Rated
R (Strong Bloody Violence and Brutal Martial Arts Action)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 27 Minutes
Cast:
Donnie
Yen-Detective Ma Jun
Louis
Koo-Wilson
Fan
Bing Bing-Julie
Collin
Chou-Tony
Ray
Lui-Ja Ge/Archer Sin
Xing
Yu-Tiger
Kent
Cheng-Inspector Wong
Xu
Qing-Madam Lau
Ben
Lam-Sam
Ha
Ping-Tony’s Mother
Directed
by Wilson Yip
Note: In Cantonese
with English subtitles.
 |
| You don't mess with Donnie Yen...ever. |
When
it comes to Hong Kong martial arts films, the fight choreography is miles ahead
of those in Hollywood, which often has to rely on stunt doubles. In fact, a big
deal is made whenever an actor or actress reveals that he/she did some of the
stunts themselves. I just scoff at this because many actors and actresses
working in Hong Kong today know at least some form of martial arts, or even
better, have trained in it their whole lives. One of the most well-known is
Donnie Yen, who began his career working as a stuntman before his breakthrough
role in 1992’s “Once Upon a Time in China II” when his character, General
Nap-lan, faces off with Jet Li’s Wong Fei-Hung in a climatic showdown. Yen has
made little impact in Hollywood with only supporting roles in “Highlander:
Endgame” and “Blade II” but given the way Asians are often stereotyped in
American films, Yen is better off working in Hong Kong. 2007’s “Flash Point”
marks the second collaboration with Yen and director Wilson Yip and was
repeatedly rumored to be a prequel to 2005’s “SPL: Sha Po Long” (also known as
“Killzone” in North America) but despite being both action/crime thrillers and
starring Yen, the two are completely unrelated. “Flash Point” is like any other
cop film that’s a dime a dozen in Hong Kong and is riddled with clichés but
it’s saved by an intense performance by Donnie Yen and an incredibly brutal
showdown in the final thirty minutes.
Set before Hong Kong’s handover from the
U.K. to China in 1997, Detective Ma Jun (Donnie Yen) is a determined, efficient
officer who’s not above breaking the rules when it comes to catching crooks and
gangsters. His partner, Wilson (Louis Koo), has been a mole for some time in a
drug-dealing Vietnamese gang, led by three brothers, Tony (Collin Chou), Ja
Ge/Archer Sin (Ray Lui) and Tiger (Xing Yu). Tony gets into a quarrel with a
rival gang led by Sam (Ben Lam), who is growing impatient about a shipment of
drugs incoming from Vietnam. Tiger is assigned to kill Sam but Wilson
intervenes under the pretense that the police are after them. Sam, despite
having multiple stab wounds, agrees to testify against the brothers. When the
trio attempts to recover their drug money, Archer gets arrested and with his
cover blown, Wilson is crippled when Tony rams his car into him. The remaining
two brothers decide to eliminate all witnesses that would testify against
Archer but when they begin targeting Wilson’s girlfriend, Julie (Fan
Bing-Bing), Ma Jun is forced to take matters into his hands and dispense brutal
vigilante justice upon the gang.
During the opening minutes of “Flash Point,”
Ma Jun bluntly remarks that his ‘duty as a cop is to catch thieves’ and it
encapsulates everything this film is about. If you’re looking for any nuance or
hidden subtext, you won’t find any here as the story is very simple and told in
a tight, efficient one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Cop films are a dime a dozen in Hong
Kong (How many times has Simon Yam played one?) and this one is no different,
riddled with the usual action clichés from Ma Jun’s no-nonsense detective to
Wilson’s obligatory girlfriend being threatened due to his work as an
undercover officer. The villains themselves behave in a very eccentric,
over-the-top manner. At one point, there’s a car chase where Archer tries to
outrun the police while tending to his elderly mother and a bomb delivery
involving a roasted chicken! I guess you can’t be too careful with the poultry
you buy these days. The first sixty minutes is largely set-up and there’s a
noticeable lack of Yen and action scenes as it tries to explore the pressure
that Wilson is constantly under as a mole and his relationship with Julie. In
fact, the first hour is a little dull due to its pacing but those final thirty
minutes all make up for it. The characterization is really just a means to give
context to the action and the fisticuffs start being thrown when Julie lands in
the hospital after said roasted chicken bomb explodes. Yen grapples with Tiger
disguised as a janitor in an elevator and then gives chase where they trade
blows in a restaurant. Utilizing a technique dubbed ‘mixed martial arts,’ it’s
all incredibly well-choreographed (Yen served as action director) with plenty
of wide-shots, none of that gimmicky shaky cam business that plagues Hollywood
action films. Finally, it all ends with a climatic showdown with Yen taking out
the trio’s thugs with cold efficiency using a sniper rifle (He doesn’t even
need to aim down the scope!) and engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat with
Tony, the type of battle that has become a hallmark of action films in Hong
Kong cinema.
The acting is competent, if unremarkable. The only standout is
Donnie Yen, who exudes both charisma and intensity, even in scenes where he has
no dialogue. Yen is not an actor with exceptional range but when given the appropriate
material, he shines like he does here. Louis Koo and Fan Bing-Bing (who is
really pretty) are fine but they’re not really given much to work with due to
the short running time. Kent Cheng is the chief inspector but makes little to
no impression despite throwing a joke or two. The three villains played by
Collin Chou (Seraph in the last two “Matrix” films), Ray Lui, and Xing Yu smirk
and act like stereotypical Triad gangsters, making them seem more like
caricatures than the dangerous menaces they’re made out to be. Both Yen and
Chou know martial arts so it lends a sense of authenticity when they finally
fight, a quality that can be noticeably absent in Hollywood productions.
Although “Flash Point” is not available on Blu-Ray in North America, you can import
it from Hong Kong and its even region free! Filmed in Super 35, the picture
quality boats a razor sharp, lush image that rivals that of a High Definition
video production. Outdoor scenes are vibrant and the only real nitpick is that
there is some minor edge enhancement but it’s so little most won’t even notice
it. Audio is strong as well and I was surprised by the high volume of the track
but this allows for even more immersion into the action as you can feel every
punch being thrown. The default language is Cantonese but there’s also a
Mandarin dub included. Special features are largely fluff pieces with
interviews with the cast, a brief behind-the-scenes look emphasizing the fight
choreography, deleted scenes, and theatrical trailers, all presented in
standard definition with optional English subtitles.
“Flash Point” was released
in Hong Kong on August 9, 2007 with a limited U.S. release a year later on
March 14, 2008. Reception was mixed with 40% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics
praised the ‘mindless martial-arts action, but too much of the already thin
story treads familiar ground.’ Its box office gross was $6 million worldwide
against an estimated $8 million production budget so it didn’t exactly do well
financially. When filming was finished, it was revealed that it had gone
over-budget though by how much I can’t really say. “Flash Point” is a minor
work in Donnie Yen’s filmography and while the story is run-the-mill and
clichéd, the action is brutally satisfying and intense. Still, it’s unlikely I’ll
re-watch the film and even if I did, I would most likely just skip to the last
thirty minutes but for fans of Yen and martial arts flicks, this isn’t a bad
way to spend ninety minutes if you find yourself bored during a weekend.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
“Have
I ever busted the wrong guy? I'll leave the answer to the judge. My duty as a
cop…is to catch thieves.”
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