Drug War

In Johnnie To's tense and stylish Drug War, set in mainland China, drug dealers do whatever it takes to distribute product, while cops do the same to bring them down. After matinee-idol-handsome meth manufacturer Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) crashes his car, stone-faced Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his officers round up the dealer's mules, but have no idea who the kingpin is behind the cartel. Knowing that a death sentence is in the wings, Choi turns informer in exchange for lighter treatment, teaming up with Zhang, who poses as a fellow drug lord, in order to get the drop on “Uncle Bill.” Zhang burrows so deeply into his new role that he grows unstable in his impersonation of Choi's cackling associate, Haha (Zhang even snorts cocaine to fit in, but becomes violently ill). Although one guy is on the right side of the law, and the other is not, it is the recently widowed Choi who comes across as the slightly more sympathetic protagonist. While the Heat-like shootout at the end—meant to convey the futility of the war on drugs—doesn't completely work, this is still one of filmmaker To's stronger efforts. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)