True clutching at straws style here, we are under X because the title finishes with the letter, X is a difficult letter, ok let me off.
Writer: Nick Cheuk, Lai-Yin Leung (Screenplay)
Starring: Louis Koo, Yue Wu, Ka Tung Lam, Chris Collins, Tony Jaa, Jacky Cai, Ken Lo
Plot: A tough Hong Kong cop’s 16 y.o. daughter disappears in Pattaya. He goes to Thailand to find her and must deal with corrupt cops but an honest one helps him track down culprits involved in illegal organ trafficking.
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Brutal Fights
Story: Paradox starts when Wing Chi (Chan) heads to Thailand to visit a friend, only for her to go missing, leading to her tough Hong Kong cop father Chung Chi (Koo) to go in search for her, he teams up with local cops Chui Kit (Wu) and Tak (Jaa) as they looks for clues about her location.
As Chung Chi gets deeper into the investigation, he learns of the corruption within the police department, with his daughter just being another victim of a much large scheme.
Thoughts on Paradox
Characters – Chung Chi is a Hong Kong detective who lost his wife in an accident, he has raised his daughter with strict rules, which has seen her need the freedom from him with a trip to Thailand. When she goes missing, he will show just how nonsense he is when it comes to looking for a lost loved one, not stopping or holding back in his search for answers. Chui Kit is the local Thai cop that is helping Chung Chi, he is like a younger version of the cop, who is about to start a family and is someone that is still learning his place in the forces bigger picture. Hon Shou is the businessman running the operation of taking victims, he keeps his business secret and makes sure the deals are done for the greater good. Tak is the local cop that will be rough to the criminals, but will never hurt an innocent, teaching Chui Kit about the risks they can face.
Performances – Louis Koo and Yue Wu together show us the pure desperation the two characters are feeling, while showing the hell they will fight through to stop the criminals. Tony Jaa will always excel in the fighting sequences with Ka Tung Lam being a great villainous figure through the film.
Story – The story here follows a Hong Kong detective that heads to Thailand in search for his missing daughter where he will uncover a web of cover ups about her disappearance. This is a story that does the travel to a new location to find missing relative well, it is an idea which will always make for a strong base for a story, where this one stands up is by having surprises along the way, willing to accept turns in the story you wouldn’t normally expect to see. The story might well struggle to establish is big enough villain though, while the motivation is big, they don’t seem like a presence when dealing with the cops.
Action/Crime – The action in this film is big, we have massive fights which show of all the fighting skills of the people involved, with a range of different weapons as we dive into the criminal world.
Settings – The film uses the Thailand settings to show us different locations the criminals would operate in.
Scene of the Movie – The final cut.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The villains don’t feel as present as you would think.
Final Thoughts – This is an action film that doesn’t hold back on the action with big fight sequences that cover up the basic underlying story which doesn’t become more challenging than it needs to.
Overall: Bruising Action Film.
