jon and Yang learn to stop blaming the other brother as well as their respective parent for their divergent fates and reconcile as flesh and blood. Kudos to Dante for weaving in the human drama so adroitly amidst the action, alternating between intense action and intense drama seamlessly and delivering a riveting watch all the way through.

That the movie proves so captivating is also testament to the charisma of both its leading actors. This is undoubtedly the best role of Jay Chou's acting career to date, his intense brooding performance neither fluffy like 'Kung Fu Dunk' or 'Treasure Hunter' nor over-dramatic like 'Curse of the Golden Flower'. Nicholas Tse once again demonstrates how his acting chops have matured under the watchful direction of Dante, and while it isn't as groundbreaking as his 'Beast Stalker' or 'Stool Pigeon', the recent Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor winner is still mesmerising in a complex good-bad role. Both Jay and Nicholas also gamely perform their own stunts in the movie, and the authenticity of watching them both run, leap and brawl just adds to the excitement.

With 'The Viral Factor', Dante has not only reached a new zenith in his career as a director, but also achieved a breakthrough for the Hong Kong/ China film industry as far as making Hollywood-style action thrillers are concerned. It is a white-knuckle adrenaline-pumping thrill ride from start to finish, accompanied with poignant human drama and top-notch performances by both Jay and Nicholas. Indeed, it is well- deserving of all the superlatives we have lavished on it thus far, and if you don't remember all of them, then just remember to make this a must-see movie this year.

Beware the virus in The Viral Factor

[rgblakey · 5/10 · 21 August 2012]

Much like the US, the Asian film market delivers films from all across the spectrum, but most popular is the action genre. The latest The Viral Factor takes the straight forward gun toting action direction while throwing in the popular chemical weapon story line. Will this film live up to the top notch action expected from Asian cinema or will it be one of those confusing all over the place messes that they so popularly deliver.

The Viral Factor follows an ISA agent who is betrayed and shot in the head while transporting a scientist to another country. Realizing he has only weeks before the bullet causes complete paralysis he sets out to find a brother he knew nothing about and meets up with a doctor willing to look into treatment for his condition. When his brother attempts to kidnap the doctor, they are forced to work together to stop the criminals from unleashing a disease on the world. This film sports some great action, mostly consisting of gun play, but a few martial arts pieces here and there. Jay Chou most notably to American audiences as Kato from the Green Hornet film takes the lead here and does a good job carrying it on his shoulders. Some aspects of this movie seem all over the place, but nothing too confusing. The film opens with a really good action piece, but does slow down a bit before finally getting back to the action bringing this film full circle.

This is a decent action film with just enough twists and turns to deliver a good action film, but could have been so much more with some better pacing and a little more cohesion to the overall story. If you're a fan of Asian action cinema, this is a decent bullet flying showdown to satisfy your appetite.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

heavily flawed Hong Kong/China co-production

[rightwingisevil · 6 April 2012]

well, 3 stars is for the nice action stunt carried out seamlessly. 7 stars minus is for the lousy casting job and the moronic screenplay that messed up the whole nine yards.

here are the problems:

1) if the small pox bio-virus so important, why use ground transportation instead of air lift? 2) why the scene is originated from Jordain? Jordain is not war-torn country, it's Iraq, stupid. 3) a bullet resided in the brain where is non-operable and the nerve center would be totally messed up within 2 weeks, after the guy stayed in the hospital for 3 months, and the guy was able to walk out the jordanian hospital, went back to china. well, that journey would have wasted how many days? the math was somewhat confusing a lot, dude. 4) if the young son (the one who carried a bullet in his brain) was brought up by his mother, why his mandarin pu-tong-wha with an Taiwanese accent? if the mother's hometown was Beijing, why her accent was without any Beijing tone? 4) so the younger brother was a police, what country's police force he belonged to? 5) then again, same problem happened again. the female bio-chem doctor spoken a common mandarin pu-tong-wha, her mother spoke typical Cantonese. why her daughter could speak the mandarin Chinese pu-tong-wha without any Cantonese dialect accent? no Cantonese could speak mandarin without any localized Cantonese accent. absolutely impossible! 6) so the brother was a dangerous criminal, in Malaysia? so, the father had migrated from Beijing(?) or hongkong(?) or canton (?) to Malaysia? the elder son became a local criminal. and the younger brother would be so accidentally got involved in his caper right after he landed in the twin-tower city? how convenient, dude.

this is a movie typically treated viewers as brainless morons without any reasoning logic. but after all the criticism been said, lets sit back and enjoy the nicely shot exotic locations this movie's lens carried around and also try to appreciate the well managed stunts and special effect of the fighting scenes, the flying bullets, the nicely done explosions, the car jack and so on.

this is an action movie full of heavily flawed scenarios and plot twists, some way too shallow, some way over the top. strongly recommend to watch but you must turn off your i.q. reasoning function first.

Too much going on to bother keeping track of...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 19 June 2022]

Having just sat down to watch the 2012 action thriller "Jik Zin" (aka "The Viral Factor") for the first time ever here in 2022, I will have to say that the narrative in the movie was somewhat confusing and chaotic. It felt like writers Dante Lam, Candy Leung and Wai Lun Ng were writing independently of one another and the end result was a mash of random scenes filmed and put together.

The storyline in "Jik Zin" was simplistic enough, but there simply were too many things being crammed into the storyline, which cluttered up the narrative flow unnecessarily. And the end result was a somewhat botched narrative that felt incomplete and in disarray. Running at 122 minutes, the movie is long, so very, very long to sit through, especially with all the things crammed into the storyline. When the movie was about to come to an end, I checked the run time, and I was only 55 minutes into the ordeal, but at that time it felt like I had been spoon-fed enough contents to fill up two movies.

There is a lot of action in "Jik Zin", and it is definitely that action that keeps the movie afloat and keeps it being a watchable movie. So if you enjoy fighting, chases, gun fights, etc. Then director Dante Lam doesn't disappoint with "Jik Zin". If you are looking for a properly enjoyable action thriller storyline, then "Jik Zin" is not the best of choices.

The movie has a good cast ensemble to help make the movie stay afloat as well, with the likes of Jay Chou, Nicholas Tse, Andy On and Kai-Chi Liu.

Sure, "Jik Zin" was watchable, but it was by no means an outstanding movie experience. I doubt that I will ever return to watch this movie a second time.

My rating of "Jik Zin" lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars. If the movie had a more focused storyline and narrative, and they had trimmed out all the cluttering elements, the movie would have been a far more enjoyable one.

Wanted to like this film but a messy script a unconvincing lead let me down...

[cyguration · 5/10 · 31 March 2021]

The Viral Factor had a ton of potential. Dante Lam is known for pushing the limits and bringing a briskly paced story to life with lots of action and drama, usually carried by very convincing leads.

Unfortunately, The Viral Factor was its own biggest demise, with amazing cinematography oftentimes ruined with quick-cuts, sloppy editing and a story that was more concerned with setting up the next big action set piece rather than letting anything unfold organically.

What we ended up with is a movie that is a semi-globe trotting, action-thriller filled with double-crosses, shoddy science, and a bit of a repetitive kidnapping sub-plot that starts and stops again in both an irritating and tiresome fashion.

These are issues that could have easily been ignored as the typical braindead action-oriented fanfare the likes of which most of us Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich fans have become accustomed, if only the messy script and sloppy editing was compensated for with a magnetic lead and perhaps some awesome fight scenes or a few cool shootouts.

Unfortunately, The Viral Factor doesn't deliver on the latter.

Where Michael Bay's Boy Boys gave us some awesome action set pieces amplified by the screen-chewing performances of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, The Viral Factor fails in that area big time mostly due to Jay Chou's stilted and uncharismatic performance.

In reality, this is less a buddy-up film and more like a rival duo flick, not unlike Daran Sarafian's 1993 action-flick Gunmen.

The problem here is that Nicholas Tse has to do a lot of the heavy lifting for both his role and Chou's role. Chou seems to sleepwalk through most of his performance up until the very end. All throughout the rest of the film he neither delivers any memorable fight scenes, nor does he manage to bring any gravitas -- either of the comical or dramatic nature -- to the film.

Don't go in expecting any scene-stealing acting like Chow Yun Fat's chain-smoking anti-hero from A Better Tomorrow, or the cocky machismo on display from Donnie Yen as he played off a paranoid and frantic Louis Koo in Flashpoint.

Instead, Chou seems woefully misplaced here, and the already messy script is bogged down because of that fact.

Usually when the acting is subpar we can at least expect the fight scenes to captivate and compensate, like in the brutally shocking Fatal Contact or the action-packed Legendary Assassin, both starring Wu Jing.

But no, Chou doesn't deliver either in handling his hardware with grace like Chow Yun Fat, nor is he particularly apt in the fisticuffs department like his acting counters such as Donnie Yen or Wu Jing. So what do we end up with? A wooden, stiff performance with hardly anything memorably done by Chou's character.

It made for pained viewing as I almost ended up rooting for Andy On's character, who was at least charming and attention-grabbing in a devilishly villainous way.

To make matters Worse, Andy On also had to carry a large part of the action scenes that involved him and Chou, with Andy looking right on point both in his hand-to-hand sequences and gun handling.

I felt like this would have been a completely different movie with Wu Jing or Max Yeung taking the place of Jay Chou, and Donnie Yen or Yuen Woo-Ping handling the action choreography.

But alas, we can only assume and fantasize about what could have been. Sadly that doesn't change what is, and The Viral Factor -- as it stands -- is entertaining fanfare that's a bit too long, a bit too messy, and sorely under-acted by one of its leads.

I would say check out The Berlin File for a good espionage spy-thriller, or Jackie Chan's 2012 action-comedy The Chinese Zodiac if you wanted a good globe-trotting action-adventure film. If you wanted something about evil mercenaries versus rogue vigilantes, you can scope out the plot-less and sub-par but fairly entertaining Triple Threat.

If you want a high-quality action-packed thriller from start to finish made in a similar vein to The Viral Factor but just better in every way, just watch The Raid 2 or The Man From Nowhere.

Casey's Movie Mania: THE VIRAL FACTOR (2012) Review

[caseymoviemania · 8/10 · 13 April 2012]

High-octane action takes center stage in Dante Lam's THE VIRAL FACTOR, which also marks his most expensive movie yet (at a whopping HK$200 million budget). Even though the plot takes a backseat this time (a forte that Dante Lam excels greatly 2010's award-winning THE STOOL PIGEON), THE VIRAL FACTOR is a solidly entertaining blockbuster that promises a lot of firepower equivalent with the one often found in Hollywood action trappings.

Dante Lam, Candy Leung and Jack Ng's screenplay is a standard-issue plot spliced together with a heavily-melodramatic subplot. Those who are expecting the same psychological depth found in 2008's THE BEAST STALKER, 2010's FIRE OF CONSCIENCE and again, THE STOOL PIGEON, will be disappointed by lackluster storytelling approach here.

However, the movie still works best when comes to a few emotionally-charging scenes while the actors rise above the occasion with some top-notch performances.

But what really makes the movie compulsively watchable is its well-crafted action sequences. Designed by Dante Lam himself and perfectly choreographed by Chin Kar-Lok, the action is fast and furious.

Full review at http://caseymoviemania.blogspot.com/2012/01/viral-factor-2012.html

Fun action movie, but way too overlong, silly and cheesy

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 5/10 · 27 June 2016]

"The Viral Factor" is an OK, fun enough action movie, but one that suffers from an overlong running time and family issues.

We have agent Jon, who gets shot in the head by Sean, who has betrayed him, just to wake up and discover his mother took him and left behind an older brother and his father. An older brother that is a thief and is, what the chances, working for Sean, as this brother's mission is to kidnap a scientist and get a virus out of a top-security building. Of course the two brothers get a chance to fight against each other before they discover they are related. And then...

Well, let the viewer be surprised by what the movie has to offer. Which is quite a lot, as things keep happening non-stop for over two hours. Do they make sense? Not much, but they keep happening.

As we have it, "The Viral Factor" keeps the viewer engaged, and even if it becomes a little boring in the end, it is passable enough as an action movie. The acting is acceptable, Dante Lam has good action directing skills and we have a little bit of everything from races, hand on hand fight, to shootings (we suffer here of another case of immortal characters, who can get shot a thousand times and fall from the top of a 60-store building and keep running as if nothing had happened; OK, I am exaggerating a tiny little bit).

It could be way better, but if we don't ask for much, it is a fun time.

Action Packed, Emotionally Poignant and Ceaselessly Entertaining

[totalovrdose · 9/10 · 15 January 2015]

If you prefer your movies to include frequent explosions, entertaining car chases and limitless gun battles, then the Viral Factor might be the film you've been looking for. Besides this, the feature contains a well constructed plot, that is perhaps a little coincidental, alongside an emotional storyline about love, loss, betrayal, loyalty, honor, and most importantly, family.

If Mission Impossible 2, Four Brothers and the Suspect were combined into one storyline, the combined effect might appear similar to this particular film. Jon (Jay Chau) is a brilliant International Security Agent, who, during his last assignment, experiences a horrific betrayal, leading to the deaths of many. With his life inexplicably changed forever, his mother, on his return home, reveals a familial secret she has hidden from him all this time: he has a brother, Man Yeung (Nicholas Tse).

Escaping their gambler of a father, Jon's mother raised him on her own, however, filled with a lifetime of regret, wishes to be reunited with her husband and son, Jon agreeing to bring them home. Those familiar with the expression 'you cannot choose your family' will feel right at home in this plot, where, although Jon grew into a promising officer, his brother, Man, has become a wanted criminal.

Unknowingly working for a criminal enterprise with the intent of distributing a world wide virus, despite their differences, Jon and Man discover they have a commonality in their goals, and though they've been separated for nearly thirty years, the film emphasizes, no matter how lost a family member is, they are always worthy of acceptance, the brothers trying to bring an end to the chaos in their own unique ways.

When the enterprise captures Rachel (Peng Lin), a young scientist, who is as attractive as she is talented, to assist with their antagonistic endeavors, the brothers must work together to save not only her life, but the lives of all those who will be affected if the virus is distributed on a global scale.

The action scenes are incredibly entertaining, and although violent, the film doesn't require mass quantities of blood to keep you enthralled. The connections exhibited by family is a paramount theme in the movie, and the actors portrayal of the characters, not to mention their love and appreciation for one another, is as emotionally poignant as it is captivating.

The relationship between Jon and love interest Ice (Michelle Bai), could have been further developed, as too could have his connection to several law enforcement personnel, the in depth nature of these subplots been sacrificed in exchange for the familial storyline. Additionally, although there are unanswered questions at the conclusion of the film, its final scenes are so evocative, you cannot help but want to see the feature all over again.

Though there are more action movies available today than anyone could possibly hope to poke a stick at, the Viral Factor is one entertaining thrill ride that should be placed at the top of your 'must watch' list.

A GOOD HONG KONG ACTION MOVIE with human side

[lia00027 · 9/10 · 3 February 2013]

I give a high rating on this movie simply because the story line, the cast and overall of the action scenes are great. Unlike Hollywood movies this movie shows humane side of depicting real life stories between brothers, parents-kid, bad guy-good guy. Nicholas and Jay are perfect to acting on this movie they both bring out their best for their characters, none the less the supporting actors like Carl Ng and the one who's acting as their father, the villains are really evil.

The plot actually is predictable but what makes me to like this movie is the director brings out his best to show real action scenes with all the explosions and the no-slow-motion (thank goodness) fighting scenes which I find is really good point. Nowadays they tend to shoot fighting scenes with slow motion makes the fighting look not real.

The ending is somehow cannot be guessed not about the virus plan but more about the family and the brothers overall it's not such a happy ending but they all get what they wanted.

People live in slump tend to be in a bad world because of the situation and still they love their children whole heartily is might be the morale message of this movie.