Reviewed 2/19/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Universe / 1997 / 100 minutes
Directed by Patrick Leung Pak-kin
Written by Chan Hing-Kar

Background 

Director Patrick Leung Pak-Kin and writer Chan Hing-Kar first teamed up for 1996's Somebody Up There Likes Me, a modest hit. Leung next directed Beyond Hypothermia for the newly-formed Milky Way Image Productions.

The film opened theatrically in Hong Kong in November 1997.

Leung has been quiet on the film front ever since, while Chan has co-written Hitman, Beast Cops, Okinawa Rendezvous, and Jiang Hu "The Triad Zone."

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Rod (Leo Koo Kui-Kei) is the youngest-looking member of the Task Force. His immediate supervisor is Shirley (Karen Mok Man-Wai). Rod has a bit of a protective crush on Shirley, who is involved with a less-than-devoted musician. The sergeant of the unit is LuLu (Eric Tsang Chi-Wai), a longtime cop with a promiscuous streak, divorced but still pining for his ex-wife. In the opening scene, Rod is undercover and meets Fanny (Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei), a prostitute whom he keeps encountering.

Task Force details the ups and downs of daily life for Rod, Shirley, and LuLu. The tone shifts smoothly from comic to romantic to dramatic. Several action scenes are handled expertly. Director John Woo makes a cameo appearance near the end of the film. The musical score by Dennie Wong Tan-Yee is superb. For no specific reason that I can pinpoint, I really liked it -- without taking itself too seriously, it delivered solid entertainment with a little thought and heart.

The film is rated Category IIB.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

The letterboxed (1.85 to 1) video quality is good. Black tones are deep. The colors are a bit subdued. The source print is very good.

Dolby Digital 5.10 Cantonese and Mandarin audio tracks are provided. I listened to the Cantonese 5.1 track and it sounded good without a particularly deep soundfield.

Traditional and simplified Chinese as well as English removable subtitles are provided. The subtitles are white with black backing in a large enough font to read comfortably.

Eight chapters are provided in a full-motion menu. Stars' files are provided for Leo Koo Kui-Kei, Charles Yeung Choi-Nei, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Patrick Leung Pak-Kin, and producer Amy Chin Siu-Wai. The original theatrical trailer is provided along with The Big Boss and Game of Death.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Highly recommended. A solid mix of romance, comedy, and action in a slice-of-life police drama.