Rather than arbitrarily selecting movies to review as I used to do when I started this blog, I’ve been trying to emphasize those that I do consider worthy of viewing, whether it be those that are outstanding or those that are quirky enough to have some redeeming entertainment value. Most of those I watch for review purposes are either ones I am already familiar with having seen them long ago or those that I have heard of through word of mouth in a positive manner. But every now and then I look at my library and pick a random title that I am unfamiliar with but bought based on decent ratings such as IMDB (which was probably a factor in my getting the title for my collection in the first place).
I say all this to explain how I ended up with Hong Kong director Johnnie To‘s police drama PTU here which has a bafflingly generous 6.9 IMDB rating and 80% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, both grades usually associated with the ‘crème de la crème’ of films. While I wouldn’t be so harsh as to assess PTU with it’s own title sans the “T” (That would be Pee-Yew, you know), I would hardly call it a classic either.
The plot about a police detective losing his issue revolver and then having to track it down seems somewhat a staple in asian movies being the main elements in earlier films like The Missing Gun (2002) and Kurosawa’s Stray Dog, (1949). Sargent Lo Sa (Lam Suet) loses his gun after being ambushed by a triad gang after pestering them at a local restaurant. When the Police Tactical Unit arrives, (hence the PTU title which stumped me for a while) their leader Mike (Simon Yam) a friend of Lo’s agrees give him until morning to find the gun before reporting the fact which would irreparably harm his career. But even Mike’s PTU squad members have reservations and to make matters worse both Lo and Mike have to dodge a suspicious Inspector (Ruby Wong).
The entire sequence takes place over one night from the jarring start at the restaurant which leaves one triad member dead to the comic twist of the final solution to the gun puzzle as dawn approaches. But the tale itself plays out like a Tarantino plot with more and more characters drawn into the ever increasing complex story. While I enjoyed some of the twists other elements like stretched out scenes were straining. One example was an endless flashlight drawn search in a stairway. Forgivable if there was any actual tension, but it in my eyes interminable especially given that the whole movie is only 88 minutes long.
The characters are interesting and when the scenes do work this movie is fun especially the first half. But when it drags it kills the atmosphere that has been built up to that point and you basically have to wait for the next interesting event. I think this is a hit or miss depending on your tolerance level and patience. For those that do enjoy it the good news is that this was popular enough to have spawned a whole series of Tactical Unit sequels, although I am in no hurry to seek them out myself.
Lazarus' Lair 