Drug War

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Drug War

R,

2013,

1h 45m,

Crime/

Drama/

Action

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Watchlist

94%

53 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

After he's taken into custody, a drug lord (Louis Koo) must help the police bust his former associates or else face the death penalty.

Critics Consensus

A taut, solidly constructed action thriller with uncommon intelligence, Drug War delivers exhilarating set pieces without skimping on sophisticated filmmaking.

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Steve Erickson

Film Comment Magazine

Nov 4, 2013

Not only does the film never question the ethics of a war on drugs in which dealers and manufacturers are subject to the death penalty, it appears to enthusiastically endorse it.

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Tom Russo

Boston Globe

Oct 17, 2013

2/4

Another inkling of the style limitations perhaps most responsible for To's lower visibility stateside compared with, say, his countrymen John Woo and Wong Kar-wai.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Aug 15, 2013

Few other working filmmakers display this degree of visual sophistication and old-school craftsmanship.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jul 28, 2026

[Johnnie To] keeps it moving at a breathless pace and creates a masterpiece of plotting, choreography, and execution for the climax, where the multiple moving parts collide in an explosive, chaotic clash.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Oct 13, 2020

9/10

The action is regularly punctuated by moments of messy, inconvenient realism.

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Ard Vijn

ScreenAnarchy

Jan 13, 2020

Not every last little thing may work in Johnnie To's new crime thriller, but the vast majority of it clicks together as a damn solid piece of action craftsmanship, anchored by two good leads.

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Hagrid R

Oct 30, 2018

Great movie which i find on my boxxy software , love love love these type of movie where it keeps me wanting to watch till the end

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Johnnie To

Director

Louis Koo

Timmy Choi Tin-ming

Honglei Sun

Zhang Lei

Huang Yi

Yang Xiaobei

Li Jing

Junior Dumb

Michelle Ye Xuan

Sal

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Synopsis

After he's taken into custody, a drug lord (Louis Koo) must help the police bust his former associates or else face the death penalty.

Director: Johnnie To
Producer: Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai
Screenwriter: Ryker Chan, Ka-Fai Wai, Nai-Hoi Yau, Xi Yu
Distributor: Variance Films
Production Co: Huaxia Film Distribution Company, Milky Way Image, CCTV Movie Channel, Beijing Hairun Pictures Company, Hairun Movies & TV Group
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language|Drug Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $127.9K
Runtime: 1h 45m

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