Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To has directed 57 films, many in the action genre. Avid fans of cinema are familiar with his work. I had my fourth taste last night, courtesy of Netflix. Drug War (2012) is the type of crime drama Asians do very well. It is lively, amusing and violent. It’s rare to find a new wrinkle in such fare, but darn if To didn’t come up with one -- deaf mutes running a drug warehouse. While watching the scene, I was conflicted, trying not to laugh as the crooks grunted at each other as authorities closed in. The humor in these flicks is often bizarre. I had trouble following the storyline, as the subtitles were frequently obscured and I was confused by who was who. One of the things I like best about foreign films is the fresh faces. One can watch without preconceived notions or prejudice toward the players. In this case, the cast was so large I wasn’t sure in some instances who were the good and bad guys, especially since many of the detectives were in plain clothes. The main plot is interesting: is the captured criminal, who faces the death penalty for drug pushing, helping the police in order to get a lesser sentence or up to no good? Of course, the climax features a mad shootout in which almost everyone is killed -- with elementary school kids around, no less, reminiscent of 20-minute gunfight at the end of John Woo's Hardboiled (1992) that took place in a hospital, some of it in the maternity ward. The closing scene had me chuckling too, as it reminded me a little of the unforgettable climax in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), only in this case the character was scheming until the very end. On a scale of five, I rate Drug War 3.5. It is rated 7.1 of ten at IMDb. Anyone who loves action movies and doesn’t mind reading subtitles should check out the Asian market. There are many good flicks available. Anyone turned off by depictions of violence should pass. Sociologists and psychologists must have a tough time understanding how societies that produce such violent fare suffer so much less gun play in real life than Americans do.
Abdul the Friendly Porter's massive donation paid immediate dividends. Kinesha, aka Mrs. Eclectic, and her hubby bought eight works of fiction. A woman whose ancestors were groomers at the Sheepshead Bay Stables at the turn of the 20th century purchased three pictorials on the history of Coney Island, which is a mere mile-and-a-half away, if that, from where I set up shop. My thanks, folks, and also to the young woman who bought Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, at least the fifth copy I've sold, and the Russian woman who purchased three thrillers in her native tongue. This is more like it.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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