Shock Wave (2017) User Reviews

Andy Lau stars in a great action flick!

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 11 May 2017]

Andy Lau plays the head of the bomb dismantling division of the police who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of robbers who use bombs. This gang's careless actions when life is concern made this cop take drastic measures to bring them down. Because of this, the bad guy seeks revenge from this cop by taking his hostage negotiation to get his brother back very personal.

And the bad guy for this movie was really bad ass. Just that right touch of evil that only makes the good guy that is Andy Lau look better.

A very instance thriller that's very action packed, but there was also a sub story about Andy Lau's character finding love with a school teacher. It's rare that I've seen people kissing in Chinese Cinema. Maybe I'm watching the wrong movies, but I've seen Chinese action movies in which the lead star has girlfriends or wives, but they never touch each other, and even though I grew up in America were our action heroes go beyond touching the leading ladies, it was odd to watch Lau give so very long and romantic kisses to his leading lady.

But as interesting as that was, first and foremost,this was a great action movie from beginning to end. Worth seeing.

http://cinemagardens.com

Incredible action scenes.

[paulclaassen · 7/10 · 28 June 2018]

The film features some incredible action sequences and also a few very tense moments. A great premise convincingly executed thanks to believable acting and an experienced director. The humor was kept to a minimum, making the film an effective nail-biter.

another dull movie

[qinree · 6/10 · 27 June 2017]

An explosion destroyed the happy ending.

The rare ending setting didn't make the movie get impressive, for most of settings were so dull, even boring. That's why I give it 6/10.

The storyline of heroine is weak and puzzling, and she was always divorced from the main line. To force the emotional part into the movie is unwise. But I believe the original scipt didn't have a heroine, for making the movie be a co-production to cater to policies, they found her and added her into the story.

Audiences get into the cinema for getting something, while the movie are lack of high-point, tear-point, or nervous point. Nothing, but dull and far-fetched plots, sudden character changes, and so on.

A good movie should have power to let people remember it.

Best Andy Lau movie in a long time

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 3 July 2017]

Andy Lau is one of my favorite actor from Hong Kong cinema in every movie no matter he staring in lead role or supporting role he always give 100% and with this movie Shock Wave he proving one again he still on top of the game.Directed by Herman Yau also one of my favorite director Shock Wave is a action crime movie about a brave bomb disposal officer try to stop a group of terrorist that take over a underground tunnel.All the performance in this movie is good mostly about Andy Lau character and the movie direction.I have so much fun thought out this movie,it never have a dull moment,the tension always high and the action scene is very clear and awesome.Some minus point is the romance is very rush and the main villain is pretty disappointing.

Get ready to go out with a blast...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 1 December 2018]

I had the chance to sit down and watch "Chai Dan Zhuan Jia" (aka "Shock Wave") and must admit that it was nice to be in the presence of the gracious Andy Lau once more. I had not even heard of the movie prior to finding it. But seeing that this was a Hong Kong movie and it had Andy Lau in the lead, I needed no encouragement to pick it up and watch it.

While the storyline in "Shock Wave" is nothing that haven't been seen already, then it was still a very enjoyable movie. Especially so since I used to live in Hong Kong, so it was particularly thrilling to see the Cross Harbour Tunnel being the focal point of the movie. However, the storyline was rather streamlined, and there were no shock moments or surprises along the way, well aside from the ending - which I am not going to give away. But it was a story that headed straight ahead at 200 mph without any turns or climbs.

The acting in the movie was good, but then again Andy Lau is such a skilled actor that he masters many different genres, and he is no stranger to action movies. So it was no surprise that he carried this movie quite well. The characters in the movie were nicely detailed, and brought to life by an ensemble of different talents that each brought their own touch to the movie.

There is a good amount of action in the movie, and that is supplemented by character build and interaction. So that made for a very wholesome movie experience.

The downside to "Shock Wave" was its predictability. You saw things coming a mile away. But being able to look past that, then the movie was good entertainment and definitely a movie I would recommend that you take the time to watch if you enjoy Asian cinema.

So so

[auliarachman-06644 · 6/10 · 27 February 2019]

The storyline is very good but the end of the story is not very good.

Blast effect not very good it's not real enough

Die Hard in Hong Kong

[kluseba · 7/10 · 16 April 2018]

Shock Wave is a quite intense action-thriller starring Hong Kong star actor Andy Lau. It tells the story of an undercover police officers who arrests the brother of a ruthless terrorist who is specialized in using explosives. About a year later, the terrorist has specialized in drug trade but is obsessed with getting his revenge. He kills one of the commanders in charge of his brother's arrest a year ago by making his car explode. The undercover cop who has a successful career, is respected by his peers and has met a teacher who has become his girlfriend over the past twelve months, realizes that the terrorist will challenge him to get his revenge. A series of bombs are found in Hong Kong and it becomes more and more difficult to dismantle them for the protagonist. However, nobody is prepared for the terrorist's magnum opus: he kidnaps hundreds of civilians by blocking the exits of a tunnel with two trucks filed with explosives. His goal is to discredit the Hong Kong police corps, make money with a ruthless businessman and reunite with his imprisoned brother. The undercover terrorist must try to deal very carefully with the excitable terrorist in order to save as many civilians as possible.

There are numerous elements I liked about Shock Wave. The film has vivid pace and is entertaining from start to finish. The acting performances are great as Andy Lau convinces as calm and rational police officers while Wu Jiang delivers the goods as clever and pitiless terrorist. The action scenes in the film are always dramatic and intense. The special effects look great. The settings in Hong Kong are also quite interesting and especially the scenes in the tunnel make for a claustrophobic atmosphere. The film has a few nice ideas that keep it original such as the terrorist's brother who has found religion and unexpectedly doesn't cooperate with the dangerous terrorist. I also liked the movie's unusual ending which distinguishes it from similar movies where an honest officer is challenged by a pitiless terrorist. One wouldn't see such a resolution in an ordinary Hollywood flick.

On the other side, the movie also has a few minor flaws. The story is quite predictable which makes the film lose momentum and tension. The relationship between the honest police officer and the emotionally unstable teacher isn't credible at all as the police officer has the charisma of an iceberg while his love interest seems to be constantly discouraged.

Overall, Shock Wave is a quite good action-thriller that will entertain you from start to finish. It makes me think of the Die Hard series and similar franchises but since these movie have been mostly disappointing recently, it only makes sense to look for something similar but more convincing produced in Hong Kong with its know-how of spectacular action cinema.

Worth to watch of you like Polis

[tbk-94537 · 7/10 · 22 April 2017]

The only words I remember is " thanks God's I always chose the right one, thanks God's I can protect the civilians " Also Andy Lau still like to promute a good guy in his series movie . The pacing of the movie was amazing. The direction first use tunnnel to make the movie was quite New ideas and it save to the explosion:)

my notes

[FeastMode · 7/10 · 25 July 2019]

Beastly action movie. so many tense moments. likable lead character. i was into it throughout. so much intensity. good action and suspense. and had some powerful scenes. downsides are some unnecessary scenes and subplots, like the whole stock market thing. and also some of the english dialogue was really basic and doesn't really work from an american-english perspective. but that's something you have to accept with foreign films (1 viewing)

Monotone movie full with logic errors

[muratsalman · 3/10 · 18 November 2017]

I didn't have high expectations; however, the movie still failed.

Small details made me furious. An expert in defusing bombs, leader of squad, an awarded police and still couldn't think of putting the pin of a common hand grenade back and endangers his girlfriend's life with a stupid tactic.

An inexperienced policeman with a bomb west does nothing but wait when they realized they can not defuse it, instead of at least trying to remove the west.

Hundreds of policeman fill the tunnel which is expected to explode but nobody can think of trying to tow the trucks away from the tunnel.

Watch it and you can enjoy if you don't like critical thinking.

Tense Thriller

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 9/10 · 4 January 2018]

While it may seem repetitive on my part let me say once again that in doing reviews one of the greatest joys is the opportunity to see movies from around the world. Far too frequently foreign films are treated like the red headed step child in the US market. This means that few people get the opportunity to see some great movies out there. Then again there are a number of people unwilling to take the chance to be exposed to those same great movies for fear of having to read subtitles. Get over it. Take the time to enjoy the movie and don't sweat it.

That being said I was pleasantly surprised by a movie called SHOCK WAVE. Made is China this police thriller starts Andy Lau, a top star in the Asian market, as Cheung J.S., the top demolitions expert in the Hong Kong police department. The film opens with him on an undercover assignment as part of a bank robbing group that uses explosives to achieve their goal. After the robbery they've set up taxis with explosives to slow down or kill the police in pursuit. While the main organizer, Peng Hong (Wu Jiang) gets away, his brother Biao is apprehended.

Off duty at a bar Cheung meets a young woman overly intoxicated. Taking her to the local precinct he lets her sober up before taking her home. The two hit it off and are soon dating. A year passes and Cheung is back on regular duty. When a series of bombs are planted throughout the city he recognizes them as the work of Hong.

It isn't long before his plan is laid out for all to see. Sealing off both ends of one of the main tunnels that connect the mainland Hong Kong to the islands he takes everyone inside as hostage with the assistance of a group of mercenaries. He demands money from the government as well as the release of his brother to his custody. And the only person he'll talk to is Cheung, the man he feels betrayed him.

The movie works on a number of levels. There is the story of Cheung, a dedicated officer who puts his life on the line daily for the safety of others. There is the police force determined to do anything they can to insure the safety of the public while capturing the villain and his men. There is the story of two brothers, one still a criminal and one who wants to stop. And there is the imminent threat of explosions at both ends of a tunnel that will not only destroy it but all who are within.

Most people think of films from China as those old martial arts film with poor lighting, cheap sets and shot on terrible film stock. If that's what you think these films are then you're in for a surprise. Not only is the quality on display here equal to anything made in Hollywood the acting is superb as well despite the language barrier.

But none of that would matter if the story was lame or it plot holes were so large that you could fall into them. Face it, there is no such thing as a perfect movie but this one does a great job of not falling into those old clich styled Chinese films of the past. Those days are long gone and movies like this are more the norm than the exception. While watching this film I kept thinking it wouldn't be a surprise to see it remade here in the US with a few twists along the way.

By the end credits I found myself wanting to watch more of the films of Andy Lau. I've seen some in the past but look forward to more from him in the future. And I hope that others take note as well, taking the time to sit through and bear with the subtitles to discover a movie that is worth taking the time to watch. If you do my guess is you won't be disappointed.

Not bad, but there are two huge flaws:

[MovieIQTest · 20 August 2017]

No.1

When Cheung J.S. played by Andy Lau was shot in the tunnel, it was a very bad wound on one of his legs. Normally, if a guy was shot with a high caliber bullet, the bleeding if not treated by an immediate temporary Tourniquet to stop, the bleeding would not be stopped, the gravity would also play a critical factor; furthermore, if possible, the gunshot wounded leg should be raised higher than the heart to help decreasing the blood pumping out.

When this guy was first shot, he cursed and immediately started limping, then miraculously, he suddenly seemed to recover from the gunshot wound and dashed, zigzagged through the tunnel like nothing happened for a very long distance, then like Andy Lau suddenly realized he should play a wounded guy, he suddenly became limping again. At that moment, we all reacted and cried out: "WTF?!!?"

No. 2

If the movie ended either when the bomb finally inevitably exploded (a bit tipping to the spoiler side?), the firestorm rushed through the tunnel, then it would be perfect. Or, the 2nd better ending like this:

When his lover received his final word (which somehow was another completely ridiculous impossibility), she burst into tears...and the movie just ended there. This ending is not as good as the first one.

But the stupid director and the editor just couldn't let go of it at the right moment, they spent more money on several totally unnecessary scenes, such as the Chief of Police announcing the death toll numbers of the victims, then even became stupider to have a scene of the police funeral ceremony. This is what I must say here: "STUPID!!"

Andy Lau on Cruise Control

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 1 November 2017]

Police Drama injected with Action. We have seen a lot of good movies coming out of Hong Kong (I have I should say, but if you are interested in this my guess is, this isn't your first either) and after the re-entering also from China. So this almost feels like a step back if you are being as real as possible.

Still in Hollywood standards this is at least decent. Very predictable and all, and not that tension filled as it believes it is, but the action is good, Andy Lau pulls his weight and if you only like him a little bit, that will be enough to let you love this anyway. It does have an ending that may be a bit too much, but then again, it does try to blow the top of the roof of anyway ... no pun intended

The storyline is a mess

[chinwengseng · 4/10 · 16 February 2021]

Typical Hong Kong movie that didn't put much focus on story, it's flat throughout even though it has put in place conflicting characters and elements of brotherhood and father-and-son among the characters.

Caricature

[ClayRosen · 1/10 · 28 June 2019]

The characters are not even close to be real. The way they behave is not credible. Especially the bomber is acting just like a caricature character. Overall, it is just waste of time. stay away/!

a must see movie

[g-01816 · 10/10 · 12 January 2024]

In my opinion, this is a very fine drama/action film set in Hong Kong. Due to the recent civil unrest and police violence in Hong Kong - caused by the oppressive governance of Hong Kong by the CCP and President Xi Jinping - the Hong Kong police has inevitably come under considerably scrutiny by the International Community. Nonetheless, there are of course certain branches of the Chinese police -such as Police Anti-Bomb Squads - which are totally unpolitical, and deserve the highest respect for their courageous and selfless service to the public. So this is a nice film, promoting good and honest police work in Kong Kong - as well as the rest of the International Community.

Why did I stay?

[qeter · 2/10 · 5 November 2017]

Seen at the Viennale 2017: Bad acting, illogical story, no suspension, not even any idea of telling something new. I wanted to rate it with 1 star. Movies without any attempt to give deeper insight into human beings are worthless. On the other hand, I did not leave the cinema. So I give 2.

Very Bad Ending

[freedivineangels · 1/10 · 10 May 2023]

Ending is without logic.

If everyone is out from tunnels Why Cheung has to diffuse the bomb he can simply walk out.

Also the Blast arrested and get to live.

Not fair.

It's feel like Cheung and his team was never in any kind of power. Peng Hong hold all the action from starting onwards to the End. Not in single scene it felt like that Cheung has some advantage over Peng.

And also in whole film he was sawn as expert in bomb diffusion but in the end He choose probability method. How professional was that.

Possible google ending.

Cheung diffuse bomb when all people where inside the tunnel very secretly. And when Blast try to detonate the bomb he fail and get arrested. Then finally Cheung go to his home and finally tell her "I Love you".

Great film promoting good and honest police work.

[Dr_Mark_ODoherty · 10/10 · 1 October 2021]

In my opinion, this is a very fine drama/action film set in Hong Kong.

Due to the recent civil unrest and police violence in Hong Kong - caused by the oppressive governance of Hong Kong by the CCP and President Xi Jinping - the Hong Kong police has inevitably come under considerably scrutiny by the International Community. Nonetheless, there are of course certain branches of the Chinese police - such as Police Anti-Bomb Squads - which are totally unpolitical, and deserve the highest respect for their courageous and selfless service to the public.

So this is a nice film, promoting good and honest police work in Kong Kong - as well as the rest of the International Community.

Incosistencies does not help the movie at all.

[jordondave-28085 · 4/10 · 3 April 2023]

(2017) Shock Wave (In Chinese with English subtitles) THRILLER

Co-written and directed by Herman Yau starring Andy Lau who works as an "Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau" or EOD is working undercover and as a result of his actions saved some lives, unknowingly would eventually hunt him years later once coming across some of the same people he confronted years earlier. And they do this by taking hold of a tunnel lead by Peng Hong (Wu Jiang) rigging the entire tunnel with explosives with one of the demands was face the undercover officer who double crossed him. There is so many inconsistencies that you just want to cringe.

Action packed

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 5 January 2022]

If you are fond of action movies, this one made in HK is definitely for you, especially for the climax scene. Excellent time waster though there are no surprises, only the elements you paid for. Good acting, gunfights that could have been better and that's all. Nothing more to say.

Does the job

[Leofwine_draca · 9/10 · 24 March 2021]

Not a bad modern day Hong Kong action thriller. When I saw the involvement of the Chinese mainland I worried a little, but this feels much more like a Hong Kong film rather than Chinese one. The emphasis is on the story rather than pure action and constant special effects, although there are plenty of the latter too. By turns police procedural, by turns a DIE HARD-style hostage drama, this has nods to THE HURT LOCKER et al but has enough of its own style and flavour to work. It's nice to see that Andy Lau still impresses as a charismatic hero after all these years, although some of the supporting players are less well assured. An unconnected sequel followed three years later.

Goodbye to Liu Kai Chi

[madbird-61243 · 10/10 · 3 March 2021]

I watched the sequel before this one. Andy Lau looks much younger and smart. The plot, however, is not as sophisticated as its sequel, but it still have decent story lines.

Seldom does Hong Kong produce such a huge budget film. The explosion scenes are authentic and terrific. Another must watch.

Liu Kai Chi was died of cancer yesterday. Hate to say goodbye for so many times this year.