It's been some time since we last saw the emergence of any hardcore heroic bloodshed films after they ran their course in the Hong Kong film making cycle quite a few years back.  Styles come and go so quickly on the Jade Screen because each time one particular type of film is successful it will be imitated a thousand times until it is exhausted and replaced by something completely different.  'Fulltime Killer' attempts to utilise some of the gunplay of old and mix it with a little international appeal.

O (Sorimachi) and Tok (Lau) are two fulltime killers on opposite sides of the scale.  O is rated number one in his field and known worldwide for his professionalism and dedication to completing each task he is given.  Tok, on the other hand, is just starting out in the business and is looking to make a name for himself by using movies as his inspiration.  When Chin (Lin) appears on the scene, she is torn between the two men but discovers that one is too shy to talk to her and the other pays her too much attention.  It looks like her decision will have to be a quick one though as Tok realises that the easiest way to the top is to kill the man above you so O becomes his most desired target.  The question is who will be the last man standing and which man will Chin be rooting for?

In this day of slow motion replays galore and Chow Yun Fat wannabes, what can any new offering in this genre really bring to the audience that has not been done before?  Well, to be honest, in 'Fulltime Killer' the answer would have to be "not much".  However, this does not have to be a bad observation as so many films seek to produce the next worldwide success instead of returning to the basics that we know and love; i.e. a simplistic plot surrounded by well staged shoot-outs.  This is what 'Fulltime Killer' delivers to it's audience and what makes it worth watching.

In the acting and action departments, it displays some outstanding attributes as well as containing nicely understated performances.  In particular, Andy Lau noticeably moves away from his stereotypical "boyband" image to play the more interesting of the leading roles as the bad-ish guy and really cuts loose in the maniacal expressionism.  Sorimachi takes the quiet, broody character which provides very little dialogue but gives him the chance to play the yang to Lau's ying.  The action itself is not far removed from the John Woo school of bulletry but is fun to watch and contains a lot more hard hitting rushes than most recent cinematic attempts.

As has been stated in most reviews of this film; the most disappointing factor remains the ending.  Once again, the filmmakers have declined to give us the climactic finale that we desire and instead, try to wrap things up with a poorly thought out twist.  When will they learn that when it comes to action films, you have to end them with a bang that forces the viewer to want to see the film over and over again and not let them fizzle out because you have run out of ideas!

Overall, 'Fulltime Killer' is a decent attempt at resurrecting the bygone era of enjoyable action movies even if the obvious international flavour can occasionally grate on the nerves (particularly the patchy English dialogue).  It doesn't break new ground or sit amongst the classics but will most likely be best viewed by those of you who want to switch off the mind and watch a few bloody gun battles.