Alan Mak has named Johnnie To as one of his favorite directors worldwide; good taste for sure, and it shows. Bits and pieces of various Milkyway productions show up throughout A War Named Desire, some perhaps coincidental, some that would politely be called "homage."

Mak is not yet Johnnie To. There is a definite feeling throughout of a young, inexperienced director taking inspiration from a more experienced director, but without quite the same clarity of vision. A War Named Desire doesn't really transcend its genre-film origins like Johnnie To's best work.

That said, A War Named Desire is a very stylish and enjoyable gangster film. The plot is minimal; Daniel Chan journies to Thailand get back some money he feels long-lost brother Francis Ng owes him. Complications arise, though, and after a fairly rote series of murders, kidnappings and framings, things get ugly and we're in good old "heroic bloodshed" territory.

The first half hour or so is less than stunning; the setup is routine, (though not miserable or dull) Daniel Chan doesn't do much with his role, and Pace Wu is obviously dubbed by someone else. When things shift to Francis Ng and Gigi Leung, (in a role that, while not requiring a huge stretch in the acting department, finally allows her to play something other than a simpering girlfriend)though, the pace speeds up and the charisma level rises considerably. The last 30-40 minutes contains a number of standout scenes and moments. The photography is attractive throughout, (though I could take or leave some of the more gratuitous "cool" shots) and the action scenes, though sparse and not the major focus, are well done, particularly the finale. The eclectic, "hip" soundtrack works much more than it doesn't; the same, in fact, could be said for the movie as a whole. While Alan Mak has some learning to do before he'll make a movie that really sticks, for a third feature this is very impressive and promising. With Johnnie To producing only comedies this year, A War Named Desire is the best crime movie of 2000.