"2000AD", "The Duel" and "Tokyo Raiders" were the top three films at the Hong Kong box office this Chinese New Year (2000). This was the only one of the three not to feature Ekin "Young And Dangerous" Cheng - maybe Media Asia should have hired him and set a world record!

With that feeble semi-joke out of the way let's get down to the business at hand. "2000AD" is Director Gordon Chan's first film since the award-winning "Beast Cops" and like that film it's a Media Asia production although it couldn't really be any less like it. Whereas "Beast Cops" was very much a locally based story with local concerns this film is set in Singapore and has an international storyline. If you thought that "Gen-X Cops" and "Purple Storm" were slick productions then this'll blow you away - some have said there is effect or two that is a little rough a'la "Purple Storm" but having seen this on DVD I can't say that I noticed any thing of the kind.

It is so slick and glossy that it borders on the surreal at times and before any wag asks there is no sign at all of Judge Dredd. The story is almost Bond-like in that in involves a potential catastrophe - a "rogue" computer program, international intrigue, conspiracy and beautiful women (all that's missing is a martini). Leading the cast is Aaron Kwok as Peter with Daniel Wu playing his "sidekick" Benny and Ray Lui as Peter's brother Greg. It is Greg who is fingered by the CIA as the prime suspect when the CEO of high-tech company TDX gets blown out of the sky. Little do they know that the problem is a little closer to home.....

The bad guy of the piece is ably played by Andrew Lin who after this and his performances in "The Blacksheep Affair" and "God.Com" is fast becoming a past master at the villany game - the little beard certainly helps. Giving a more than creditable cameo is Francis Ng as Officer Ronald Ng who along with Ray "To Be Number One" Lui brings a very much welcome gravitas to the film and I certainly wouldn't have minded if both of their characters had been given more screen time.

Gordon Chan has to be considered one of the best directors in Hong Kong and there is more than ample evidence of that talent in this film - particularly during the film's impressively staged major action sequences - but he is let down by the script (which he co-wrote) which is aimed squarely at the international market but has insufficient tech-detail to impress and as a result ends up coming across as a bit of a Frankenstein's monster. It is quite possibly the greatest technical achievement in the history of Hong Kong cinema - bold statement time - but the character development is so lacking that the film is merely good when it could and should have been great.