Plot
Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po...
Release Year: 2005
Rating: 7.1/10 (4,678 voted)
Director:
Wilson Yip
Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Storyline Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.
Writers: Wilson Yip, Kam-Yuen Szeto
Cast: Donnie Yen
-
Insp. Ma Kwun
Simon Yam
-
Det. Chan Kwok Chung
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
-
Wong Po
(as Sammo Hung)
Jacky Wu
-
Jack
(as Jing Wu)
Kai Chi Liu
-
Det. Lok Kwun Wah
(as Liu Kai Chi)
Danny Summer
-
Det. Kwok Tsz Sum
Ken Chang
-
Det. Lee Wai Lok
Austin Wai
-
Det. Cheung Chun Fei
Timmy Hung
-
Drug Trafficker
Tat Chi Chan
-
Policeman
(as Chan Tat Chee)
Jing-kei Liang
-
Wong Po's Wife
(as Liang Jing Kei)
Vincent Sze
-
Chan Wai
Kenji Tanigaki
-
Wong Po's Bodyguard
Ching-Lam Lau
-
Hoi Yee
(as Lau Ching Lam)
Maggie Poon
-
Sum's Daughter
(as Maggie Poon Mei Ki)
Runtime:
Hong Kong:
|
Hong Kong:
(uncut version)
|
Canada:
(Toronto International Film Festival)
|
Argentina:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The movie wasn't going to have MA action in the first place, but that changed once Donnie Yen was on-board and asked the producer to put additional funds in order to shoot them accordingly to the story. The result became the now famous alley fight and the last fight with Jacky Wu and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo respectively.
Goofs:
Plot holes:
Simon and his gang of members were on their way to the crime scene when a police undercover was murdered and crossed path with a geek that had apparently videotaped the murder. He was not detained at all despite holding a video-cam in his hand and the guys just let him walked away. The next thing you know that same geek turned up at the police station.
User Review
Donnie Yen wasn't lying..
Rating: 9/10
.. when he called SPL the pinnacle of his martial arts choreography. It
rocks. HARD. Not only are the fights are brutal, fast, and complex, but
Donnie may have achieved the impossible: He made Brazillian ju-jitsu
look exciting on film. Donnie's character repeatedly goes for
takedowns, armbars, chokes, and all the moves that you might see in a
UFC or Pride match (with Sammo countering attacks exactly how the big
fighters do it in a real bout), while seamlessly combining them with
the incredibly fast, complex punching and kicking exchanges you'd
expect in a Hong Kong flick. Did I mention that the fights are
bone-crunchingly brutal? There is a real nastiness to the punchups that
should yield a great reaction from enthusiastic audiences. And then
there is the spectacular Wu Jing vs Donnie Yen fight. It starts off
very, very fast and complex, then at a certain point, the tempo changes
and you suddenly realize that it's because they're just making it up ON
THE SPOT and the damn thing becomes even more impressive. The long,
unbroken takes should please fight purists, too.
The film itself also holds up. Director Wilson Yip really shows off his
passion and skill in this film. It's an intense crime drama that
doesn't have to pander to any teeny boppers, so he is free to finally
let loose. The story is solid and Yip takes the opportunity to devise
some great sequences. There's a scene that cuts between Donnie looking
at photos of the policemen he's about to lead and footage of the same
cops intensely doing their business that is pure cinema.. a scene that
could have been plain on paper, but is made exciting purely through the
director's vision - the way it's cut and scored and staged. In other
words, there is a lot of obvious effort put into the drama. It isn't
just some thrown together filler btwn fight scenes. This is a real
film. Oh, and one comment about the audio: It's amazing. The music is
superb and the sound effects are everything you could hope for in a
kung fu film (ie, they accentuate every move and hit as you'd want them
to). I hope the DVD has a great DD5.1 track and that you have the
system to play it 'cause it'll make a big difference.
Complaints? I have only one: The fights should have been a little
longer, but that's okay because they burn twice as bright as most.
0