Reviewed By-Paul Cooke
Director : Bruce Law
Scripted : Laura Wu
Starring : Julian Cheung , Kenya Sanada , Teresa Lee &
Shu Qi

A fast and furious fusion of frenetic fun and explosive Action that explodes across the screen with a chic designer label , that has a first time Director tag associating it to full time stunt coordinator Bruce Law , indelibly sewn into its sartorial schematic. High thrills , super charged spills and enough explosions to feel a heat wave across the Arctic Circle , put this overlooked Hong Kong ‘A’ league outing top of the must see now list.

This incredible show stopper throws its audience straight into edge of the seat positioning as a chemical container truck is hijacked. Its required content removed the driver is knocked out and the road hogging behemoth becomes a runaway catastrophe in the making. Lead stars Julian Cheung and sexy starlet Shu Qi are soon thrown into the action roller coaster movie as police Inspector Ken Cheung and news reporter girlfriend Anita Lee. Out for a spontaneous lunchtime drive together they are soon involved in trying to stop the mega wheeled mammoth which is careening towards a group of school kids crossing the road. The stunt coordination within just the opening moments is incredible to behold and Bruce Law is clearly at home here serving up what would not be dismissed alongside such outings as , ‘ Die Hard ’ , or , ‘ Speed ’ , for sheer crowd pleasing on screen indulgence.

A Japanese Terrorist group known as the Shojenomichi Cult threaten the Asian community with the deadly Sarin Gas when their fanatical leader Yoshinaga is arrested by Hong Kong police. Led by his right hand man Takizawa Ryuichi , known more infamously as Lone , Shojenomichi’s followers immediately put the city on twenty four hour notice to release him or bear witness to the death of six million Hong Kong people.

Japanese detective Takami , portrayed by the believably cool Kenya Sawada , is the Cult tracking special forces cop from Tokyo seeking to extradite Yoshinaga to stand trial back in Japan for crimes against humanity. Up against a regimental and highly trained faction , that believe they are fighting for the sacred war , holding Shojenomichi soon becomes an undertaking that threatens the very existence of an entire city !. The murderous Lone kidnaps a local Japanese ex pat chemist in order to mix the required chemicals and is soon setting up the production of the lethal Sarin Gas within the Hong Kong cosmopolitan district. Officers Cheung and Takami join forces , combining their expert knowledge and skills to seek the organisation out and it is not long before they are actively involved in cumulative exchanges of heavy artillery. With the police force following procedure time is running down so it is up to the two dedicated fighters for justice to try and stop the terrorists , who think nothing of disposing of innocent people as they callously shoot them at point blank range and use them for human booby trap bombs.

It is rare for a films title to actually convey in such short form the meaning behind its content but here with , ‘ Extreme Crisis ’, no other combination of words could better back up such bold an expression in statement. The heroes are cool and the villains are slick and none more so than that of bad guy Takizawa Ryuichi , who is very much in the unflinching Alan Rickman Die Hard role model vein of offensive anarchist.

Amongst all the high calibre shootouts and impressive stunts , that includes a rewind moment involving a multi car explosion that throws an entire kerb parked posse into the smoked filled air , is a subtle and sometimes humourous interaction between stars Julian Cheung and Kenya Sawada. When Sawada’s character Takami turns to Cheung and straight faced says , ‘Drive carefully please. You’re the worst thing that happen to my trip in Hong Kong’, you cannot help but smile at the wry appliance of such a poignant moment.

Amongst all the incredible scenes however it does not go unnoticed by Director Bruce Law the seriousness of the subject matter. His subliminal subterfuge of processing the killer Sarin Gas production within the laboratory of a children’s school is a powerful one and a visual headline that plays direct to an audience that may not recognise such shocking news regularly dressing a newspaper they neglect to read.

With the deadly concoction in cannister form Lone and his men storm the cities main Television Studio taking prisoners , and reporter Anita Lee is forced to read out live on air to the watching world the demands of the genocidal group. The authorities are given ten minutes to release their leader or the release of the Sarin Gas will envelope Hong Kong. Outside special forces are gathered along with snipers and tactical units awaiting any opportunity take out the extremists.

Cheung and Takami stage a combined assault on the terrorist group as they ascend the building toward their objective , exchanging gun play as they go. A Special Duty Unit mounts its own internal assault but is detected by the alert terrorists who surprise attack them before they are able to fully retaliate. The ensuing offensive produces a surprisingly violent onslaught as scenes of flame throwers expelling out upon the police unit is incredibly languished on , and when the amoral killers fire a constant barrage of bullets into the flailing bodies the shear magnitude of sinew spewing blood exploding outward is strong stuff indeed !.

The clock continues to count down as the megalomaniacal mayhem incredibly unfolds , fulfilling an Action film fans wildest dreams with barely enough time to catch your breath and pick up the dropped jaw during the closing credit highlights reel. This is what makes going to the Multiplex and purchasing for home entertainment a worthwhile and pleasurable experience. Highly enjoyable escapism that subtly educates as effectively as it entertains in daring to deliver its pulse pounding take on terrorism , with no compromising big studio excuse or apology appended.