Sorry, this movie sucks

not horrible nor great

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

THE STOOL PIGEON starts tough and ends tough. The plot sees a HK cop struggling with his conscience over his use of informants. On his last op things went bad and his "stool pigeon" was hacked nearly to death with machetes; now he's mad and alone, with our hero volunteering at a homeless shelter to help him. A top Taiwanese gangster is in town though, looking for a big score in a HK jewelry shop; so our cop recruits a new informer - a street racer just out of jail, who needs money to pay off his father's debt which has led to his sister becoming a hooker - and infiltrates him into the gang as their wheelman. Throw in a tragic gangsters moll and you've got a corking B-movie plot that moves fast and hits hard. The machete attacks are savage, although thankfully more is suggested than shown, and the final fight in an abandoned school is nerve wracking in its intensity. The emotional side is less sure though, especially the hero's ludicrous back story: after his last informant got hurt he got drunk, slept with a floozy, contracted syphilis, gave it to his pregnant wife, who chucked herself out of a window after learning the disease would make their child handicapped; and now she has amnesia the cop is trying to re-romance her. It's insanely melodramatic, especially compared to the authentic and matter-of- fact depiction of how the cops and robbers work. Still, this is a great film with excellent scenes of action and tension.

First off, let me say that Nick Cheung's performance was great. He has a few scenes where he really needs to show emotion, and he shines. Sadly, I would say this film is a little forgettable. It's a tale that we have seen told similarly in movies such as "Infernal Affairs" and "City On Fire" (especially the latter, with the jewelry store robbery and the warehouse standoff) but isn't done quite as well. It has a few highlights, such as the car chase with "White Christmas" playing in the background, or the jewlery store robbery, or even the fight in the abandoned room filled with chairs and tables, but other than those memorable moments, the rest seems like filler. It also contains a few side plots that seemed a bit cliché and unnecessary. It's entertaining, sure, but in the end, it will blend in with many Hong Kong films with similar plots.

The Stool Pigeon is a tense Hong Kong crime thriller from one of Asia's most prolific crime thriller directors, Dante Lam. While the film follows many familiar tropes of detective films, such as the good natured criminal, and the detective determined to succeed at all costs, there is a persistent visual style and a well developed set up for the excellent action sequences. It is quite gratifying to see a film that isn't just about a bank robbery, but real character growth, especially in Hong Kong cinema, which as of late has been clearly out shined by South Korea. The story follows Police Detective Don Lee (Nick Cheung) and his work with a recently paroled gang informant who is out to save his sister from a life of prostitution because of a debt owed by their father. Lee is the experienced detective who throughout his career has needed to investigate, track and convince informants to help with a case, but the problem is that he's had trouble protecting these informants and has conflicts with senior management. Ghost Junior (Nicholas Tse) proves his skills early on, in a cool sprint race through the streets of HK, and is soon recruited to work with a major Robbery suspect known as Barbarian. The racing scenes are handled with a lot of flair and sufficiently loud sound design. The soundtrack works well, as the jazz mixes with the suspense soundtrack to bring heightened tension to the deceptive game these cops and criminals play. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Michael Mann's Heat (1995), though Stool Pigeon had a faster pace and it's attention to detail was not nearly as well developed. Hiccups such as Don Lee's forgetful wife subplot were a little silly. With much less emphasis on CGI effects the action is visceral and shocking. It is certainly not the type of 'PG' American experience we've become accustomed to, whereby explosions and slow motion action has overblown any subtlety of realism. There are machete wielding gang members and they do take revenge. While this is not a film about happy endings, it finishes with an effective and satisfying conclusion. The Stool Pigeon is a rewarding experience, with cinematography capturing the streets of Hong Kong in an often beautiful and slow boiling state, but the action choreography and character clashes keep it tight and exciting through to the end. Nominated for best film at last year's Hong Kong Film Awards, The Stool Pigeon proves that the Asian resurgence will continue. It's not just China and South Korea who are raising expectations.

Policeman Don Lee (Nick Cheung) often works with informants but numerous too-close calls and failed missions cause him to see the world as one betrayal after another -- then he meets Guy, and is given a new chance to change his views.I have to give credit to the folks at Well Go USA. I have been reviewing the films they distribute for a while now, and they have been consistently good. "Stool Pigeon" is no exception, adding the genre of police action to the martial arts stories they have delivered us in the past. I assume not all Asian films are this good (in fact, I know they are not), so whoever does acquisitions for Well Go needs a raise.What is this film? A bit of mystery, a lot of action, a crime thriller. It really should appeal to a wide audience. If you like films like "French Connection" or "Snatch", I think this will be your film. While not quite a masterpiece, it really does tell a strong, interesting and emotional story. It is a film I am eager to watch a second time.The DVD/BD (it comes as a combo pack) has some nice features on, most notably the variety of languages and subtitles. You might prefer Cantonese with English subtitles. Perhaps you prefer English dubbing. Then again, maybe you speak Cantonese and would rather watch it without dubbing or subs... you are able to do any of these.