The Viral Factor

Dante Lam is John Woo via Michael Bay; he doesn't want to win you over, he wants to beat you up and make you crazy. And for all its silliness, "The Viral Factor" does just that.

Gunfights and explosions are audaciously played out in real urban locations swarming with people and vehicles, all unfolding with high tension, without losing sight of continuity.

It takes a special kind of action director to use chaotic, human-filled public spaces for high-energy foot chases, auto stunts and gun battles yet never once get under the skin with a sense of genuine danger.

Tediously overwrought and drably made, with scenes punctuated by synthesized drums out of eighties American TV drama.

"The Viral Factor" wants to be both an action movie and a soap opera. But the merging of the two genres by Dante Lam, a director based in Hong Kong, is clumsy, and so is the film.

The apparent byproduct of watching too much Bad Boys II, The Viral Factor is a cops-and-criminals saga slathered in glossy Michael Bay-isms.

If action is all you seek, then I recommend that you watch the movie in 30-minute segments. Start, then stop when you get tired. Then, start again. It might be more palatable that way.

...director Dante Lam...may have created the best action film of 2012.

Stylish, exhilarating action sequences compensate for the corny drama and occasional tedium.

The well crafted set pieces make any plot heaviness go down in smooth, exciting fashion.