Today’s quick review: Beast Stalker. While pursuing escaped suspect Cheung Yat-Tung (Philip Keung), Sergeant Tong Fei (Nicholas Tse) accidentally shoots the daughter of prosecutor Ann Gao (Zhang Jingchu). Three months later, Tong gets a chance at redemption when Hung King (Nick Cheung), a hitman working for Cheung’s friends, kidnaps Gao’s surviving daughter Ling (Wong Suet Yin) to blackmail her into sabotaging the case against Cheung.
Beast Stalker is a Hong Kong action thriller about a police officer hunting for a kidnapped girl. Wracked with guilt over killing Ling’s sister, Tong throws himself into the search for Ling. Beast Stalker features an elaborate plot with a simple initial hook, a strong sense of tension, and plenty of action. Strong fundamentals and a well-constructed story make Beast Stalker a worthy addition to its genre.
Beast Stalker plays its hand well. The kidnapping keeps the plot moving forward at an urgent pace, and it is straightforward enough that the movie can indulge in complexity elsewhere. The details of Tong’s investigation, the tragic backstory of Hung, and the frayed pieces of Tong’s personal life all layer on extra depth without making the movie difficult to follow. Nicholas Tse and Nick Cheung are well-cast, and the action is always successful.
As such, Beast Stalker is a solid pick for anyone in the mood for something tense and exciting. The tools the movie uses should be familiar for any fans of the genre, but the movie uses them with skill. Give Beast Stalker a shot if you are interested in what it has to offer. Skip it if you are looking for a lighter action movie or a more deliberate crime drama. For a similar action thriller about a kidnapping, try Man on Fire or Wanted.
[6.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1330525/). I give it a 7.0 for a tense and rewarding plot.