Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 06/02/2006 Summary: another jewel Moving Targets is yet another jewel in the already sparkling crown of the producer king. Wong Jing directs Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung and Edison Chen Koon-Hei from his screenplay about the lives and friendship of two young men as their career paths entangle them in a tragic melodrama. Wong spins his yarn while exploring the relationship of the two men with their mothers. A recurring theme in many of his films, Wong is consumed with the influence of a mother’s love, or lack of it, on the development of his characters. Staying with the jewel metaphor here, one of the brightest facets of this movie is the performance of Gillian Chung Yan-Tung. Her understated portrayal in this film and her chilling work in the outstanding movie Beyond Our Ken [2004] have cemented her place in Hong Kong cinema as a “serious” actress. Moving Targets is a real nice looking film; the cinematography by Ng Man-Ching is very beautiful. Look for Lam Suet and Simon Yam Tat-Wah doing what they do so well. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 01/08/2006 Pretty enjoyable - it treads very similar territory to Wong Jing's last cop-thriller "Colo(u)r Of The Truth", and though it isn't quite as good as that one, it's still a quite enjoyable film. The influence of Infernal Affairs is even more apparent this time round than in COTT, especially in the cinematography and eclectic soundtrack. The plot is a little over-baked and lacking in subtlety, but is good enough to hang the film on. It's nice to see Nic Tse back in action, still sporting exactly the same haircut he's had since before Time & Tide and not having aged noticably either. The real surprise though is Edison Chen, who is actually really good - yes, at acting. He's definitely improved a *lot* in the short time since he started making films. Ah Gil is a bit disappointing though - perhaps because her character served no particular purpose in the plot. Simon Yam is decent, but not one of his more remarkable roles. Wong Jing directs confidently and stylishly, keeping the tone pretty much comedy free but not bringing any more subtlety to the film than usual. There's some decent action scenes. Final verdict: not a classic, not a "golden age" type of film, but a solid enough piece of entertainment that reaffirms that there's still life in HK cinema yet. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 09/26/2005 Summary: AVerage!! The movie starts off well, with the development of the characters then goes downhill from there!! The story twists to standard territory and it loses the momentum it starts with. I just couldnt empathises with Edison Chan's character, which i think was the main problem with the movie myself!! The action is ok, the drama is ok, the plot is standard, so can you see why i think this is a average movie!! Not the worst movie, but not the best either!! 6/10

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/25/2004 Based on a popular 1980's TV series called Police Cadet, Moving Targets tells the story of two friends, Kit (Nicholas Tse) and Fit (Edison Chen), who are two of Hong Kong's top young cops. After foiling a robbery attempt, they are promoted to a crack team led by a hard-nosed commander named Cheung (played by the venerable Simon Yam). Cheung is actually Kit's dad, who left him and his mother (Michelle Mai) after shooting her, so of course Kit doesn't exactly like the new arrangement. Kit puts in for a transfer to the internal affairs department, but decides to participate in one last operation where the team tries to take down a major drug dealer known as Big Bryan (Ken Tong). During the arrest attempt, Fit is seen letting Bryan go, which costs him his job. Now seemingly on opposite sides of the law, Kit and Fit try and keep their friendship together. Woah! Stop the presses! Not only is Moving Targets Wong Jing's second film of this year (after the excellent Colour of the Truth) that doesn't have an over-abundance of ultra-violence, bare breasts or foul language, it's a movie that I actually liked Edison Chen in -- and for someone I once considered to be the worst actor in Hong Kong, that's a pretty big deal. Not only that, it marks Canto-pop mega-star Nicholas Tse's first really solid performance in a film since his much-ballyhooed run-in with the law for "perverting public justice" after a traffic accident back in 2002. Moving Targets was a huge flop in Hong Kong, especially considering the stars involved, which also includes Gillian Chung (one half of the ultra-popular musical duo Twins) who plays the mandatory love interest in the movie. It also has garnered some fairly nasty reviews, as most see Wong Jing as trying to cash in on a classic TV show which featured some of Hong Kong's top talent like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Maggie Cheung. I will concede that this is one of Wong Jing's usual attempts to make a quick buck by "updating" (some would say "stealing") a popular film or TV series by taking the basic plot and cramming it with hot young stars. However, even though Moving Targets isn't anything that original, this particular reviwer feels the end result is pretty satisfying. There's nothing that deep here, but everything works. Edison Chen thankfully drops the gangsta-wannabe shtick which stunk up his earlier roles, and Nic Tse once again shows why he is one of Hong Kong's most promising young actors. The supporting cast also does well. Gillian Chung, even in a very small role, displays much more acting talent than her "twin" Charlene Choi could ever hope to have. Lam Suet (as Fit's stepfather) once again turns in the cowardly/nebbishy but strangely likeable performance which has become his trademark. And, as might be expected, Simon Yam delivers the goods. The action is also done well under the direction of Lee Tat Chiu. Again, it's nothing mind-blowing, but it is solid stuff, especially the bits with Nic Tse. After seeing his work here, I'm really hyped to check him out in the upcoming Jackie Chan movie New Police Story. Overall, even if you're not normally a fan of Wong Jing's work, I would still recommend Moving Targets. It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's much better than the dismal box office take would lead you to believe. (review from www.hkfilm.net)