At the time of this review, I have watched all Crime City series (English title: The Outlaws, The Roundup; don't ask me why they changed). The first installment was the best in my opinion and it gradually decreased in quality. So I gave 7, 6, 5 respectively to the three movies that are out. The first movie in this franchise is rock solid entertainment movie. The main character played by Don Lee honestly carries the whole franchise. He is perfect for this role and his performance is very natural and smooth. The fact that he is kind of a shady cop who bends the rules is a nice touch that is lost in the latter films. The comedy worked well almost all the time. The opposing antagonist is also very appealing and he seemed like a genuinely formidable villain to Don Lee. The final action scene in the bathroom was well done and resulted in much catharsis. As a commercial movie, it's definitely got some cliché and trite moments but it's bearable. I think this movie felt fresh (but slightly dumb at times) because there are zero guns in the movie like any other western movies. The cops have to basically beat the criminals down by hand. There's a level of rawness that is hard to match because of that fact. Overall, a solid entertainment noir film that perfectly balances action and comedy.
Review of The Outlaws
