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Drug War

Play trailer Poster for Drug War R 2013 1h 45m Crime Drama Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 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.

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Drug War

Drug War

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Steve Erickson Film Comment Magazine 11/04/2013
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. Go to Full Review
Tom Russo Boston Globe 10/17/2013
2/4
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. Go to Full Review
Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 08/15/2013
Few other working filmmakers display this degree of visual sophistication and old-school craftsmanship. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine 10/13/2020
9/10
The action is regularly punctuated by moments of messy, inconvenient realism. Go to Full Review
Ard Vijn ScreenAnarchy 01/13/2020
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. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 08/07/2019
3.5/4
To is a born storyteller, and his work here is nothing short of astonishing. Drug War is a great film Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Landon J @Minxsykitty Aug 3 Of all the Hong Kong movies I've seen, this honestly didn't keep my attention very much. Underwhelming in the drama and action department. Most of the meat of this title happens in the last few minutes, and there isn't a lot to see there anyway. See more b s Feb 25 古天乐饰演的角色简直有一种永不放弃的坚韧,看了都让人喜欢了。钟汉良好像只负责耍帅,缺少必要的存在。 See more 05/11/2020 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... See more dustin d 05/01/2020 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. See more 10/30/2018 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 See more 06/12/2016 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. See more Read all reviews
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Drug War

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Movie Info

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
Huaxia Film Distribution Company, Milky Way Image, CCTV Movie Channel, 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
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