The Beast Stalker (2008)

A multiple car crash became an intersection of good guys, bad guys and those who could go either way. The impacting of lives resulted in tragedy and reverberated into the futures of all involved.

Beast Stalker is a suspenseful thriller that felt like it could have been better than it was. Hampered by a shaky camera that looked like they were filming during an earthquake, erratic close-ups, and choppy editing, it was hard to follow some of the action scenes without feeling nauseated. The actual car crash scene was done quite well, choreographed by Bruce Law, even if you could tell they were the only cars on the road.

The acting ranged from adequate to good. Nicholas Tse did a fine job portraying a dutiful cop whose actions led to a tragedy and the shattering personal and professional fallout resulting from it. Nick Cheung played the scarred villain on a collision course with Tse's cop. I honestly felt if he had been able to bring more nuance to his role as conflicted as his character was, it would have made his story arc more powerful. I was most impressed with Wong Suet Yin who played Ling, the prosecutor's youngest child. The daughter was kidnapped to force her mother to capitulate to the Big Bad's demands. Wong beautifully portrayed a little girl who never gave up and was resourceful in trying to rescue herself despite numerous setbacks.

Overall, too many characters took away from the central core of the story for me. In a thriller like this, the fewer characters the better, and the better to develop those few fully.

The film displayed how a fateful accident drove people to drastic measures both for good and evil which brought up the age old question, "Do the means justify the ends?"

Beast Stalker is not a bad film, just remember to take your Dramamine before you start it.

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