First, the wrong way. We're not sure if its the lingering vampire trend or some new Union rules, but as a director Sylvester Stallone has an aversion to daylight. Three consecutive night scenes open this dreary lumbering bit of formula hash, and the "money scenes", in which the "good guys" take out the "enemy soldiers" take place in either total or semi-darkness.
Probably just as well for there's little that can stand up to the light of day. Cameos by Stallone's pals and Planet Hollywood partners) Bruce Willis and Arnold "the Governator" and a hearty effort by Mickey Rourke as a former soldier-for-hire who finds his conscience can't lift this dud from the cellar. Heck when the one bright spark is a Jet Li-Dolph Lundgren mismatch, you understand how painful this is to watch. All garnished by a flaccid "almost-romance" between Stallone and the daughter of the general he's supposed to get rid of.
it seems Old action heroes never die....no matter how much we want them to.
Now, the right way, and for that we go to Hong Kong, for Keung Kwok Man's gritty, absorbing police-procedural, which twists and turns it's way through all sorts of genres before the closing credits roll.
Simon Yam plays a middle-aged police officer who serves as a role model for the younger police cadets for being his sharp shooting skills and calm character. His glory days are behind him and his wife has been murdered by the Triads.
An investigation onto a Triad kidnapping-murder scheme gives him his shot at redemption, but of course, at a price.
Shootouts, as any John Woo fan knows are the highlights of any Hong Kong police drama and this one has several good ones. The winner comes about midway through the movie as part of a drawn-out ransom delivery-collection scheme hatched by the bad guys. It really has to be watched to be believed.
Blazing guns aside, the film flows and miraculously one could easily follow both the plot and the action without the aid of either sub-titles or dubbing (though I'm not recommending you do either.
Well acted, balanced in its story (except for the frenetic final 20 minutes) and skillfully shot,Black Ransom delivers on the visceral promise of the "Shoot-em up" genre. Believe me, its not a guilty pleasure.
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