I never got around to watching "Gen X Cops" when it was initially released, but just got the chance here in 2012. Looking at the cover I must say that I was a little bit hesitant about it as it had a bunch of the "pretty young boys" of Hong Kong cinema on the cast list. But still, being a fan of Asian and Hong Kong cinema, I decided to give it a go.

And I must honestly say that I was thoroughly entertained and the movie was far better than I had expected it to be.

The story is about three young police officers, Jack (played by Nicholas Tse), Match (played by Stephen Fung) and Alien (played by Sam Lee) who are cocky, reckless and lacking discipline. Kicked from the police force, the eccentric inspector Chan (played by Eric Tsang) recruits the youngsters as a special unit force to avert a disastrous situation between Hong Kong weapons dealer Daniel (played by Daniel Wu) and Japanese terrorist Akatora (played by Tôru Nakamura). Tensions run high and a lot is at stake for all involved.

The story was actually quite good, despite having these particular people on the cast list. I will say that it was actually a joy to see Sam Lee in this movie, and of the young "pretty" boys, he is actually the one and only of whose movies I really enjoy. Aside from that fact, then Eric Tsang was great in the movie as well. More so, it was spectacular to have Francis Ng (playing Lok) in a small supportive, but very influential role, and he always do a great job. And of course, Jackie Chan's cameo was great as well.

"Gen X Cops" is full of action and adrenaline, and sure it does appeal more to a younger audience, but still it was a great action movie if you enjoy Hong Kong action cinema. And it was a visual treat to see the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center to be blown up. Given, this isn't up to the level of John Woo's action movies from the 90's, but still it was good entertainment.

Having seen this movie now, I am definitely going to give the sequel a watch within the nearest future.

GEN X COPS is one of those popular youth-centred action movies that were made throughout the 2000s in Hong Kong: films like TOKYO RAIDERS and INVISIBLE TARGET, ensemble features featuring casts of good-looking young actors handling guns and martial arts with aplomb. More often than not, director Benny Chan was at the helm of these productions, and even NEW POLICE STORY, with its storyline of a young, disillusioned cop-killing gang, sometimes felt as if Jackie Chan was past it and extraneous to the central plot. GEN X COPS is one of Benny Chan's earlier offerings, made as a follow-up to his more traditional Jackie Chan vehicle WHO AM I?, and it turns out to be a lot of fun.

The somewhat complex storyline sees a comedic cop (played to the hilt by the ever-reliable Eric Tsang) assembling a team of rookie cops to go undercover in the Hong Kong underworld and track down some missing weapons. Said cops are a rebellious, fun-loving bunch, presided over by the ubiquitous Nicholas Tse, and their subsequent thrills and spills are directed with aplomb.

GEN X COPS is all about life and vitality (despite the killing) and despite the familiarity of the proceedings, it gets by on sheer energy alone. The various action sequences are well handled and the film features one of the most impressive explosions I've witnessed in a while. The icing on the cake is, of course, Daniel Wu, playing a bad guy with a lot more depth than you'd expect from a testosterone-fuelled production like this, but don't go in looking for Jackie; his presence amounts to a 30-second cameo, if that.

I was pretty disappointed with this film. The young stars of the movie just don't have the charm and talent to wow me like I was hoping they would, they just seem like pretty faces pouting and tossing off a few poorly-filmed kung fu moves. The gunplay was about the only exciting thing to watch--certainly influenced (ripped off?) from John Woo's style. It all ended up feeling pretty flat to me, nothing much better than a run-of-the-mill US action movie. Save your money unless you just want to look at the pretty stars.