Directed by Dante Lam, The Beast Stalker is a cleverly put together action thriller that most definitely provides for an entertaining viewing experience. It’s not perfect, and more could definitely be done to give us a greater idea of the character of Ann Gao (Jingchu Zhang); the film as a whole surely shouldn’t disappoint fans of Hong Kong thrillers however, and if you’re looking for a quality film of this sort then you can definitely do a lot worse than watching The Beast Stalker.
Drawing you in with a fantastically filmed car chase, the film then hits you with the accidental death of public prosecutor Ann Gao’s eldest daughter. Sergeant Tong’s (Nicholas Tse) world is rocked as he accidentally shoots the girl dead in the chase, and when Ann Gao’s other daughter is kidnapped by contract killer Hung (Nick Cheung), Tong then makes it his mission to bring the girl home safe.
All involved play their parts well in The Beast Stalker, were Ann’s character focused on a little more however then the development of her character could definitely help to improve the film a little more. Also, as much as I enjoy the way that Ann, Tong, and Hung’s storylines all come together in the end to show the chance crossover of their paths, the way that this is done is really quite farfetched, and although done well is not hugely believable. These are just small niggles, despite my minor issues with the film I certainly still hugely enjoyed watching The Beast Stalker however, and this is a film that I would still wholeheartedly recommend to others.
109 minutes in length, The Beast Stalker definitely does enough to keep you interested throughout, and the character development of both Sergeant Ton and Hung is excellent here, particularly Hung who truly is a hugely interesting character. Nick Cheung’s portrayal of Hung is sensational which definitely helps, and I for one was thoroughly impressed with the quality of his acting all throughout the film. Dante Lam once again demonstrates here his great quality as a director, and for anyone that has doubted him in recent times The Beast Stalker is certainly a film to look to.
The Beast Stalker is all set for UK release as a double-disc edition on January 4th 2010 through Cine Asia, and would be a worthy addition to any film collection.
Special Features:-
– Behind the Scenes (The Car Chase, Scaling the Sign, The Street Chase, Little Actors)
– Making Of
– Interview Gallery (Nicholas Tse, Jingchu Zhang, Mick Cheung, Dante Lam)
– Extended/Alternate Scenes
– Trailer Gallery
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
