Terrorizers

Directed by Ho Wi Ding, Terrorizers follows an assortment of characters, including Austin Lin’s Ming Liang and Moon Lee’s Yu Fang, as their fortunes collide in the wake of a public slashing incident. Filmmaker Ho, working from a script written with Natasha Sung, does a fantastic job of initially (and immediately) luring the viewer into the less-than-brisk proceedings, as Terrorizers kicks off with a tremendously appealing (and affecting) opening stretch focused on the tentative relationship that forms between a pair of seemingly affable protagonists. From there, however, the picture segues into a meandering, less-than-enthralling midsection that’s been overloaded with underwhelming subplots and character beats – with the progressively tedious atmosphere compounded by an egregiously, excessively deliberate pace and frustratingly overlong running time. And although the movie contains a handful of compelling interludes, Terrorizers‘ far-from-streamlined vibe paves the way for an anticlimactic second half that isn’t, for the most part, nearly as satisfying and cathartic as Ho as obviously intended – which is a shame, ultimately, given that the effectiveness of the film’s final few minutes.

** out of ****