A different way of telling a story

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The Big Heat is a very underrated HK action flick. This was made in the late 80's, a great time for action and the peak of this genre in HK. this overlooked gem is HK action at its finest. Gritty, fast paced with solid action and direction and lots of high octane, extreme action. The Big Heat is really cooking with truckloads of crazy action, blood and gore. This film has two directors, Andrew Kam and Johnny To. While some projects suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen", The Big Heat is totally solid and cohesive. Johnny To would later become one of the most prolific and respected directors in HK cinema. Waise Lee is the lead in this film and is an overworked, stressed out cop that is about to retire until he gets the news that one of his close friends gets barbecued in Malaysia. He scratches that idea and starts to work on the case. Waise Lee does a good job as veteran cop and hero. He usually is cast as villain in this type of movie. Speaking of going against type, Chu Kong (who is best known to western audiences as Sydney from John Woo's classic The Killer) is in his element as a violent, drug pushing villain. Also appearing is Shaw Brothers kung fu star Phillip Kwok in one of his most memorable performances in a modern action movie besides Hard Boiled. The gorgeous Joey Wang has a brief, but memorable performance as a nurse. She also is a love interest for the rookie cop working on the case with Waise Lee's group of cops. If you are a fan of action, The Big Heat is hard to beat. Gorehounds should also take note as the violence in this film is very bloody and very extreme.

One of Johnnie To's earlier films, this tale is more akin to the hard crime thriller of Martin Scorsese rather than To's recent "tongue-in- cheek" style. What we have here is brutal storytelling of blackmail, espionage, corruption, and violence all facing one struggling Hong Kong detective. Even by today's standards the violence is both shocking and disturbing to see. Some sequences may be over the top, and while out of place they are vastly entertaining. The plot of "a washed-up cop pulled back in for one last job" had been done to death even back in 1988, however Johnnie To added in some twists plus heavy suspense to make the material fresh. In my opinion the faults are the editing and lack of charisma from Waise Lee's character. The protagonist could have been more likable to better engage the audience, and the editing is dated with some awkward cuts and sped up/slowed down moments which don't blend well with the drama. Other than that the material hit home with me, and the all-out conclusion left me in awe. Keep in mind this is filled with winding clues and bloody confrontations, not an easy watch. -7/10

Co-Director Johnnie To who has also created other classic Chinese crime flicks, Fulltime Killer 2001, Drug War 2012, The Mission 1999 and Exiled 2006 and co-director Wah Yeung have created another gem in The Big Heat.Starring Waise Lee who has also been in another classic flick, Bullet in the Head 1990 and another classic Chinese Crime flick, A Better Tomorrow 1986.Also starring Joey Wang.Also starring Philip Kwok who has also been in other classic flicks, Tomorrow Never Dies 1997, Crippled Avengers 1978, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky 1991, Shaolin Temple 1976, Master of the Flying Guillotine 1976 and another classic Chinese crime flick, Hard-Boiled 1992.Also starring Matthew Wong.I enjoyed the violence and non-stop action.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic Chinese crime flicks, Above the Law 1986, Beast Cops 1998, A Better Tomorrow II 1987, Crime Story 1993, Ebola Syndrome 1996, Flash Point 2007, Full Contact 1992, Gen-X Cops 1999, Invisible Target 2007, SPL: Kill Zone 2005, The Killer 1989, On the Run 1988, In the Line of Duty 1986, Vengeance 1970, White Tiger 1996, Burning Ambition 1989, Safe 2012, Fatal Move 2008, The Viral Factor 2012, SPL 2: A Time for Consequences 2015, Dog Bite Dog 2006, Big Bullet 1996, Firestorm 2013, The White Storm 2013, Paradox 2017 and Year of the Dragon 1985.

Gloomy apocalyptic testament of Hong Kong's capitalism. Homosexuality, drug-dealing, and street-showdown between the police and a psychic criminal show that Chinese views of value have been already raped by 100 year-domain of westernization regardless of their UNWANTED retro-annexation to main China.