This is one of the movies I added to my list because of the enchanting clip I saw on social media, especially Facebook. I had concluded that I wouldn't fall for such clips, especially those from Chinese movies, but this one was so irresistible.
King of Snipers is a 2023 Chinese action, crime, comedy, and war movie directed by Chris Huo. It's done in Chinese language with a mixture of English in some parts. The movie follows a genius and dangerous sniper, Anna, who is forced to accept an assassination task even when she wants to drop out. She takes on the task, but things take a U-turn, and she meets Artest, an agent in the army who is focused on stopping opium (drug) cultivation in the city and taking down the drug lord and his cartel.
These two actors, Anna, played by Yang Xing, and Artest, played by Henry Prince Mak, are the main characters who bring the movie to life with their acting skills.
To watch or not to watch?
Unfortunately, I only got to know the storyline properly after I had finished watching the movie and gone on to read about it. This is to say that I found it difficult to understand the flow of events. It could appear differently to you if you give it a shot, but hey, I struggled to grasp the storyline. That's also because it contains flashbacks that made me even more confused. Hence, I had to skip some of the scenes, and even then, I struggled to finish the movie over two weeks.
Nevertheless, if you're very much interested in fierce and intense gunfights, this is the movie for you. Honestly, it was the short clip of the gun battle I saw on social media that attracted me. This movie's gunfight choreography is top-notch, with flying bullets and bullets penetrating the human body. However, I must say that some of the scenes are overdone, especially those involving bullets being dodged mid-air. They appeared more like supernatural scenes.
I'm a big fan of comic scenes when they are added to a movie because I love to laugh. So, if you fall into this category, this movie is for you. However, I must also say that the comic scenes appear very forced or, let me say, excessively done, and they don't properly align with the serious tone of the movie. The editor added a kind of support to these comic vibes, especially through the slow-motion effects used to exaggerate Doctor Pan's hilarious facial expressions whenever the giant sniper gun is fired, as well as the spring-like pumping of blood from the cut on Artest's hand. That was crazy.
Rating the character development is something I would say the actors handled according to their respective roles, since I don't think I've watched any of them in other movies. I sometimes rate actors based on how well they switch between different roles. For Anna to be serious and unserious at the same time is a good skill that aligns with the movie.
It's a 3.5/10 for me.
Thanks for reading.
Photos: screenshots while watching.
Rating: 35/100