The Beast Stalker (DVD)

A botched raid, an uncompromising police sergeant, a slimy mob boss and a rather incredible car chase all features in the first few moments of The Beast Stalker. There’s some top notch stunt work, some expert direction and a jaw dropping money shot to drool over.  Unfortunately, once the dust settles on this impressive lead in, the subsequent 90 minutes seem rather flat by comparison.

The film revolves around Sergeant Tong (Tse), a tough, no nonsense type whose high speed pursuit of local mob boss Cheung (Keaung) ends in tragedy, leaving lasting scars on all involved and resulting in the accidental death of a young girl. When the story picks up several months later, Tong and his unit have disbanded and hotshot attorney Ann Gao (Zhang) is leading the prosecution against the villainous Cheung, intent on bringing justice for her late daughter Yee; the unfortunate victim of the car chase.

As you’d expect, things are far from simple, and soon Ann’s other daughter Ling is taken hostage by Cheung’s associates, demanding she fix the trial if she wants to see her daughter again. Tong is quick to step up to the plate in a bid to clean his conscious and bring the bad guys to justice.

Plot wise, it’s a pretty standard affair. There’s nothing here we haven’t seen time and again in any one of hundreds of action thrillers. Most of the characters are routine sorts, but are played adequately by a strong ensemble with Tse and Zhang impressive in their leading roles; but we’re certainly left wanting for more onscreen encounters between Tong and Ann. We never get any real sense of the fallout of Yee’s death and there’s not much time allowed for Ann to warm up to Tong on his quest to save her other daughter.

There’s a bright spark in the so-so line up though; contract killer Hung (Cheung), a half blind man whose also scarred by recent tragedies. Cheung brings a real sense of menace to his role, flitting back and forth between gentle caregiver to his crippled wife in one scene, to stone cold killer in the next.

The film’s built on solid foundations and there are some truly impressive moments on show here. Director Dante Lam demonstrates real flare with the film’s action sequences, with a kinetic approach and snappy editing, but those, the film’s strongest moments, are unfortunately few and far between. The emotional drama which constitutes much of the film is more or less on the money, but some overegged acting at pivotal points might bring about more laughs than tears.

A respectable batch of extras rounds off the two disc set and thankfully keeps the focus on the film’s impressive action sequences.

Overall Verdict: It’s nothing special, but The Beast Stalker proves itself a solid enough crime thriller. It’s just a shame the film’s most memorable moments have been and gone 20 minutes in.

Special Features:
Behind the Scenes
Making Of
Interview Gallery
Extended/Alternate Scenes
Trailer Gallery

Reviewer: David Steele