By the standards of turn-of-the-century Hong Kong cinema, 2000AD is a superior action drama. In the context of director Gordon Chan Ka-seung’s filmography, it is a letdown. Chan is one of the brightest lights on the local scene, a director/screenwriter with the rare ability to elevate mainstream genres so that their “commercialness” does not mean a corresponding lack in intelligence and artistry. His screwball farce Fight Back to School remains a highpoint in the career of Stephen Chiau Sing-chi; Final Option is one of Hong Kong’s most accomplished police action films; Brief Encounter in Shinjuku set new standards for the yuppie comedy; and Fist of Legend, despite its flaws, brought a new sense of maturity and depth to the traditional martial arts film.

No milestones are set by Chan’s latest. 2000AD is attractive and slick, but there isn’t much substance below the glittery surface. The scenario, co-authored by the director and American Stu Zicherman, isn’t strong enough to withstand analysis, yet the movie isn’t so engrossing that the viewer can just sit back and ignore the story deficiencies. It’s one of those plots rife with conspiracies and high-tech mumbo jumbo, this time concerning computer viruses, the CIA, and massive destruction. If you plan to see the film, fast forward to the final paragraph as pertinent plot points are about to be revealed.

Greg (Ray Lui Leung-wai) is a tycoon in the computer business whose business connections are complicated, to say the least. His younger brother, Peter (Aaron Kwok Fu-sing), is a computer whiz, carefree and puerile till Greg is killed in a terrorist attack. Peter, his fiancée Janet (newcomer Gigi Choi), and her brother—and Peter’s business partner—Benny (Daniel Wu), decide to track down the killers. It is a trail that eventually leads to Singapore and involves a tough Hong Kong cop (Francis Ng), Greg’s mysterious girlfriend (Phyllis Quek), a shady CIA operative (Andrew Lin), a top Singaporean agent (James Lye), and a cold-blooded hit man (Ken Lo Wai-kwong). There is a lot of Singaporean talent on view here, and such Lion City television personalities as James Lye and Phyllis Quek, though unknown in Hong Kong, display considerable screen presence and have no problems delivering the film’s trilingual (Mandarin, Cantonese, or English) dialogue.

One of Gordon Chan’s strong points is delineating characters with more depth than the usual mainstream movie. However, he is a bit too obvious in charting Peter’s transition from adorable pup to responsible adult. Peter is initially so cutesy, whether fooling around at work or playing with his electronic dog, that viewers who are not members of the Aaron Kwok Fan Club might end up rooting for the bad guys.

There are also some major plot holes that are too glaring to be ignored. Peter is the subject of a major search by the Hong Kong Police, yet he has no trouble getting through passport control at Chep Lap Kok Airport. Later, he seeks out the perfidious CIA agent, believing him to be “the only one I trust.” Yet when they meet, Peter doesn’t trust him at all. It may be convenient for the script development, but it doesn’t make sense. The emotional veracity that is a hallmark of the director’s best work is embarrassingly violated by a shamefully sentimental moment in which Peter saves a young wheelchair-bound girl from a grenade.

Particularly gratuitous is the phony suspense in the grand finale at Singapore’s Convention Centre. The CIA agent threatens to set off the deadly computer virus if his demands aren’t met. The Singaporean agent, accompanied by Peter and Benny, is at a loss on what course to take. The CIA agent pushes the button and—a cute “screen saver” shows that Peter and Benny earlier neutralized the program. A possible explanation as to why the duo didn’t confide in their Singaporean allies and save lives is that it would have proven inexpedient to the scriptwriters.

Director Chan understands, perhaps better than any Hong Kong action film director, the importance of pacing. Thus, after the explosions that open the film, there isn’t another massive action scene till a half-hour later. Masterfully staged by action director Yuen Tak, the shoot-out is one of the best in recent years, including an inventive escape atop the canopy over the Central Escalator that is a novel use for this Hong Kong landmark. The frays, fights, and fracases in Singapore are probably the best ever shot in the island nation. Even so, one’s attraction is diverted by the prominent placement of Pepsi cups, cans, umbrellas, and vending machines. It is hard to immerse oneself in Peter’s lethal escapades when one is constantly reminded that in “real life” he is a soft drink-pitching teen idol.

This review is copyright (c) 2000 by Paul Fonoroff. All rights reserved. No part of the review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.