Overview
A drug lord's desperate gamble leads to a shocking alliance with law enforcement.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- taut
- paranoid
- gritty
- crime movie night
- action thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, tautly constructed action thriller that combines exhilarating set pieces with sophisticated filmmaking.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Captain Zhang Lei uses drug lord Tian Ming as an intermediary to identify and apprehend the wider narcotics organization.
The plot repeatedly builds tension through anti-drug investigations, surveillance, controlled encounters, and a planned large-scale bust.
The film’s major confrontations and set pieces derive their force from police coordination, spatial clarity, and escalating operational pressure.
Tian Ming cooperates to avoid execution while Zhang Lei seeks to secure a complete prosecution of the trafficking circuit.
Films like Drug War, and why
Infernal Affairs
taut police procedural, undercover criminal cooperation, and escalating crime-thriller tension
Election
hard-edged crime investigation, morally compromised protagonists, and precise urban action filmmaking
Sicario
drug-trafficking conspiracy, relentless procedural momentum, and sophisticated action-thriller construction
Movie Details
- Director
- Johnnie To
- Release Date
- 2012-11-15
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (318)
Cast
- Louis Koo
- Sun Honglei
- Huang Yi
- Wallace Chung
- Guo Tao
- Li Jing
- Li Guangjie
- Hao Ping
- Gao Yunxiang
- Wang Ziyi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Drug War about?
- A relentless anti-drug captain recruits a captured kingpin to dismantle a meth-trafficking empire, only to confront the lethal limits of cooperation.
- What is Drug War like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Drug War as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Drug War violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Drug War as graphic.
- What did critics think of Drug War?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, tautly constructed action thriller that combines exhilarating set pieces with sophisticated filmmaking.
- Which films are like Drug War?
- Films with a similar feel include Infernal Affairs, Election, and Sicario.
- How long is Drug War?
- Drug War runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Drug War?
- In United States, Drug War streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
