The Beast Stalker (2008)

The Beast Stalker, directed by Dante Lam (director of Sniper), is a cop thriller following a series of characters tied up in an incident that resulted in the accidental death of a little girl. In order to redeem himself for her death, Sergeant Tong (Nicholas Tse) relentless attempts to save her sister who was kidnapped by a hitman (played by Nick Cheung) with one eye in order to be used as leverage against the attorney (Jingchu Zhang), the girl’s mother, who is prosecuting a known criminal. The action sequences are intense and the film moves at a very fast pace. The Beast Stalker is a very accessible thriller that could very easily end up being remade in the US (much like Infernal Affairs was made into The Departed). It employs the use of the “shaky cam” which has become so popular in recent years (as seen in the last two Bourne films) and the story, despite its many characters, is easy to follow.

The only issues that arise in this film that may turn off some of the more observant viewers are some of the distractingly implausible details that arise. For instance, it is made very clear from his introduction that the hitman is blind in one eye and his remaining eye is quickly losing its ability to see; in fact he is even colorblind in that eye. So for the big climax, Tong attempts to protect the little girl while fighting off the hitman in some kind of underground labyrinth-like sewer system. It is so dark down there that the audience can barely see the characters. So why is it that the Hitman has the upper hand? His ability to see anything down there is a stretch, let alone he somehow being better equipped for the environment; he manages to get the drop on Tong as if being nearly blind somehow makes one capable of navigating dark environments. There are a few other instances of the story being implausible just to move along the plot such as when Tong searches through a dozen garbage bags at a dump (in the dark no less) and manages to find a (very small) clue when he was not even sure what to look for. Instances like this aside, the film is not a bad one. Some of the action sequences, such as the chase scene about half way in, are pretty spectacular and rely on little or no special effects. The film also manages give every character believable motivation as well as depth. The acting is also very solid across the board. One of the film’s major themes is causality and it manages to tie up every character into one major incident seamlessly and flawlessly. You really get the sense that everything that happens in the film is the result of this one event that basically causes a domino effect for every scene after. Needless to say the ending is quite satisfying. It is a definite recommendation for any fan of Hong Kong action films.