Review of Drug War (2012) by Michael S — 03 Jan 2014

This isn't the To I'm used to seeing. Where offerings such as 'Exiled' and 'Vengeance' deal much more with characters and relationships, 'Drug War' is almost completely about the narrative.

Also gone are To's Woo-esque gun fight ballets for a more realistic photographing of the shootouts. Don't look for side plots with love stories or character studies -- they aren't there and they aren't needed.

The thrill is in the tale and the telling, which To does well, playing games of trust and tension that build effectively around interesting characters about whom we, ironically, find out little and around a smartly conceived progression of events.

Very satisfying to see something this different from To and be every bit as good for what it aspires to be. Definite thumbs up.