Watch 2000 AD For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Excellent adaptation.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The great thing about Hong Kong action thrillers is that you don't need a full frontal lobotomy before you can enjoy them. Movies like The Fast and The Furious, Stealth and A Man Apart are so shockingly devoid of any real action in the upstairs department that you wonder if someone really took the term 'no-brainer' too far and removed the juicy brains of the entire production staff.On the other side of the fence, and indeed the world, most Hong Kong made thrillers are clever and witty, relying on a believable and steadily developed plot just as much as fast-paced set pieces. 2000AD is a fantastic illustration of this approach. Gordon Chan's tight believable movie trundles along at a fast but not breakneck pace, giving you time to get your head round the clever but not convoluted plot.Centring on a corrupt American-Cantonese CIA op attempting to hold the world to ransom with a program capable of destroying any computer mainframe, 2000AD is complex but believable. It smartly avoids using any technology our current world can't produce, and as a result avoids tying itself up in nonsensical knots or producing any real plot holes.While it depends largely on character and story as opposed to braindead gunplay, 2000AD is also full of consummate examples of how to stage a fantastic action set piece. The action sequences are as good as you would expect from the Chan production team, full of great stunts and awesome spectacle. As an added bonus, the movie's slow-burning nature means that when it does let rip, boy do you feel it.With both of these elements, 2000AD comes in highly recommended. However it does have a few niggling flaws. For a start, the version I watched had somewhat awkward subtitles that missed odd segments of dialogue, but honestly this didn't detract much from the movie. Still, the film is a little unbalanced between high energy action and a somewhat darker element. The dialogue in the movie is knowingly funny and wittily written, as with many Hong Kong films, and although this is fun to have in the movie, some people might find it at odds with the film's often brutal action sequences.Still, if you enjoy Hong Kong cinema, you should seek this out, it won't disappoint, and if you feel like a change from the norm in your action movies you should definitely try this movie.

2000 AD (Gong Yuan 2000 AD)Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby DigitalA young games designer (Aaron Kwok) goes in search of the terrorists who murdered his brother (Ray Lui), a computer expert who may - or may not - have been involved in a program designed to destabilize the world's financial markets.Big budget action drama, directed by blockbuster specialist Gordon Chan (THUNDERBOLT, FIRST OPTION, etc.) as a vehicle for teen idol Kwok (THE STORM RIDERS), who acquits himself admirably as the carefree goof forced to grow up abruptly in the wake of Lui's untimely demise. The opening scenes provide a weak mix of 'comedy' and 'character development', all of which threaten to scupper the entire project, until Chan and veteran action director Yuen Tak cut loose with a series of high-octane confrontations between various factions on opposite sides of the law, culminating in a vertiginous fight scene between Kwok and lead terrorist Andrew Lin (THE BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR) on the roof of a high-rise hotel (don't look down!).HEROIC DUO's Francis Ng is the no-nonsense cop who treats Kwok with open suspicion until forced to protect him from terrorist assassins, while newcomers Phyllis Quek and Gigi Choi provide the requisite eye-candy. Second-billed Daniel Wu plays Kwok's best friend, and James Lye (Lai Hing-cheung) is a hunky special agent from Singapore who becomes involved in protecting Kwok from Lin's deadly machinations. A handsome, mature-looking actor, Lye made his name in TV dramas such as "Price of Peace", "Seasons of Love" and "Millennium Bug", and was poised to become a major star following his appearance in WHEN I FALL IN LOVE... WITH BOTH (2000) and 2000 AD. However, he quit showbusiness in 2000, citing 'personal reasons', and went into the banking industry before getting married and disappearing from the scene.(Cantonese dialogue)

I've never been a big fan of Aaron Kwok, but he's actually really good in this movie. Much better than in China Strike Force or Storm Riders.Gordon Chan is one of the best Hong Kong -action directors, and he really knows how to combine drama and fastpaced action. The gunfights in this movie are very good and the kung fu scenes are pretty well made too. The fighting is mostly quite realistic (at least compared to movies like New Dragon Gate Inn, Iron Monkey or other high-flying action flicks) and all the characters aren't great kung fu masters.Recommended for... anyone who likes GOOD action movies.

With 2000 AD, director Gordon Chan cements his status as modern Hong Kong cinema's "King of Gun Battles". While his peers seem intent on putting together shootouts which are either a) amateurish and poorly edited (Extreme Crisis, Blood Rules), or b) oblique and artsy (The Mission), Chan proves there is at least one director left in Hong Kong who can deliver thrilling and explosive gunfights like nobody's business. He's not a John Woo clone though. Unlike the slow-motion beauty of Hong Kong cinema's most successful export, Chan prefers a hard-hitting and realistic approach. Think of the gun battle in Michael Mann's HEAT, and you will get an idea of how Chan likes to shoot and edit. Besides the action scenes, 2000 AD is an average Hollywood-style thriller. The story won't change your life, but you will be amused and that's enough. Best of all, the movie is WELL-PACED! That's one skill the current crop of HK directors seem to lack - Their films are too slow. Not 2000 AD. Well paced, good acting, amusing story, and awesome action. What are you waiting for?