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The Sniper, or Sun cheung sau in its original Hong Kong release in 2009, is a tale of revenge whose story is centred around a team of police snipers that go head to head with a former colleague recently released from prison and on a mission to enact his own brand of justice.

The Sniper is a fairly standard action movie, one that’s really neither good nor bad. Richie Ren plays Hartman, the chief of the police sniper squad, and Xiaoming Huang plays Lincoln his former colleague bent on revenge. Principally the story explores the constantly competitive relationship between these two characters, often through exploratory flashback sequences. This non-linear narrative does help to try and keep your attention in what is quite a slow paced film outside of the action sequences.

Plot-wise it does feel like several aspects of the story are missing as relationships between Hartman and his wife and Lincoln and his girlfriend are shown briefly but not explored. The character of OJ, played by Edison Chen, is introduced as a hotheaded recruit caught between the differing styles of the two leads – again a relationship that seems somewhat underdeveloped. Plot inconsistencies abound. Why OJ would suddenly doubt Hartman, his superior, in favour of Lincoln, whom he only knows from rumour of his sniping prowess, isn’t really qualified. Also, Lincoln starts off seeming clear and reasoned in his revenge whereas in a later scene he’s depicted as hallucinating and being completely mentally unstable.

From the start the film exudes an almost unhealthy tendency towards macho gun worship. Certain lines of dialogue overtly romanticise the act of shooting, linking the gun to the heart. Things aren’t really helped by the constant and unnecessary amount of topless posing the snipers and recruits seem to engage in that borders on gun-based erotica. Some of the actors also seemed to subscribe to the James T. Kirk school of line delivery with fractured pauses breaking up natural dialogue flow.

Ignoring a couple of shocking CGI cut ins, the action is for the most part quite entertaining. The crowing achievement of which being the end sequence which is a shooting gallery style bloodbath, as fun as it is absurd, coming complete with an inspirational soundtrack that would make Rambo proud.

The movie is reasonably well shot but it does suffer from some severe editing during which presumably several of the previously mentioned story aspects ended up on the cutting room floor. In this way The Sniper certainly looses its way more than a couple of times with some disjointed scenes and entire subplots left unexplored. But if you overlook that and are a fan of Asian cinema or gun toting action movies then The Sniper might be for you.

5 out of 10 – points given for the decent action scenes, others taken for the murky plot development

The Sniper is out on DVD March 12.

What can I say about this film that hasn’t been said before? Amélie isn’t without it’s praise from film critics all over the world. It took home two BAFTAs and was nominated for five Oscars. When it comes to films that would try to imitate its style, pacing, and atmosphere, it went untouched. Amélie holds its place and its delightful quirks will never be duplicated. It’s unique, and always shall be to those who’ve seen it.

Amélie was released in 2001. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by him as well, along with Guillaume Laurant. It stars the wonderful Audrey Tautou as the titular character. It’s been labeled as a romantic comedy, but please just throw that idea out. It is so many things more than that. It has mystery, comedy, drama, and classical romance. Visually, the film is beautiful. One of the first films I remember seeing that had an art style that was clear but still subtle. And of course, a perfect score by Yann Tiersen, who’s music in this film can spark emotions in the viewer.

The story of Amélie Poulain stars off while she is a little girl with perhaps the most imaginative perspective of daily life. Watching her experience those moments, which for plenty of us are all too familiar is something that when done right, can make us emotional. Many of us had a pet we had to give away, or a parent we lost too early on. It also reminds us of the incredible imaginations we had as children. When we didn’t know how something was made, in our heads we just pictured it was made with some form of magic. Amélie is no different. She warps the world with her mind to keep it interesting, and luckily for her, she manages to keep this wild imagination as she grows up.

Her adult life is a simple one. She works at a restaurant where she gets along well with her co-workers and the familiars, who all have their own interesting histories and personalities. Amélie’s life goes on, but she is suddenly shocked with the sudden death of Princess Diana. It sparks a series of events that leads to her wanting to help people, without anyone knowing she was helping them. With the help of an elderly neighbour who is usually locked up in his apartment due to having weak bones, she is able to track down a past tenant of her apartment and return to him a box filled with mementos from his childhood. It triggers something in her and it takes her on a beautiful adventure.

The film is a bundle of fun, and that can’t be said enough. I could sit here and write out everything that happens, but I feel for a movie as great at this, it just needs to be experienced. It is one of the most pleasant feel good films I have ever seen. I couldn’t recommend it enough. Take a chance, and watch Amélie. With the subtitles, not the English dub. Have a great time with it.