Chasing The Dragon may be better marketed as a biographical movie, and not so much the friendship and partnership between Ho and Lee Rock. Moviegoers can still watch for Donnie Yen and Andy Lau, and the fighting scenes.
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Chasing The Dragon is an action crime movie based on actual characters: Ho (Donnie Yen), an illegal immigrant turned Drug Lord; and Lee Rock (Andy Lau), the Chief Chinese Detective Sergeant. It is set in the 1960s to 1970s in Hong Kong, where and when corruption is at its worst among the cops.
The Good
The movie highlights the social issues faced at that period. More notably, the case of illegal migration and poverty right at the start of the movie, and corruption and drug use throughout the movie. The movie title is also a literal translation from the Chinese title, 追龙 Zhui Long, which is a term used to illustrate the process of taking cocaine — where drug addicts “chase” after the smoke.
You cannot ask for a better cast than this, with two popular actors Donnie yen and Andy Lau sharing the same screen. Although the movie is made and marketed with Donnie Yen as the lead, Andy Lau gets as much limelight and screen time.
The Bad
Running at 128 minutes, the movie feels long and the plot badly crafted. It almost felt like a biography of Ho, detailing the milestones in his life. As the story jumps from one milestone to the other, the transition is not smooth enough to properly depict the highs and lows of a movie. The movie tried to show the development and collapse of trust and loyalty between the two characters but it was a poor attempt.
And The Summary
Chasing The Dragon may be better marketed as a biographical movie, and not so much the friendship and partnership between Ho and Lee Rock. Moviegoers can still watch for Donnie Yen and Andy Lau, and the fighting scenes.
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