Beast Cops has got to be one of the most overrated movies ever made in Hong Kong. There are only a few elements that justify some praise. And that is Anthony Wong and the comedy. But an actioner this is not. Sure there are some violent scenes consisting of some sword fighting and occasional gun firing but just not enough to qualify it as hard hitting action, that you can expect from this type of Hong Kong film. And before you condemn me for being superficial or not open minded enough. This is advertised as a brilliant action film. You got to put the money where your mouth is. Plus when a film doesn't offer what is promised I will be the first one to embrace whatever goodness that is delivered.Except there is none. Even for a triad film Beast Cops doesn't convince. Yes, there are gangsters and the usual betrayal shenanigans. But it hardly shows what the triads do or why they are so feared. Plot wise this seemed such an important factor since these triads were so friendly with the cops. With the lack of story and suspense I at least expected some interesting things to happen. I mean why else would so many praise the hell out of this.. Well, I kept waiting and waiting and it never came.And what was Michael Wong doing in this? It seemed he was lost and on his way to the set of another crappy film he is featured in. Honestly, I do like the guy but let's face it he is one of the most boring actors in Hong Kong cinema. He didn't make much sense here. The only thing I could think of was that the director wanted to show some contrast between him and Anthony Wong's character. If that was the idea than he failed miserably. Compared to similar Hong Kong films Beast Cops doesn't add anything new other than humour, which in my book wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this.Ignore the fact that Beast Cops has won many awards and that it is praised. It is not deserving of that at all. Avoid!

Interestingly, half of the comments listed here state this film is a complete disaster and the other half call it an action masterpiece. The film is neither of these extremes and its quality really is a compromise of both stances.The begin with, the story it tells is rather straight forward with a typical flow of narrative we have seen in several other Asian thrillers. The story, however, is not a complete carbon copy of these other films and does have its own unique flavor, but the similarities can not be ignored.What does set it apart from these other Asian thriller is the way it is told. The film is disclosed in a terrific and unique visual flair. The film features some savvy cinematography and flashy lighting to really add a wonderful ambiance and atmosphere to the proceedings which does help elevate its otherwise mundane plot.The narrative also is infused with a good amount of comedy, causing the film to operate more as an action comedy rather than a straight action thriller. However, this is both to its advantage and disadvantage. The comedy does add a refreshing spin on the genre, making the film feel fresher than others of its ilk; but the comedy and serious violence is presented too unevenly making the film have a crisis in identity. At one moment the audience is expected to laugh and the next we are to cringe at the intensity and brutality of the action. This leads us to assume the film wasn't quite sure which direction to embrace.However, the acting really is a key point that aids in its overall success. Anthony Wong is on hand to give another terrific performance. Many critics cite this as one of his best roles, if not the best one he ever had. The reasons are quite clear as Wong can both exemplify a tender heart in softer scenes and a determined, vengeful soul in harder scenes. On account of his performance, some of the uneven issues in tones are brought to an equilibrium, but are unfortunately not entirely resolved.The acting form the supporting cast are adequate but nothing noteworthy. Some of the performances are rather over the top but that seems to be often the case in Asian thrillers, The rest are fortunately competent.Overall, if the script had greater focus and didn't conform to several conventional elements, then this film would have been one of the better thrillers to come out of Hong Kong. As it is, the film is a rather typical action thriller told in an invigorating manor. Recommended for anyone interested in thriller genre, but if you are a causal film viewer or if the genre isn't your forte, then there are better examples out there.

One of the worst films it's been my misfortune to watch in quite some time. A script which tries to simultaneously be serious, funny and different ends up offering none of these things. If ever there was a case of a film failing due to trying too hard to impress this would be it.

One of the worst Hong Kong action movies I ever seen. Dumb characters, Michael Wong and Anthony Wong's characters are flat out dumb. Don't waste your time on this flick, I turned it off after 45 mins. Luckily I only rented this movie for 1 dollar, so I don't feel as bad.