User reviews

Ten years ago, Derek Yee produced the action thriller "Double Tap" starring the late Leslie Cheung and Alex Fong, the title referring to the art of shooting twice so quickly in exactly the same spot to form the number "8". Last year, Derek Yee produced the crime thriller "Overheard" starring Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu, which took on the rather unique topic of corporate chicanery. Writer/director Derek Yee's latest is a sequel of sorts to both movies- though its reference to the former is probably more obvious.

As its title suggests, "Triple Tap" ups the ante by having the shooter- in this case, Louis Koo's marksman Ken- master the skill of shooting not once, not twice, but thrice so quickly in exactly the same spot. And just as its predecessor, "Triple Tap" is at its heart a battle of brains and brawn between two men- Ken and Daniel Wu's police detective Jerry Chang- that begins on the shooting range and gradually progresses off the range. The incident that sets in motion their inevitable confrontation? An armored car robbery that leaves four of the robbers dead, with a policeman in coma and another robber on the run.

At first sight, it appears that Ken had stumbled onto the scene while the crime was ongoing and proceeded to take out four of the robbers using his competition pistol. But Jerry has his doubts and Ken is subsequently charged in court for illegal use of firearms. Do Jerry's suspicions of Ken stem from his jealousy for having lost the marksman competition championship to Ken? Or is there more to the truth about Ken's presence at the scene of the crime? Well both actually- the first half suggests the former, while the later half reveals the latter.

Anyone familiar with Derek Yee's works will know that this cannot be a straightforward action movie, and in fact, audiences going in expecting hard-hitting action will probably be disappointed. What action there is played out only right at the start and right at the end, while the rest of the movie is really a psychological thriller about one of the seven deadly sins- pride. This is played out as a cat and mouse game between Ken and Jerry, two people whom the movie suggests are quite similar in their personalities- the difference lies in how much they allow their own pride to govern the choices they make.

It is through this lens that Derek Yee attempts to unravel the motivations behind people's actions within the circumstances of their lives. Therein lies the connection between "Triple Tap" and "Overheard"- both have to do with the wheeling-and-dealing in Hong Kong's financial sector. In this movie, the object of the robbery is not wads of cash but just four pieces of paper called "bearer bonds"- and Ken turns out to be a high-flying investment banker who takes pride for being one of the best in his line of work.

Despite the similarities, "Triple Tap" isn't a lesser movie because of its lack of originality. Rather, it is a lesser movie because it buckles under the weight of its own ambitions as a psychological thriller. It isn't taut enough to convince its audience of the plausibility of its scenarios, particularly in the second half. It isn't smart enough to impress its audience with its ingenuity. And most of all, its two protagonists, Ken and Jerry, aren't compelling enough for its audience to care.

Of the two, Derek Yee spends more time developing Louis Koo's character. In the hands of a better actor, Ken would certainly have been more convincing. Unfortunately, Louis isn't that actor to portray the multifaceted nature of his character- most of the time, he looks either smug or confused, even though the movie calls for him to be much more than that.

On the other hand, Daniel Wu's competitive inspector Jerry could very well do with more careful character development- especially so one can better appreciate the battle of wits between him and Ken. Ditto for the rest of the supporting characters- except for Li Bingbing's Miss Shaw (Ken's boss and love interest number two), the other supporting characters including Ken's girlfriend Ting Ting (Charlene Choi) and Jerry's mentor (Alex Fong) are also underused.

Despite its flaws, Derek Yee's film is still sufficiently engaging to entertain- especially since its pace is brisk and its actors easy on the eye. Were it from a different director, this attempt to weave a testosterone-fueled psychological thriller into a crime thriller would have been impressive. But given the pedigree of its writer/director and his past works, "Triple Tap" seems to be no more than an attempt to make a new film from two more superior ones- "Double Tap" and "Overheard"- and because of that, can only be regarded as somewhat of a disappointment.

Above average police thriller from Hong Kong about gun expert who seems to be in deep trouble after disrupting what appears to be a heist of corporate bonds. This hero seems to be a brooding, introverted type of person, conflicted over his own actions. If my first few lines of description here suggest appearances prove wrong in the movie, then you have some idea of the film's plot development. Good performances and clever construction keep the film moving for a time but, unfortunately, it builds to an easily predictable climax that one almost wishes didn't happen. Additionally, some poorly developed romantic threads in the movie leave one wondering why the romance(s) ever developed in the first place, especially after the film's later revelations. Not bad, but not a good film either.

If you shoot a target I guess double tapping it, is making sure it's gone. Tripple tapping it? Now that is being as safe as possible. Having said that, the beginning sets the tone. Not just for the two main characters and their relationship, but also the shooting range and how it is being used later, or rather how the characters think.

This is a decent action film, with a decent story. It's not superb or anything, but it is more than entertaining enough. There may be some holes but you shouldn't worry about them (no pun intended)

This is a great movie and it is better than double tap, Because i like the scenes and i like chinese movies. And It has great acting, And this is the best chinese movie ever And i like fighting scenes and it Louis koo Has a Nissan GT-R In the whole movie.

The first hour with its sprawling narrative and themes tackled will set you thinking just about how the film will rocket past its buildup and into the finale. There's a sharpshooter's competition at a gun club, where Daniel Wu's cop character Chang had assailed to the top of the standings despite slight hesitation at the final obstacle, only to have his joy cut shot when Louis Koo's Ken, a hot shot forex trader, pip him to the summit through a confident showcase with flair, and a triple tap to boot at the same obstacle that tripped Chang up. I'm not sure I've seen those handguns before, but even if they look gimmicky, they still do pack a punch.

Which leads in very nicely to the root premise of the film, where a high stakes armoured vehicle robbery by a gang of thugs turn awry with inside jobs and mistrust dripping amongst the conspirators, to be thwarted by Ken, as a private citizen utilizing his competition gun to engage in a shootout with the robbers who had executed the security guards and about to take the life of a traffic policeman who responded to the scene of the crime. I'm pretty certain if the something similar were to happen in Singapore, you can bet that he'll likely be hailed as a hero who had stopped a crime and prevented the death of a civil servant, yet will be caught in the web of technicalities with a citizen having used a handgun to kill. I'm not sure how it'll play out here, but it sure will not be pretty.

This allowed for the film to debate about moral ethics and justice, and presented the case for and against with some courtroom drama thrown in as well which will feature in post-film screening discussions amongst friends. As you can tell, those looking for action will be sorely disappointed, as Triple Tap goes beyond just the average action flick, to examine the basic greed of man, with interesting nuggets of dialogue about illegal money lending activities, and scenes that focused on the recent financial meltdown, coverups and such from the perspective of an individual, not to mention moments where man pits against man in a psychological battle of wits.

And all these within the first hour, which left me impressed as Derek Yee neither overwhelms you into thinking he doesn't have a plan to get out of this narrative mess, since everything gets explained and addressed in due course, and by the time the final reel came along, all the cards fell into their rightful place, save a minor loophole or two that can be conveniently glossed over unless you're that stickler to scrutinize.

What I utterly enjoyed about the film is how the leading characters are multi-dimensional in their roles, to reinforce that the film is about dilemmas. For instance, the subconsciousness of a cop who failed to allow good sense to prevail when dealing with a suspect who had earlier beaten him in a competition, concerned with how he himself will be generally perceived should he pursue an arrest. It's a damned if you do or you don't situation with an ally or friend to be made, or an adversary unwillingly formed. The dilemma earlier as discussed where one has to decide whether to use force to counter life-and-death threats in a split second, and once done, to ponder about whether the right thing was done, and on whose moral grounds this assessment will be made?

The final dilemma presented will be that which has to justify having two female supporting roles with Charlene Choi as the simple nurse that Ken falls in love with, and Li Bing Bing as the alpha-female Anna Shaw, the VP of the private investment company that Ken works in, with her explicit infatuation with Ken being the reason behind his meteoric rise in the company, one where he has to trade dignity for material wealth, with the condition attached that he has to eventually leave his loved one. I suppose being caught in this situation with two women in your life, who you're ending up with will likely depend on the character that you are, or wish to become. A good problem to have though, if you ask me.

Rounding up the supporting cast are actors in bit roles, such as Chapman To as the mysterious man who had escaped from the botched heist, Lam Suet as a man succumbing to greed, brought about by circumstance involving the economic downturn, and Michael Wong in a blink and you miss role as a shady investment trader. Alex Fong also makes that appearance as the mentor cum guru whom Chang turns to for advice, and I thought this was a nice touch to link up with its predecessor. Not all's doom and gloom in the film of course, though the obvious signs of comedy here in a scene between Louis Koo and Chapman To, has really exasperating undertones.

An engaging storyline, some nice set action pieces, and great performances by Daniel Wu and Louis Koo, two actors who I am of the opinion that they are improving by leaps and bounds with each film, makes Triple Tap an entry worthy for contention into my top films for this year. Derek Yee has once again proved that he can craft a taut thriller, and Triple Tap is testament once more to that.

I really loved it through its policy genre...I became familiarized with Daniel wu the actor through this film and after that i started watching into the badlands..