2020 / 108m - China
Action
2.5*/5.0*
Vanguard poster

Watches

November 15, 2020

2.5*/5.0*

A very messy action flick. Stanley Tong is part of the old guard of Hong Kong action directors, like so many of his generation he's been struggling with the shift to China as well as the introduction of CG action. No doubt a lot of money went into this film, but it doesn't always look like it.

Vanguard is an elite security company. When one of their clients is kidnapped, they put their best team on the case. It takes them to Africa and the Middle-East, where they have to deal with a wealthy criminal. He needs their client as he's the only one who knows the location of a great stash of gold.

Performances are all over the place (lots of English dialogue by non-native speakers), the CG is pretty shabby and some of the stunts are absolutely ridiculous. It's a shame, because the hand-to-hand combat looked pretty impressive. It's obvious Tong wasn't fully in control of his film, could've been a lot better if he hadn't tried to make it so flashy.