phanthinga The Mission(1999) is the most entertaining Johnie To movie i ever seen.For years i tried to watch many of his movie to know what the fuss about him and why he gain so much love in Western but every movie leave me with an unsatisfied feeling.Luckily this movie finally open my eyes about his direction style.Describe as a action crime movie with heroic bloodshed spirit to the core the movie is very relaxing.Sure there are many shootout in this movie but it never feel over the top like John Woo shootout.The bullet sound when it hit very realistic and add so much tension to the scene.There are many moment which make the characters stand out and shine in their own right when facing enemies or overcome each other differences.It a good watch and i highly recommend it

Guy THE MISSION is an HK film about men with guns. In this case they're hired shooters, chosen as bodyguards for a Triad boss after an assassination attempt. Their job is to keep him safe and work out who in his organisation was behind the failed hit. Basically this means a film of two halves. One half is a gentle comedy about (a very unusual) workplace, as the gunmen get bored and do things like covertly play football with a scrunched up piece of paper. The other half is a stylish action film, with it's standout scene being an ultra-cool shootout in a deserted shopping mall after hours; it's all angles and mirrors as the two sides try to outmaneuver and kill each other. It's short, unpretentious and not especially incident-packed but it makes up for that with some wry smiles and clever gunfights.

Nelson Carvajal "The Mission" steers away from the usual plot types of the Hong Kong Cinema New Wave and does not rely on martial arts for thrills. Instead, what we have here is a sort of marginal "Reservoir Dogs" since there is a sense of comradery between the five assigned hit men (though a cigarette prank isn't as charming as its played to be). Consider the scene where a sniper catches the five hit men off guard as they escort their boss to a car. One of the hit men veers off and is left behind on the conscience decision of the lead hit-man. When this left behind man returns to base, he slaps the lead man in the most offending manner for minutes. The lead man, a tough guy named "Ice," allows himself to be beaten. Why? Because in their world of corrupt organizations and tight hit groups, one does not leave a man behind. This sense of loyalty arises to a full extent in the third act, where the men must question what is the "right" thing to do.The film also contains a couple of shoot out scenes. But don't be fooled; you are not gonna watch "The Matrix." Instead, look for the wide angle lense shots of various suited hit men standing in very specific places, barely moving their feet, but the sequences are very exciting because if you step back, it's orchestrated skillfully and cued beautifully to the--music.From the opening scroll a sort of 'laughable' techno beat pumps, and all sorts of upbeat synthesized sounds fill the soundtrack to an unexpected result: an acceptance. After a while, you look forward to hearing what kind of sound matches up with what sort of scene. This type of tough, nitty genre relies on music, and the setting of the film calls for this amped up sound.

ajy1 The third Johnnie To film to be released this year (following "Where A Good Man Goes" and "Running Out Of Time), "The Mission" is surprisingly different in a lot of respects. Beautifully photographed but slightly underwhelming, "Mission" features a simple storyline about 5 bodyguards protecting a triad boss in his daily endeavors.The film is defined by gorgeously stark cinematography and visual framing that utilizes wide angle lenses effectively. Just check out the sequence at a mall where the bodyguards are all focusing on different unseen targets. It all resembles a whacked-out target-shooting video game. There is also some solid performances, esp. by Anthony Wong as Curtis, one of the bodyguards.Unfortunately, the story is a little underwhelming since we're now accustomed to seeing Milky Way films that feature interweaving tales that deal a lot with fate and consequence. While this one does have a certain element of that, for the most part it's about both the loyalty and monotony that is inherent in the bodyguard profession.While "The Mission" is slightly lacking in certain respects, it is still a solid Milky Way production and a good capper to To and company's good year.