Gau ngao gau

One of the most nihilistic and brutal films I've ever seen, but also one of the most tragic and moving ones. This is an action-melodrama like the world has never seen it before. Sometimes the plot got me close to tears, while in the next moment delivering shocking revelations like a bone-crunching blow to the guts. Chilling performance by Edison Chen. The story of a HK-Cop and a Cambodian killer hunting each other down, while bit by bit losing their humanity, is a strong one. Featuring very little dialog in favor of haunting imagery and gritty camera-work, "Dog bite Dog" is pure HK-Bloodshed without the Heroism.

First of all that I would like to say is that Edison Chen is extremely hot and that Sam Lee is looking much better than before XD! This is probably one of the most original movies I have seen so far; shows a poverty lifestyle background of a Cambodian. The Cambodian(Edison aka Pang) goes around killing people to survive himself; has done it throughout his entire life. Sam Lee's(Wai) duty is to capture the Cambodian for good. There are tons of violent actions but has a good story to it. The movie shows the struggles between those two characters; they both beat each other like angry dogs. GO AND WATCH PPL...STRONGLY SUGGESSTED!!! (GO HK FILMS)

There's a bit of a story about the sins of the father tucked away underneath Gau ngao gau's (Dog Bite Dog in English) unrelenting violence, but it's small and wisps away like fleeting warm breath on a cold day.

The movie is about a Cambodian hitman played by Edisen Chen who gets hunted across the streets of Thailand for committing a brutal murder. Unable to speak the language and having no second thoughts about killing anyone in his path (e.g., man, woman, cop or otherwise) Chen's ruthless hitman attempts to make his way back to Cambodia. The road isn't easy and a small team of dedicated cops with their own dirty past attempt to stop him, almost by any means necessary.

Other reviews are right on the money that this film is absolutely nihilistic. It's shot well, but also shot to make Thailand look as filthy as possible. Large parts of the movie take place in dark alleys, landfills, and the slums.

There are no redeeming values to any of the characters save for one character who gets caught up in the middle of it, but this isn't a feel good movie and all logical conclusions would point to an ending that satisfies the movie's main themes while you're watching it.

There aren't many fantastical or too many outlandish elements about the movie. It mostly maintains a realistic pace and outcome for the encounters, but the grit, grime, and fatalistic overtones might easily put most viewers off.

I would say that if you have a happy movie lined up to watch afterward, definitely give Dog Bite Dog a go. If you're feeling depressed or down or sullen or nihilistic? Well, you might want to pass on this one until it's sunny outside and the birds are chirping a chipper tune.

All the good reviews you're reading - those are from big HK cinema buffs, and they are correct from their point of view; it's a lot better than the majority of the cop/gangster films coming out of HK. The plot has already been reviewed, so I'll skip that. It's enough to say that this film does have a plot, much more so than I expected.

On the other hand, this isn't some fine piece of film making compared to what's available from the rest of the world. The characters are so totally unbelievable it will make you cringe. Informers are always scared wimps to be slapped around, cops are tough guys who do the slapping and the hit man is a super tough bad guy who talks little and kills a lot. If informers were so easily intimidated, why would other criminals have anything to do with them? If cops were that uniformly brutal they'd be arresting each other, because no one else would live in such a society. The hit man in this case at least had an excuse for being taciturn and psychotic.

If you really like Asian cinema, especially HK cinema, then you'll like this one a lot. If you're not a big fan, better go rent something else.

Despite being quite far removed from my expectations, I was thoroughly impressed by Dog Bite Dog. I rented it not knowing much about it, but I essentially expected it to be a martial arts/action film in the standard Hong Kong action tradition, of which I am a devoted fan. I ended up getting something entirely different, which is not at all a bad thing. While the film could be classified as such, and there is definitely some good action and hand to hand combat scenes in the film, it is definitely not the primary focus. Its characters are infinitely more important to the film than its fights, a rather uncommon thing in many Hong Kong action movies.

I was really quite surprised by the intricacy of the characters and character relationships in the film. The lead character, played by Edison Chen (who is really very good), becomes infinitely more complex by the end of the film than I ever thought he would be after watching the first thirty minutes. The police characters also defied my expectations thoroughly. In fact, the stark and honest portrayal of the seldom seen dark side of the police force was quite possible my favorite aspect of the film. I don't know that I would say Dog Bite Dog entirely subverts typical notions of bad criminal, good cop, but it certainly distorts them in ways not often seen in film (unfortunately). So many films, especially Hong Kong action films I find, portray police in what is frankly a VERY ignorantly idealized light. This is one of my least favorite things about the genre. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dog Bite Dog actually had some very unique, and really quite courageous, ideas to present about the police force. There are negotiation scenes in this film that I have never seen the likes of before, and doubt I will ever see again, and am sure I will remember for quite a while. Also, the criminal characters are shown from an interesting perspective as well, there is some documentary footage in the film of Cambodian boys no older than ten being made to fight each other to the death with their bare hands, which I thought was one of the film's most powerful and moving moments. It says a lot about the reason these guys are the way they are, rather than simply condemning them. Also, the relationship between Chen's character and the girl he meets in the junk yard reveals a lot about his character. It wasn't until this element entered the film that I really started to see the film as an emotional experience rather than only a visceral one. There is something about most on screen relationships that doesn't quite get through to me, but for some reason this one really did. The actress does an incredible job with this role which I imagine was not easy to play.

Dog Bite Dog also features some really breathtaking cinematography, all though it is unfortunately rather uneven. There were some moments that I found really striking, particularly in the last segment of the film, but there was also a good deal of camera work that was just OK. Another slight problem I had was with the pacing, which I also felt was uneven. I found a lot of the "looking for a boat" scenes to be a little alienating, all though it quickly picks up after that. The action scenes are short and not too plentiful, but are truly powerful and effecting, particularly towards the end. The fight choreography is honestly not all that impressive for the most part, all though to its credit it is solid and fairly realistic, but the true strength is the emotional content behind the fights. The final scene, while not a marvel of martial artistry or fight choreography, is one of the most powerful final fights I have ever seen, and I've seen quite a few martial arts films.

I suppose the biggest determining factor of whether or not one will get much out of Dog Bite Dog is whether or not you can connect with the characters. All of them are certainly some of the more flawed characters one is likely to see in a film of any kind, but there was something very human about all of them that I couldn't help but be drawn to and really feel for them, particularly Chen's girlfriend. I should say that I doubt most people will like the film as much as I did simply because I imagine that most people will not like or care about the characters in the same way, but I still recommend it highly all the same. It is truly a deeply moving and effecting film if you give it a chance.