This is an excellent bridge between Hong Kong action and American B-movies, combining the relentless and astounding stunts and wire-work that H.K. movies are known for with a plot that is considerably more coherent than most Chinese thrillers. When draw-dropping martial arts battles or eye-popping stunts aren't taking place onscreen -- which isn't often -- writer/director Stanley Tong rarely slows down; the charismatic actors forward the story at a pleasing enough pace, and in English, (thankfully) not dubbed. There are a few slow pockets, and the racist tension between Tony and Coolio is awkward, but the set pieces are the reason to watch, and even Coolio, or at least Coolio's stunt double, is extremely effective. The battle on the rooftops of moving autos and trucks on an open freeway, which includes some unbelievably hilarious tricks with a motorcycle, makes one wonder if the Wachowski brothers caught this before filming The Matrix Reloaded. The climactic threesome chopsocky fight, which takes place on a rectangle of glass teetering on a tether atop a high-rise building (and under a flaming helicopter!) is breathtakingly audacious.