Advanced Search View Cart   Checkout   
 Location:  Home » Dvds by Johnny To » Crime » The Mission June 28, 2006  
Related Categories
Crime
Action & Adventure
Genres
DVD
Video
General
Art House & International
Genres
DVD
Video
Cheung, Roy
( C )
Actors & Actresses
Stores
DVD
Video
Ng, Francis
( N )
Actors & Actresses
Stores
DVD
Video
Yam, Simon
( Y )
Actors & Actresses
Stores
DVD
Video
To, Johnny
( T )
Directors
Stores
DVD
Video
General
Hong Kong
By Country
Art House & International
Genres
DVD
Video
( M )
Titles
Features
DVD
Video
General
Crime
Mystery & Suspense
Genres
DVD
Video
Cops & Triads
Hong Kong
By Country
Art House & International
Genres
DVD
Video


The Mission
The Mission
enlarge
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $6.80
You Save: $23.15 (77%)
Buy New/Used from $6.00

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(based on 19 reviews)
Sales Rank: 23668
Category: DVD

Director: Johnny To
Publisher: Tai Seng
Studio: Tai Seng
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
Label: Tai Seng
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Cantonese Chinese (Original Language), Mandarin Chinese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 88 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6

ISBN: 6305821453
UPC: 601643786643
EAN: 0601643786643
ASIN: 6305821453

Release Date: April 25, 2000
Theatrical Release Date: November 30, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Similar Items:

  "  Longest Nite
  "  Running Out of Time
  "  Running Out of Time 2
  "  Expect the Unexpected
  "  So Close

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
This rewarding Hong Kong action movie has a sleek yet realistic style that lifts it above the average crime thriller. When someone attempts to take out a mob boss named Mr. Lung, the boss's brother Frank (played by the great Simon Yam) puts together a team of five bodyguards to protect Lung. At first the team is bored as nothing happens. They bicker among themselves and run errands. After a close call, they pull themselves into a ruthlessly efficient unit. Both the mundanity and the high tension of their lives are vividly evoked. Slowly, the personalities of the individual bodyguards come to light in snapshot scenes. But when the threat to Mr. Lung is resolved, their troubles really begin; one of them is accused of having an affair with Lung's wife, and the others must kill him or be killed themselves. The Mission seems confusing at first because it doesn't follow the usual rules for a thriller of this kind. The jagged yet riveting scenes, enhanced by low-key yet compelling performances and superb cinematography, come together like fragments of a shattered picture. Without seeming to tell you anything, The Mission paints a tense portrait of these men's mutual bond. Despite the melodramatic elements of the plot, the movie's attention to realistic detail makes the stakes matter. Well worth viewing. --Bret Fetzer


Customer Reviews:   Read 14 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars Watch out for Chinese DVDs   September 23, 2005
It seems to me like this is not a DVD but rather a CDV converted to DVD. The image quality is bad, so is the sound and there is some text underneath the picture all the time. but this is the only place I could find this film, great work by director Johnnie To with all the usual HK stars.


4 out of 5 stars A warning about the DVD subtitles   February 27, 2004
  3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I loved the film, but a word of warning about the english subtitles. The translation is very strange in parts - substitution of completely wrong words with a similar spelling. Also the subtitles linger only just long enough for you to be able to read them if you happen to be looking at the bottom of the screen waiting in anticipation.


4 out of 5 stars Great Hong Kong drama   August 7, 2003
  3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a great Hong Kong drama as opposed to one of those Hong Kong shoot-em ups. The action sequences aren't over-the-top John Woo catharsis. They're taut, paced and intelligent sequences. The way the characters all come together to form an elite bodyguard team is handled subtly. But the way friendships are portrayed between cold-blooded killers is portrayed real well.


5 out of 5 stars A sleek masterpiece   April 30, 2002
  4 out of 4 found this review helpful

First things first: don't go into this expecting a kinetic action flick, a la Time and Tide or The Big Heat. There are few flashy action scenes to be found here, the dialogue is sparse, the camera rarely moves and when it does, it creeps along slowly. All of which makes the film more exciting and more tense. There are a handful of action scenes here, and the three major ones are all incredibly well done. The standoffs at the mall, the deserted building, and in the alley are all examples of what is lost when actions scenes rely too heavily on Michael Bay-esque pyrotechnics and camera movement.

The acting is top notch, with most of the major actors playing against type to a certain extent: they're all rather quiet. Anthony Wong is a quietly effecient assassin, Roy Cheung is the quiet nice guy, Lam Suet is the quiet peanut-eating gun expert....these roles all play off nicely against Francis Ng's edgy, tempestuous character and Simon Yam's weirdly humorous gangster (who really seems to be running the show, not his brother, whom the hired guns are protecting).

All in all, this film is ample evidence that Hong Kong cinema is alive and well, even after the mass exodus of talent.


4 out of 5 stars Very cool movie   April 25, 2002
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I can wholeheartedly recommend this movie. Action fans won't be disappointed, and it has a solid plot to boot. I have now seen 3 movies by Johnny To, and they all have a little *twist* in the plot. That makes them more interesting and they definitely stand out from run-of-the-mill shoot-'em-ups.

Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006