Drug War

R

Released Jul 26, 2013

1h 45m

Crime

Drama

Action

List

94%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

77%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

After he's taken into custody, a drug lord (Louis Koo) must help the police bust his former associates or else face the death penalty.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Drug War on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

A taut, solidly constructed action thriller with uncommon intelligence, Drug War delivers exhilarating set pieces without skimping on sophisticated filmmaking.

Read Critics Reviews

Steve Erickson

Film Comment Magazine

Not only does the film never question the ethics of a war on drugs in which dealers and manufacturers are subject to the death penalty, it appears to enthusiastically endorse it.

Nov 4, 2013

Full Review

Tom Russo

Boston Globe

Another inkling of the style limitations perhaps most responsible for To's lower visibility stateside compared with, say, his countrymen John Woo and Wong Kar-wai.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 17, 2013

Full Review

Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Few other working filmmakers display this degree of visual sophistication and old-school craftsmanship.

Aug 15, 2013

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

The action is regularly punctuated by moments of messy, inconvenient realism.

Rated: 9/10

Oct 13, 2020

Full Review

Ard Vijn

ScreenAnarchy

Not every last little thing may work in Johnnie To's new crime thriller, but the vast majority of it clicks together as a damn solid piece of action craftsmanship, anchored by two good leads.

Jan 13, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

To is a born storyteller, and his work here is nothing short of astonishing. Drug War is a great film

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

h a

Dude, where's your movie? It was like a TV crime re-enactment show without a narrator. Why did you try to make a movie?

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Serge L

Non-stop very efficient fight against the mob using a drug lord that was losing it all. Original ending. The film is ass-kicking.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/28/20

Full Review

Audience Member

The final shoot-out scenes are something to see- As bloody as Peckinpah's Wild Bunch but more realistic....No false sentiment in this film- It's all just kill or be killed...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

dustin d

The police state vs. drug traffickers. A stoic and morally ambiguous cop vs. a criminal for whom there is no floor to the depths he will sink to save his own skin. Drug War is gritty and intelligent, realistically and unapologetically portraying the methods of drug trafficking (such as passing pods of cocaine in drug mules' intestines) and police procedures in the absence of human rights (so much warrantless surveillance!). As off-putting as some of the images are, the film respects its viewers. For example, in an early scene, a couple undercover cops are following a pair of drug traffickers. They pass through a toll booth (also staffed by an undercover cop), and have to scrape money together to pay the toll. About an hour later in the film, the two undercover cops are tasked with another assignment, and the policewoman who had been the toll-booth operator spots them some cash. The filmmakers trust their audience to remember the duo didn't have any money, and the policewoman would remember that, without having to explain it. And it all builds up to a shootout in the streets that almost rivals Heat. Must-see movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie which i find on my boxxy software , love love love these type of movie where it keeps me wanting to watch till the end

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Johnnie To remains the master of Chinese and Hong Kong Cinema. All it takes is one action set piece and you will see why. Drug War is about a meth cook who will turn against his people in exchange for not getting the death penalty, because apparently China is not the place to cook or sell meth. The script is solid, and I love the fact it was shot entirely on China, and not the China we see in big Hollywood productions, but a post industrial Chinese state that looks and feels authentic. All the actors , but mainly Louis Koo, are outstanding. Perhaps some day in the near future American audiences will get a remake like the Departed did for the Infernal Affairs Saga. But until then I suggest any fan of the crime genre take a peek at this hidden gem.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Johnnie To

Director

Louis Koo

Timmy Choi Tin-ming

Honglei Sun

Zhang Lei

Huang Yi

Yang Xiaobei

Li Jing

Junior Dumb

Michelle Ye Xuan

Sal

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

30%

57%

Gangster Squad

13%

19%

American Heist

82%

87%

The Raid 2

93%

79%

Drive

87%

87%

The Raid: Redemption

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: The Wolverine Is Pretty Sharp

View more photos

Synopsis

After he's taken into custody, a drug lord (Louis Koo) must help the police bust his former associates or else face the death penalty.

Director: Johnnie To
Producer: Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai
Screenwriter: Ryker Chan, Ka-Fai Wai, Nai-Hoi Yau, Xi Yu
Distributor: Variance Films
Production Co: CCTV Movie Channel, Milky Way Image, Huaxia Film Distribution Company, Beijing Hairun Pictures Company, Hairun Movies & TV Group
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language|Drug Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $127.9K
Runtime: 1h 45m

Most Popular at Home Now