Genre: Thriller

Not for the fainthearted but for fans of hard-edged cop action films from the golden era of Hong Kong, this is tough to beat.

Much like ‘Last Flight’, the pace is just too static and there isn’t enough fun or silly action to recommend it to even B-movie aficionados.

The pace, the emphasis on spy procedure rather than spy spectacle and the often graphic nature of some scenes may not be to everyone’s taste but ‘Lust, Caution’ is a challenging film made for adults.

If you like your cop thrillers but want something just a little different then ‘Mad Detective’ has got both bases covered.

A flawed thriller it might be, but it still retains an ability to chill that is appreciated though not always present in the genre.

Not the return to modern action many a Woo fan may have hoped for but fun in fits and starts if you can forgive its flaws.

A B-movie with some bite, ‘Maria’ stumbles with its by-the-numbers story and unnecessary scenes of torture but is saved by some cool fight scenes and a fierce lead performance from Cristine Reyes.

Despite a few hints of quality from the action/stunt team, the film is a shambolically constructed mess that is rarely fun to watch.

A seemingly simple set-up is given verve, Hitchcockian tension, and extra depth via nerve shredding direction and having the two leads both deaf and mute.

Despite going the exploitative route and therefore diluting some of the mystery, the film still grips thanks to the ever present sense of something horrible about to happen and a cast who give it their all.

‘Mission: Impossible II’ certainly offers the world a clear glimpse of what Woo is capable of when it comes to action, but it also lacks his usual quota of emotional drama and camaraderie.

‘Monster’ has a few elements that could make for a decent thriller, but the overall picture is sadly spoiled by a number of idiotic characters making even more idiotic decisions.