Even though it was produced almost thirty years ago, Trap (aka Cop Killer) still feels like it was walking on well-worn ground. To their credit, the film-makers try to liven things up with a healthy dose of sex and violence, but Trap still comes off as yet another average Hong Kong "cop on the edge" movie.

In this case, the cop on the edge is Ho Chung (Pai Ying), who is determined to bring an arms smuggler named Ma (Kenneth Tsang) to justice. However, Ho's over the top tactics soon cause his superiors to take Ho's badge and to put the straight-laced Keung (Wong Yuen San) on the case. Can you guess what happens next? News flash -- Ho and Keung don't see eye to eye at first, but eventually team up to take down Ma.

Trap goes by the Hong Kong cop movie playbook all the way. If you haven't seen too many of these types of films, you may find something of interest here, but for more seasoned viewers, they'll definitely be getting a sense of deja vu several times during the running time. Business does pick up during the seedier portions of the movie, but these are too few and far between to create any sustained interest, instead leaving the viewer to ponder other things, such as hoping that the sore on Kenneth Tsang's lip is makeup and not a bad outbreak of "cold sores".

In full disclosure, some points might have been taken off here due to the horrible DVD watched for review, hailing from the grey market company Videoasia, which uses an Ocean Shores print as its' source. In this reviewer's defense, normally I do not support such janky versions of movies, but that was what the good folks at Netflix sent me. At any rate, a cheap shot in the Philippines production was made to look and sound even cheaper via a picture that looks like it came off an eighth-generation VHS tape and English dub that sounded as if it was recorded by two guys sitting in a broom closet getting high on amyl nitrate poppers.

RATING: 5