Vengeance (2009, Hong Kong/France)

I would have killed to be in on the pitch meeting for this movie, so as to be among the first to hear Johnny(ie)s Hallyday and To mentioned together in the same sentence. The latest micro-release Stateside for the Hong Kong action guru pairs him with the aging French pop star, as the latter blasts his way through Macau and Hong Kong on a mission of – you guessed it – revenge, alongside some of To’s regular faces (Anthony Wong, Ka Tung Lam, Suet Lam). To serves up some terrific action sequences, in particular a stairwell shoot-out and subsequent garbage dump battle. While the action proceeds briskly and the central group of characters have excellent chemistry, there are some inevitable false notes struck with the volume of actors speaking non-native languages. But that’s a pretty specific nit to pick in what is otherwise a highly entertaining, and as per To’s usual, quite lovingly photographed and occasionally farcical, actioner. As with the splendid Sparrow, To’s most interesting work tends to be that which blends his chops as an action master with his more playful sensibilities as a storyteller.