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HK Neo Reviews: The Tigers, 25 June 2008

Author: (webmaster@thehkneo.com) from Australia

Tagline: A star-stunned cast spoiled by a mediocre script…

Review by Neo: Imagine the 5 biggest TVB actors at the time starring in a movie together and within the five, there are little names like Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu Wai. So what can possibly go wrong, maybe it is due to the all too ordinary direction from veteran actor Eric Tsang or perhaps we can just blame it on the routine and blend script. The film is basically trying to say that one wrong act will lead to another one and eventually to the point of no return. A bleak and dark look into police corruption, director Tsang fails to make use of his 5 tigers (Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Felix Wong Yat-Wah, Miu Kiu-Wai, Ken Tong Chun-Yip) and the result is a brutally average flick that never rises above its genre convention. While it is okay to be efficient, there are moments that the audience actually feels bored and it doesn't help when the running time is clocked at just a little under 2 hours. Perhaps 30 minutes too long, The Tigers is ultimately a missed opportunity and a waste of once in a life time chance to see all 5 tigers in action.

It is almost amazing to witness the annoying performance of two superstars of Asian Cinema. The unbelievable have happened, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Andy Lau are just plain annoying. Luckily, Leung manages to impresses in the scenes prior to his death in the car park and Lau manages to pick his act together and actually attempt to act upon the death of Leung. The second half provides an Andy Lau that shows glimpses of the actor Lau is right now.

As for the evil tiger (Ken Tong Chun-Yip), he never seems to be able to create anymore than a pretty much one-dimensional villain. Current TVB star Miu Kiu-Wai is dead pan wooden and Felix Wong Yat-Wah is just his typical angry filled face throughout. Shaw Brothers favourite Leung Kar Yan is the unlikely person to shine above the aforementioned tigers and his character is sympathetic enough for the audience to care about.

All in all, the star power of the 5 tigers is alone worthy for the price of the movie and while the movie is really like the case of an unfulfilling romance, it isn't exactly total downhill. There is no doubt that the script have let the 5 former and present TVB superstars down and for some of them luckily have gone on to better things. At the end of the day, The Tigers struggles to be average and all they are trying to say is that one mistake leads to another and eventually to the point of no return. Life as a corrupt cop sucks in The Tigers and so are the awaiting audience hoping for something better. With that being said, the film did gives the audience some answers to their questions, Tony Leung Chiu Wai can actually be annoying, Andy Lau showing glimpses of his future and Eric Tsang is a far better producer than director. Finishing off, The Tigers is really a movie that tries to be average and comes up falling short… (Neo 2008)

I rate it 5.75/10

- www.thehkneo.com

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