I haven't seen the TV series, but I am pretty sure that it wasn't as stupid as this movie, at least not during its heydays.

The plot was laughable, full of holes big enough to drive a Ferrari through. Most of the dialogs were unbelievably crappy, wavering between pretentious or inept. It was a wonder that the actors (and actresses) were willing to speak those words. I learned that the series' simultaneously glitzy and gritty cinematography was considered revolutionary in its days, and here Michael Mann did not disappoint. To a newcomer (to the series) like myself, the cinematography was still refreshing even though it has been 20 some odd years since the visual style was first created. Editing was, however, choppy. The lethal combination of haphazard editing and a retarded storyline resulted in quite a few 'huh?' moments on my part.

It was hard to assess how Colin Farrell, Jamie Fox, and the rest of the cast did. They were given far too little materials with which to work. Their characters were less than one dimensional; they sounded more like robots casted in stereotypical roles, speaking unreal yet excessively predictable lines.

Gong Li, however, was a bright shining star in this otherwise rather dull movie. Her perfect complexion, delicate features and dangerously fitting suits set her up as a classic femme fatale, but it was her acting that truly brought the character to life. By blending just the right amount of naivete, savviness, wildness, and desperation, Gong successfully created a living and breathing drug baroness. While most other Chinese actors working in Hollywood would come across as uncomfortable or even wooden in English-speaking movies, Gong radiated ease here. Her expressions and body language in this movie recalled her richly nuanced performance in earlier Chinese works like To Live and Raise the Red Lantern. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was too weak to carry her magnificence, and one can't help but feel sorry for her wasted efforts in this uninspired project.