Writer: Loong Wai Ting

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Watch this if you liked: “New Police Story,” “Connected,” “ Speed”

Nothing paints a complete picture if the ending is not connected well with the storyline. For "Beast Stalker," not only did it paint a complete picture, but a perfect one.

As a start, none of the scenes in this movie should be missed out by any toilet breaks because this film has a chain of effects that is well determined by what goes on in the first two scenes. With regards to "Beast Stalker", there is a saying that there aren't any beasts so evil than of the human heart alone. Greed, money, power and freedom - this all comes with a price. This is the message of what the film is trying to tell us. It's never easy being a hero, especially a stand-alone hero.

Right from the beginning, I can pretty much sense where this story is going. The opening theme was just awesome. It sort of reminded me of a 2007 movie, "The Kingdom." The three-strings electric guitar, with the same rhythm and tune, plucked over and over again, that vaguely reminds me of Danny Elfman's "The Finale".

As the story builds up, so do all the actions, effects and characters. With every passing minute, the plot just gets thicker and more exciting. What more can you ask for from director, Dante Lam who brought us the latest "Storm Riders: Clash of Evils." In "Beast Stalker," he chose to experiment with the camera by shooting it with a contemporary style. Thank goodness that his experiment did not fail us. At times, his quick camera movements and abrupt pause in the middle of a crashing scene before completely capturing every emotion and expression is just mind-blowing. One should always expect the unexpected while watching movies, especially those from the Asian Hollywood. Hong Kong has always been famous for its triad movie and each time, it just get better and better.

Nicholas Tse plays a cop and like his dad, his performance as an actor has improved tremendously as compared to his younger days film. Watching the guy at work is like watching a pro unfolding the script for you. He becomes completely self-absorbed in his work to be able to showcase his capabilities. In short, this guy steals the show. Moreover, he looked so much better than he was in "Dragon, Tiger Gate."

The ending is just as awesome as the beginning. No lose ends; everything is nicely patched up. It is also the ending that we can finally understand what's going on, and to everyone's surprise, it all happened under a same loop of events. Talk about karma, huh?

Well, let's just say we should give this movie a chance. Who knows? It might just overtake "Twilight"!

Cinema Online, 27 November 2008