A quote from DFvideodiary:
Kick-ass HK action/gun fu with tons of bone-snapping fights, violence and bloodshed. Check out gorgeous Joey Wong, insane sportswear, karaoke, perms and a whacky 'Terminator' hitman. Recommended.
Someone named DFvideodiary wrote this comment / review on letterboxd.com. This is the one comment that gave me hope for this action flick I never had heard of. Now, I have seen the film, but kick-ass certainly doesn't come to mind. To be fair to him, a lot of the stuff he has mentioned is featured in the film. Still, it's nowhere near as cool as it sounds. Let me explain.
In essence, the film is about two assassins (played by Jackie Cheung and Patrick Tam) who are ordered by Uncle Min (Kenneth Tsang) to do certain hits. In the opening sequence, we can witness how competent they are, or rather how incompetent they are. KK (Patrick Tam) at least has a good excuse, he is what you call inexperienced and still has to learn the trade. But Eagle (Jackie Cheung) is supposed to be an expert. I mean they get the job done eventually, but if Eagle hadn't been so careless and stupid to draw his gun while his target his looking, he would have already been zipping Mai Tais and all that other good stuff.
After what they perceive as a job well done, they return home and son KK makes fun of his father in the worst way possible. Uncle Min doesn't take this well and decides to punish his son with a pretty big gun, a magnum .44 if I am not mistaken. Save to say that Uncle Min does seem to have some sense of humour, because it turns out he had put in blanks. He obviously wanted to teach his son a lesson. One would think after such an ordeal KK would change his ways and do his best to succeed in assassinating people. Apparently it's harder than it looks.
Both KK and Eagle decide to chill out in a club and it's here where they meet Julie played by Joey Wong. Not only does she sell insurance policies, she also dabbles as a DJ. I like Joey Wong. Ever since A Chinese Ghost Story I think she is someone who should have been a big star or at least one who could and should have made more of an impact. But somehow she ended up in vehicles like this. I mean, work is work. Sometimes it's better to keep working than not at all. Except, she really has very little to do. They try to make her a vital part. Unfortunately, this only points out the flaws of the narrative. Most of the time she looks like she is bored out of her mind.
Basically, there is no story. You do have certain events and some remarkable characters who liven things up but for the most part it's nonsensical. Take Puma and Lily for example. They are played by Ken Lo and Lin Gwai-Yuet. Quite a pair if I am being honest. At first I thought Lily was transgender. But turns out she is a female bodybuilder. Puma like in most films likes to flex his muscles and skills whenever he can. For some reason, they want to be part of this super-duper gang but like Eagle and KK also have the knack to keep screwing up things for themselves and others.
At this point you really must be thinking that this is some kind of comedy. I wish. Nope, almost every event is intended to be serious. How do I know? Because the melodrama is quite high in this film. There are many moments where you know you have to feel for the characters and trust me I was very willing except for the fact that certain actions literally have very little to no impact. Something truly horrific happens to Julia's father. Obviously, she is devastated. Then she finds out the truth and is angry as hell. As one should in this situation. But very soon after she is not concerned with what has happened and very easily sides with the people who have caused her injustice in the first place. Eagle even defends himself and his brother in arms.
If you hadn't realized by now Point of No Return is as bad as they come. I don't think it's bad in the sense that you won't be able to enjoy it. Since the action that is present is adequate. But is it exciting? Unfortunately, the action sequences simply lack the finesse and choreography to make an impact. Too many times the action is interrupted for incompetency of the highest degree to then continue the action where all the momentum that had been built up is gone. I think we can blame producer / director Guy Lai Ying-Chau for this since this film clearly needed an experienced director of action films. The few films he has directed are comedies. It's possible that he unknowingly let the comedy seep through.
You might think I am being too harsh. But take the GIF above as an example. Looks cool right? Pay attention to the dude in the back. He is taking cover behind a plant. Mind you I am not a botanist but I am pretty sure there are no plants who can shield you from bullets. It's things like these that completely take you away from the tension and thrills you should be experiencing during action sequences like this. To be fair, though, the action in the finale probably is the most enjoyable and certainly worth your while. If not for the stupid and pointless ending.
So is this a film I can recommend? Certainly not. Not even late at night would this be acceptable.
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