Reviewed by: Beat TG Date: 02/23/2025 Summary: Donnie Yen Succeeds as a Performer AND overall Filmmaker This was a breath of fresh air, at least as a Donnie Yen movie. When Donnie said -- which he says in alot of interviews -- that he doesn't want to repeat himself and constantly challenge himself with every new movie, he damn means it! And who would've thought that hardcore MA action would mesh so well with law-oriented themes. Donnie succeeds in doing so both portraying an aging character with big hopes for changes, and as a director of a story heavily lenient on the HK judicial system. Donnie reportedly was not keen on making this movie due to unfamiliarity with the legal field, and even turned the offer down three times before taking on the project. After watching the movie, you can do nothing but marvel at the effort he put on just creating the world and the characters he had in mind through non-stop research of how the HK laws work, and finding ways to integrate his brand of action filmmaking with the material. Donnie goes all-in with his directing skills showcasing what he's truly capable of through years of watching classic movies, trying out directing, and action directing proving that he's more than just a marketable name in front of the camera. As a filmmaker Donnie captures, edits, and emphasizes many scenes to perfection, and his choices of doing so enhances the entertainment value more. Even dialogue scenes are captured in creative ways, which makes me think that Donnie had the time of his life during shooting coming up with appropriate and appealing camerawork without feeling too pressured this time around. Few other things that caught my attention was the sound design, and the music. Donnie is in full effect here displaying his sharp sense of using attentive sound effects and music to bring his story alive, and reaching out to viewers for grand inner-core affection. Meticulous, hard-hitting, emotionally punching. The music score grabs you similarly with its' use of instruments not typically found in HK movies, with the result leaving all sorts of impressions in a satisfying way. All this stuff is next-level Donnie unlike previously in his career. Why the hell he did not do all this 20 years ago (when he redefined his career with SPL) is beyond me! Oh well, it's better late than never, right? I honestly did not expect every key actor to bring the life of their character so fittingly under Donnie's directing eyes. Donnie himself, Kent Cheng, MC Cheung, Francis Ng, Julian Cheung, Michael Hui, Lau Kong, Mark Cheng, Ray Lui. Not once in their acting throughout the movie did I think anyone went out of proportion, starting to look like they attempted to act for the sake of just acting. They all performed their tasks accordingly and immersed themselves into their characters becoming them. In Donnie's case, I saw his character as someone with superior fighting prowess and using mere force to make a change in society but age is catching up to him. So he makes a profession shift and sticks to humility, humbleness, and fairness but still has a good use of his physical attributes when necessary. From start to finish, you can see the character going through changes and various turning points being highlighted to let us understand these changes. Surprisingly, Donnie does an admirable job developing and outgrowing a character out of his comfort zone, and directing his own acting skills unlike he has done before (that's a first!). Donnie successfully also directs the other essential actors in the cast, putting story layers and twists that more or less makes his co-stars show off their skills based on their interactions with Donnie's character. Good old Kent Cheng brilliantly plays a veteran prosecutor whose assignment is to lead Donnie (newly employed) with his guidance, only to think twice and the one ending up being guided after realizing what kind of individual Donnie is, and the overly high aspirations and values the latter possesses. The overall interactions between the two is such a joy to behold, they still maintain a great onscreen chemistry (they previously worked on FLASH POINT, IP MAN 2-4, and CHASING THE DRAGON) after all these years. Next is MC Cheung as Donnie's former cop partner who takes over after Donnie moves on to a new career. When watching the trailers, I thought to myself "who is Donnie gonna hook up with?", and seeing MC in glimpses of action scenes had me skeptical. Market-wise I would imagine the likes of Wu Jing, Andy On, Wu Yue, or Wang Baoqiang. But rest assured, MC pulls off a good action performance under Donnie's action direction. His acting is commendable as well portraying the flaws and insecurities of his cop character that grows on you the more the character is fleshed out. Then we have HK acting great Francis Ng (playing Donnie and Kent's superior), Julian Cheung (a slimy, corrupt attorney), Lau Kong (an emotionally devastated grandfather of a teen being accused in court), Michael Hui (a stern, by-the-book judge with a good sense of verbal quirkiness), and lastly Ray Lui and Mark Cheng (as ruthless drug dealers). They all did their parts and to their strengths making the movie quite deep beyond the action department. Donnie choosing actors for his directorial movies is something I think he has never got credit for. So now's the time for it: Bravo Donnie for selecting wisely! On an interesting note: Donnie's real-life father Klyster makes a cameo appearance (his first time acting in a movie), which was a nice little touch. Alright, time to talk about the action scenes. At this point, I'm not one bit surprised at how Donnie keeps avoiding going through the motions with his action choreography -- credited to Takahito Ouchi and Donnie's action team (his fingerprints are all over the place still). That being said, Donnie manages to surprise greatly with how he keeps innovating, improvising, and executing his action performances in fresh ways whenever he comes out with new movies as lead actor and action director. Most people keep mentioning the MRT showdown (and rightly so) but I was as much in awe going through the rooftop brawl scene. Otherwise, fantastic display of various techniques and movements in all action scenes, especially the one-on-ones with the Japanese actor (the character's name is Nakamura) and recurring actor Yu Kang in the MRT final fight scene! The action here is nothing like Donnie has displayed before. I would say there's less flashiness and puts more focus on raw damage as well as realistic scenarios for the fighting techniques to be pulled off and be as appreciative as alternative approaches of setting up action choreography. Simply put, it's so incredible and worth rewatching just to witness the creativity behind the design of the set-pieces. This is the usual case of Donnie separating each latest work from previous ones. THE KUNG FU MASTER (TV), FIST OF FURY (TV), HIGH VOLTAGE, LEGEND OF THE WOLF, SHANGHAI AFFAIRS, SPL, DRAGON TIGER GATE, FLASH POINT, BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS, LEGEND OF THE FIST, THE LOST BLADESMAN, SPECIAL ID, THE MONKEY KING, KUNG FU JUNGLE, ICEMAN, CHASING THE DRAGON, BIG BROTHER, ENTER THE FAT DRAGON, RAGING FIRE, SAKRA, and now this movie. Looking at all, each work have their own identity. That's what makes it all the more fascinating to study and enjoy someone's body of work. If you ask me, I can't think of someone else currently active with this much diversity and versatility in stage combat. Donnie outdoes himself yet again. Overall, I regard this movie as one of Donnie's best movies. Is the movie another convention-breaker in Donnie's filmography? Checking every box as I write this comment... Donnie the actor/action performer: Yes. Donnie the action director: Yes. Donnie the overall filmmaker: Definitely YES! Will this decade finally let us see Donnie utilize his filmmaking skills more? Let's see what happens but I'm totally for Donnie directing more movies he acts in. Fingers crossed that the opportunity resurfaces for both the upcoming sequel to FLASH POINT and the Caine spin-off. Reviewer Score: 9

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