"Lifeline" displays some of the best fire fighting scenes ever captured on film. All of the superficial drama and the interplay between the fire fighters help to set up and propel the characters into the gripping second half of the movie. Johnnie To's work with the action set pieces far exceeds the work he put in with the actors. The characters are fairly standard. You have the hard-nosed veteran, played by Lau Ching Wan, and the assortment you'd normally see in any movie focusing on teamwork, such as the novice, the lone woman fire fighter and the commanding officer. Carman Lee shows up to provide a pretty face to look at while waiting for the fire to start. If you're looking for better acting try To's "Loving You" instead, but if you want all out fire and disaster, look no further.

The second half of this film sets a high water mark for how to stage a fire on film. It makes "Opie" Howard's "Backdraft" look like a walk in the park. The factory burning down is indescribable and can only be witnessed by watching the movie, now out on DVD, which contains a conversation with To and how he wanted to make the most realistic fire movie ever. It's been a while since I first saw this movie, but I still move to the edge of my seat when the fire starts.