Genre: Crime

Another one to add to the dust gathering pile of DVD’s – and recommended only for Koichi or Shannon completists.

Not as enjoyable or as accomplished as some of the director’s other efforts but worthy of a look if you’re a fan of Sono’s work and “non-conventional” cinema.

Penned by prolific director and writer Wong Jing, ‘Hit Team’ is a formulaic cop thriller done on a low budget, something that makes itself very apparent early on.

While it does have its fair share of amusingly bizarre dialogue and cheesy action sequences, it also has quite a bit of uninteresting filler that regularly drags it down.

This is superior entertainment of a light and fluffy nature that somehow feels more sophisticated than anything out at the moment (even though it probably isn’t).

Not even the odd moment of black humour and Kim Jee-Woon’s knack for crafting exhilarating sequences of action and tension can elevate his film beyond pure nihilism.

For those prepared for difficult material and subject matter it is a stylish, gripping example of fearless, maverick cinema.

A partial remake of ‘Eyewitness’, the flawed, but diverting 1981 William Hurt/Sigourney Weaver thriller, ‘In Between Loves’ starts with promise only to quickly lose it all.

Over its full running time of a modest ninety minutes, ‘In Full Bloom’ runs out of steam and the attempt at deeper layers of introspection become stilted.

You really feel a lot of the hits in this film which is all in all, a hugely enjoyable action flick, jam-packed with trademark Woo Ping fight scenes, thankfully sans wires!

No Category III classic assuredly, but certainly a pleasantly sexy diversion that makes for pain-free viewing.

The film has one of the best stories I’ve seen in quite a while and the cast and crew all produce some of their finest work to date.