Jet Li again shows off his considerable skills in this priceless bit of pulp nonsense. He plays the role of "Simon", one of a genetically-engineered commando squad of super soldiers who were designed to take down drug kingpins. Then the plug was pulled on the project, and the squad members targeted for termination. Simon escapes and settles into a quiet life as a librarian. His one good friend is a tough-ass cop, "Rock", played by Ching Wan Lau. He will have to fight his crazed former associates, who are still intent on fulfilling a purpose in life. This he does by assuming the identity of a vigilante sporting a black mask, causing him to resemble Kato from 'The Green Hornet'.
This viewer watched the truncated North American release featuring some pretty bad (but occasionally amusing) dubbing. The pacing and editing are rapid fire, and the almost non-stop action rarely allows the audience a chance to catch their breath. While the movie may never be mistaken for high art, it is nevertheless entertaining in an over-the-top, nasty, brutal, comic-book sort of way. Viewers may be caught off guard (and either dismayed or overjoyed) by how gory all of it is. It's directed with incredible style by Daniel Lee, and co-written by producer (and action specialist) Hark Tsui, offering plenty of inventive bodily destruction and an equally plentiful amount of explosions. While some moments are approached seriously, there IS also a heavy tongue-in-cheek attitude about the material.
Much of the comedy relief is supplied by Karen Mok as the feisty Tracy Lee. The gorgeous Francoise Yip is great fun as the relentless and grim antagonist Cailyn. The distinctive Kong Lung is a wonderful head villain as a dude dubbed "The Commander". Anthony Chau-Sang Wong of "Hard-Boiled" is cast as one of the drug kingpins targeted by the 701 squad. Mr. Li is in his element and makes for a determined protagonist, while Ching Wan Lau is quite good as the cop.
In general, a rousing 91 minutes (the original Hong Kong film ran about eight minutes longer) for Jet Li fans.
Seven out of 10.
This viewer watched the truncated North American release featuring some pretty bad (but occasionally amusing) dubbing. The pacing and editing are rapid fire, and the almost non-stop action rarely allows the audience a chance to catch their breath. While the movie may never be mistaken for high art, it is nevertheless entertaining in an over-the-top, nasty, brutal, comic-book sort of way. Viewers may be caught off guard (and either dismayed or overjoyed) by how gory all of it is. It's directed with incredible style by Daniel Lee, and co-written by producer (and action specialist) Hark Tsui, offering plenty of inventive bodily destruction and an equally plentiful amount of explosions. While some moments are approached seriously, there IS also a heavy tongue-in-cheek attitude about the material.
Much of the comedy relief is supplied by Karen Mok as the feisty Tracy Lee. The gorgeous Francoise Yip is great fun as the relentless and grim antagonist Cailyn. The distinctive Kong Lung is a wonderful head villain as a dude dubbed "The Commander". Anthony Chau-Sang Wong of "Hard-Boiled" is cast as one of the drug kingpins targeted by the 701 squad. Mr. Li is in his element and makes for a determined protagonist, while Ching Wan Lau is quite good as the cop.
In general, a rousing 91 minutes (the original Hong Kong film ran about eight minutes longer) for Jet Li fans.
Seven out of 10.