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 ull-Time Killer concerns a professional
assassin named O (Takashi Sorimachi), a Japanese living in Hong Kong (although
he doesn't speak Chinese) and happens to be the top assassin in Asia. All of
Asia's most lucrative murder contracts go through O because he's known for his
efficiency -- in fact, he's so hardened that he will shoot a former classmate
who recognizes him by accident during one of his hits. O is being pursued by an
up-and-coming killer name Tok (Andy Lau), a Chinese man who wants to replace O.
If the premise sounds familiar, that's because it's the
exact same premise of an American movie about assassins called, appropriately
enough, Assassins, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. That
movie, like Full-Time Killer, concerns a brooding and somber killer with
no life to speak off who is being challenged by a young punk who has more guts
than brains.
The Hitman Genre is something of an
obsession with Hong Kong films and there will usually be two or three films in the
genre in any given year. I believe (although I
may be wrong) that the obsession began with John Woo's The
Killer, starring Chow Yun Fat, which was made in the late '80s and made
Woo and Fat internationally famous. Like Woo's movie, Full-Time Killer is
a stylish actioner, and also like Woo's movie, the O character in Full-Time Killer
is not "as bad as he appears." Meaning that he's quite an affable chap
when you get to know him -- that is, if he lets you, and if he doesn't shoot you
first.
Tok, on the other hand, is as cold-blooded as they come. What's more, the
Chinese hitman seems to enjoy his job with a maniacal relish, and tells anyone
and their parents about his profession the first chance he gets. Being a killer
is not just a profession for Tok, it's a lifestyle. He embraces his life and
quotes American hitman films such as Robert Rodriguez's Desperado at every turn. The man really likes his job.
As played by Andy Lau, Tok is brimming with confidence and
arrogance, but one thinks it may all be a façade. You see, earlier in his life,
Tok was a world champion marksman until he, and the rest of the world, realizes
that Tok is prone to seizures when faced with bright, flashing lights. This
Achilles Heel ended Tok's career (ruined him, actually) thus launching his
second career as a hitman. By the movie's halfway point, we realize Tok's
obsession with O doesn't just stem from Tok's need to replace O as the top
assassin, but the two have a history together that goes back to Tok's (and we
later learn, O's) past as a champion marksman. While this is quite an
interesting twist, the movie quickly forgets about this subplot for
more stylish action and brooding poses by O.
The movie also shifts between voiceover narrations. First O,
then Tok, and then Chin (Kelly Lin), a video store clerk who works nights as O's
housekeeper twice a week. Later on in the movie, an Interpol Agent who has been
chasing O takes over the narration. This seems out of place at first, like some
strange tangent, but eventually makes itself useful to the movie's overall
story.
Chin, we come to learn, has her own reasons for working for
O, and the shy woman who we first meet turns out to have something of a wild
side. Chin becomes even more involved in O's world when Tok, in an effort to
co-opt anything and everything relating to O, charms his way into Chin's life,
and the two eventually become lovers. When O learns about this, he's obviously
very vexed. It seems that over the years while working for O, Chin has developed
something of unrequited love for her mysterious boss; unbeknownst to her, O has developed
similar feelings for her, although in his state as a brooding killer, he has no
room for a girlfriend. What's worst, his last housekeeper was killed by his
enemies, thus making O very hesitant to befriend another housekeeper, especially
one he likes. O and Chin's worlds, and their attraction to each other, is
spurred into the light by Tok's manipulations.
Full-Time Killer seems to enjoy being all style.
While there is some substance, there is very little, and not nearly enough to
call Full-Time Killer a "character" film. Character motivations only
go so far as to lead us to the next action sequence. And to be sure, the action
sequences are quite spectacular and well-done. The array of arsenals employed by
the assassins is quite impressive, especially Tok's choice of weapons.
The
director(s) rarely allows the camera to remain still, so viewers should expect
plenty of craning shots, tracking shots, and the "camera POV goes into
computer screen and out another screen" shots made popular in The
Matrix. The movie is relatively short at just under 90 minutes, and the
result is good pacing and things are never allowed to remain still for long.
Quiet moments occur only when O and Chin are alone together, and the two
realizes how awkward it is for them, since they're both people of few
words.
The actors are all accomplished, and Japanese actor
Sorimachi is good as the brooding and lonely O, and Kelly Lin is cast perfectly
in the role of the shy Chin, who turns out to be not so shy after all. Andy Lau
goes insane with his role, and in a movie where the main actor exudes little
excitement (as written), a colorful villain is necessary to keep the mood from
becoming too somber. Lau flourishes in the role and seems to be having a blast.
While Full-Time Killer is a good action film, it
won't replace John Woo's The
Killer anytime soon. But in its own way, Full-Time Killer has
breathed some life into the stale Hitman Genre.
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