Surprisingly incoherent and boring

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Director Benny Chang's fast paced crime thriller follows three Hong Kong cops relentlessly pursuing a ruthless gang of highly skilled crooks and murderers.More entertaining and absorbing than you might expect, it's not often that action films which are over two hours long can hold the audience's attention for the duration, but in this case the film rarely retreats from the explosive opening scene. Perhaps it dwells for too long on the inherent good nature of the police officers, and there are no strong female characters worth noting. However, if it's violence, explosions and a possibly interpretive subtext you're after, this is a film you are more than likely going to enjoy.Guns, martial arts, explosions, stunts and a pinch of philosophy: Invisible Target is a film almost as thought provoking as it is entertaining. IT

Good, but too long story of three different cops coming together to take on a band of really nasty robbers who like to blow things up. One cop wants revenge since his fiancé was killed in an earlier robbery, another is a hotshot cocky cop, and the third is a by the books guy who is looking for his missing brother. They are out for a band of bandits who know they are the bad guys and act accordingly, not hesitating to kidnap a bus load of kids or blow up a whole block of buildings to get away.The story is clichéd and you can pretty much guess how its going to come out. What is not cliché is the action sequences which are truly amazing and are amped up versions of the sort of stuff that Jackie Chan used to do, which isn't surprising since director Benny Chan is a close relative (I've read his brother and I've read his son I'm not sure which). The action is whats key here and its of the sort that induces you to say "Oh wow" out loud frequently while you watch it. You'll want to see it for the fight scenes (pick one) and chases (The roof top)that will amaze you didn't leave anyone broken or dead.If there is a flaw its that perhaps its too long at 120 minutes. The story isn't strong enough to support it and the final battle which good becomes almost too much of a good thing. Still this is one to search out if you like big action.

Nan Er Ben Se is criticized for it being too typical, and the good guys too naive too stereotype, blah blah blah...... But in my opinion, it's uniquely valuable for being positive in information.Basically it's a story about 3 cops after a gang of robbers, consequently got involved deeper and deeper, and inevitably dig out dirty secrets of the police station. One would definitely be reminded by its storyline of many crime classics, like L.A.Confidential. However, the director didn't invest everything in promoting this one as the HK version of L.A. Confidential, mainly because the sense of social responsibility motivates the makers to create a story of growing up in good directions instead of dirty cop stories.The movie is very effective in editing the fighting sequences. All the fantastic actions are well paced and deserved a nod only for that. The scenes are very "Hollywood", but it's acceptable. HK movies need change. After all these years, the producers reflected on many mistakes the HK movies have made and all the unsuccessful productions. Although the completely westernized producing pattern may not be accepted, the industry has accepted many concepts of Hollywood. You can definitely sense that from Nan Er Ben Se.Back to the most important point of the movie. Nan Er Ben Se doesn't enforce any unbelievable values or character relationships in the entire movie. The "good cop" is morally sound but physically incompetent to other ones, while the dirty cops are tough but without much credits to the society. When they mix together, this balance or imbalance has created a sense of social duty. And finally the dirty cops become clean, at the cost of the life of the good cop. Fair enough? Not really. But it's the right way to do. It's simple and not enforced.Good information can make a bad movie a good one, except that Nan Er Ben Se is not bad at all.

Summer again and probably most of you think Flashpoint is the one to watch this season. Maybe, but now it sure has its work cut out for it, with an amazingly satisfying, over the top, touching and down right honorable release from dear old Benny Chan.Mr. Chan's New Police Story was an admitted wink at good action things past, and Invisible Target bears the same hallmarks of quality only much better implemented.Ostensibly, it's a promising flick with a strong cast finally heralding the return of two of this reviewer's fave tough guys: enigmatic and oft crazed Shawn Yue and sulking, intellectual trouble maker Nicholas Tse.Of course a lot could still go wrong but it dawns on one that Invisible Target is an awesome movie right from the first scene when they proceed to blow things up with extreme prejudice smack in the middle of Hong Kong's Central business area, namely Queen's Road.Yes, Eye in the Sky had a heist taking place in the same locale, but that one was pale and forgettable. Here we have a ballsy depiction of crooks on the loose that brings a tear to the most jaded of eyes as you sit there reminding yourself that this isn't merely how they used to make them, here they are, making them like that in this day and age.Oh yes, just like New Police Story, Invisible Target has kick ass villains, headed by martial artist Wu Jing, whose deranged but respectable streak was previously flexed in SPL. The guy's simply spectacular as a bad guy, as is cool dude Andy On. Andy shone in New Police Story alongside Daniel Wu, and here he's even better, adding a sensible, human side to his nefarious character.Indeed, the antagonists here are all well done and conspicuously Putonghua speakers. Hmmm. Regardless, they help make Invisible Target an excellent release you must not miss out on.As we behold, the baddies wreak havoc in jolly HK, setting in motion a storyline that has Inspector Tequila-inspired Shawn and Nicholas go after them with a vengeance, aided by Jaycee Chan who for once is truly impressive and adds much to the story.The three cops engage with the demented robbers across a variety of locations, using fists, feet, guns, cars and a variety of other tools. This movie is a field day for makers of breakaway glass everywhere, as literally not a single sheet remains intact for more than a second.Invisible Target isn't a dour-faced, overly serious affair, it gets the balance between crime drama and lunatic fantasy just right as cops and robbers leap huge heights and take more punishment than your average WWII battleship could ever hope to withstand.With good supporting appearances from Sam Lee, Lam Suet and even Aaron Kwok, this is out and out a fun, thrilling and gripping film. It's aggressively cartoonish at times but always professional and never coming across ridiculous. It's also atypically long for its genre or for Hong Kong releases in general, coming in at a hefty 130 minutes, which still isn't close to enough.In the end, good triumphs but there really isn't any evil here, as even the vilest of people seen in the story has an explanation for what they do and a tale to tell, which is an added bonus not to be overlooked.Plus, how can you say no to the first SDU sighting in a long, long, long time? Yes, they return to battle Wu Jing and his crew, and of course promptly get their posteriors handed to them.Invisible Target is a frenzied, beautiful assemblage of classical themes (there's even a British cop in the briefing room like in the good old days), gorgeous stunts, mind-boggling explosions, intricate fight scenes and ever-shattering glass partitions.The macho-sensitive cast is a perfect fit and we're delighted to see them together and on screen again. In fact, aside from giving logic and physical reality as we know it the finger, there's nothing wrong with Invisible Target and I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the DVD version.Invisible? Anything but! Don't wait for Flashpoint, get your summer kicks right here, right now.