Bat Sei Ching Mai
2001 / 107m - Hong Kong
Action, Drama
3.0*/5.0*
Bullets of Love poster

Watches

January 08, 2011

3.0*/5.0*

A pretty solid police procedural sporting some interesting touches. Lau is one of those directors who experiments while shooting and uses that experience to polish his future films. It is noticeable here, but the base quality is present, and some experiments are quite successful. It makes Bullets of Love a fun film for Lau adepts, others should probably check out his more famous films first.

Sam is a Hong Kong police officer who catches a powerful Triad boss. Sam's wife works for the justice department and puts the guy in jail. When they are on vacation, Sam's wife is murdered, after which Sam quits the force and opens a cafe. A little while after a Japanese tourist walks into his bar. She looks exactly like Sam's former wife.

The basics of the film are familiar, but Lau adds a few neat touches that help to set it apart from similar films (and Hong Kong has quite a few). The performances are decent and the ending packs a refreshing punch, the presentation feels a little sloppy though and the balance between various elements could've been better. Not bad, but not one of Lau's best ones.