I've only seen a handful of Johnny To films. I don't know why but I have problems getting into his work. And a couple of them were so convoluted I had no idea what was going on. Election (2005) for example, I was lost within the first ten minutes. But this one hit home. The first half is fantastic. Bullets flying everywhere, great lighting, ceiling lights being shot out so that infrared scopes could be seen in the darkness etc. But at the halfway point it slows down and while it's not boring, there isn't much going on for half an hour. Then comes the final act and the climax. And the bullets start to fly again. To's staging of violence in this movie is particularly good. Very inventive.