Shi tu xing zhe (2016) Reviews

• Average actioner

  tenshi_ippikiookami2016-11-04

  "Line Walker" is another one of the long line of movies with cops, crooks and moles. In this case, it is based (continues) the story of a TV series where a series of police undercover found their files deleted and on the hide, no one knowing they were actually cops. The intro to the movie tells us that all the cops where found, but we soon discover that there was one left behind. From now on we will have the typical game of cat and mouse, where we are supposed to find who is a mole, who is a policeman, who is what and why and for what purpose. All this has been done before ("Infernal Affairs" is an amazing example), but in "Line Walker" it falls into a convoluted plot, that jumps from one place to the other (it feels as if some parts of the movie have been cut) and can't really hold the viewer's attention. The actors all do a good job. Louis Koo, Francis Ng, and all the others are as charismatic (and blank sometimes) as ever, and bring the story to life in its low moments. The action scenes are fine, even though a little bit messy sometimes and fall into the yes-we-can't-really-shoot-what-can-we-do problem. All in all, it is an average movie, that will be better enjoyed (probably) by fans of the TV series.

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• An entertaining action/crime thriller...

  paul_haakonsen2017-05-08

  With this being a Hong Kong movie was already more than enough to grab my attention. So when I sat down to watch "Line Walker" (aka "Shi tu xing zhe") then it was without knowing what the movie was about. However, I did know that it had Louis Koo and Francis Ng on the cast list, two of the more renowned Hong Kong actors. Usually I am not overly keen on action/crime thrillers, but I do still watch them, and I must admit that usually the Hong Kong cinema usually do spew out quite good action/crime thrillers. So this genre was definitely not a cumbersome anchor to the movie. The storyline, was initially quite simple; a group of undercover police officers have their true identities revealed because of a leak. However, there is more to it than just that. And director Jazz Boon and writer Cat Kwan did manage to keep the movie quite interesting and also ensured that the audience are thrown curve balls every now and then as the story arc takes a surprise turn and twist. There is a good amount of action combined with some drama, but also a good amount of suspense. So there is something for just about everyone to enjoy here. Louis Koo did a good job in carrying the movie alongside with Nick Cheung. Now, I am not overly familiar with Nick Cheung, but he was quite good in "Line Walker". I am a big fan of Franic Ng, and he was quite good in this movie as well, just a shame that he didn't have a bigger role. I can't really claim to be familiar with Charmaine Sheh, but she also did a good job. All in all, if you enjoy a good action crime movie, then "Line Walker" is well-worth sitting down to checking out, regardless of you liking the Hong Kong cinema or not.

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• Too many gimmicks, too much pursuit of reversal, but let people see the confusion, many plots are lack of logic.

  yoggwork2019-02-19

  Too many gimmicks, too much pursuit of reversal, but let people see the confusion, many plots are lack of logic.

• Convoluted but enjoyable

  Leofwine_draca2018-12-14

  LINE WALKER is a fairly enjoyable crime thriller from Hong Kong, made with minimal interference from Beijing. Apparently this is a spin-off from a TV series about a cop whose file was wiped, leaving him undercover for good. The likeable Louis Koo plays the hero of the hour, up to all kinds of hijinks with the reliable Nick Cheung; the entertainingly odd Francis Ng plays the cop hot on their trail. The plotting is a little convoluted and murky at times but generally keeps you watching, and there's a wealth of well-shot action sequences to enjoy which don't skimp on the violent mayhem. Yu Xing is particularly effective in a small role as an assassin character who gets our heroes sweating.

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