Fulltime Killer (2001)
Directors - Johnny To and Wai Ka-Fai
DVD Released by : Deltamac
Player reviewed with : Malata DVD-N996
Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925
Features:
"Making Of" featurette
Movie Stills
AC3 5:1 Digital Audio and DTS
Behind the Scenes Footage
Trailer
English and Chinese Subtitles
ALL Region

The picture quality on the 47 inch screen is acceptable. The print of the film that was used is very good with no dirt or specks. The non-anamorphic transfer does show some artifacts on the big screen and is a little soft at times. The black levels and the colors looks good but artifacts are most noticeable in the dark scenes. If you have a 27 inch TV, the picture will look great.

The audio quality is very good and you have the choice to use the Cantonese or Mandarin track with either DTS or Dolby 5.1 surround. The Cantonese 5.1 track sounded very good. Most of the sound comes from the front speakers with only the occasional gunfire coming from the rears. Overall a good mix.

Two contract killers. One, O (Takashi Sorimachi), is the best. He gets the job done with little attention and gets paid well for it. He takes every precaution to not arouse suspicion and even has a cleaning lady to take care of an apartment he doesn't even live in. The second killer is Tok (Andy Lau). Cocky,flamboyant, and good at getting jobs for "shit money" because he quickly wants to get a name for himself so he can have his dream kill, the order to kill O. His first move is to befriend O's cleaning lady. They both are obsessed with O but for different reasons. Simon Yam portrays the cop who is determined to catch both of them.

Most reviews I've read about FULLTIME KILLER seem to have a love or hate opinion of the movie. This is very similar to how many people felt about TIME AND TIDE. Much like Tsui Hark, Johnny To is associated with some great films. This means that expectations are raised with every new project. FULLTIME KILLER doesn't rank with the best Johnny To films but it is still a decent movie with some good action scenes. There isn't much in the way of character development but Johnny To's answer to this is in little moments here and there that give a glimpse of who the characters are. O is a master killer but he takes the time to collect miniature Snoopy figures from each place he travels for a job. This says something about him. Tok is a movie buff who frequently tells of scenes from some of his favorite movies. This sometimes works very well and sometimes doesn't. Tok also has one tragic flaw that I won't mention so it doesn't spoil the movie for you. While the cleaning lady doesn't have too much of a back story, she talks a little more of her motivations. The cop, has a more robust story even though it isn't apparent until the ending. FULLTIME KILLER hits more than misses and is worth a watch. It may not be your favorite Johnny To movie but I would recommend it.

The subtitles appear are removable but appear on the picture. They are easily readable and are spelled well. They contain few grammatical errors if any at all.

There are some decent extras on this disc. There is a behind the scenes section which is just that. This is similar to the NG scenes on A HERO NEVER DIES. There is also a "Making Of" feature which I couldn't get English subtitles for. I'm not sure if this is because I have the Malata player or not. There is also a picture gallery and a trailer.

FULLTIME KILLER isn't perfect, but it is entertaining and has some good actions scenes. If you are a Johnny To fan, you will want to check it out. The DVD is worth getting if you like the movie.