Director: Benny Chan
Stars: Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Jaycee Chan, Wu Jing, Andy On
Genre: HK action/revenge-crime thriller
It was really fun revisiting this film for 2 hours of mind-numbing, adrenaline rushing escape from reality as the high voltage action just kept on getting bigger and bigger as the film went on. I can’t say the same for the plot but for the pure balls to the wall fighting, explosions, gun-play, and stunts - you can do no wrong with this one! Without giving out any spoilers, the story starts out with the organized crime gang of 7 led by Andy On and the always kick-ass Wu Jing who robs an armored vehicle full of bank notes. Explosions, rapid-firing, death, & getaways are atop this scene. One of the unfortunates is the fiancee of renegade HK cop - Chang Chun (Nicholas Tse). Revenge is on this cop’s mind as the first layer of the movie would be set. The 2nd tiered layer cake of revenge comes in when the gang of 7 is also on a mad hunt looking for those that double-crossed them in the armored truck heist. Jaycee Chan (real life son of Jackie Chan) is a to the books-beat cop patrolling the streets of HK. He gets involved in this case because his brother - an undercover cop who was part of the sting to infiltrate the gang becomes a person of interest to the HK police force. Shawn Yue plays Carson Fong, another outlaw police officer who is going to join the others in capturing the outlaw 7. There are other twists and turns in the story that are not too hard to figure out once things get on the road. Nicholas Tse and Jaycee Chan does a reputable job in being quite dramatic when called upon when they are not exchanging fists & kicks with the villains!
There are major flaws with the story and lack of character development however, the main thing that kept this movie boat afloat was the intensity and the bravado as displayed in all of the action scenes. There were spectacular shots of the Central district in HK as great camera work allowed us to follow a sequence of unbelievable stunts involving a double decker bus that was Jackie Chan-esque. As a matter of fact, all the action in the film was Jackie Chan-esque! One of my favorite fight scenes involved the 3 cops in the restaurant vs the loudmouth gang of thugs. Jaycee Chan gets the living snot beat out of him, but the three in general displayed some great martial art moves. Bodies were flying and countless chairs, tables, & glass were being shattered! Then there is Wu Jing who plays a nasty & vicious villain as he displays his wu-shu skills like a wicked tornado that enters the scene as he slays his victims with mass blood appeal! Another amazing sequence that still plays in my mind is when the cops and robbers where hopping from rooftop to rooftop playing a deadly game of cat & mouse! It was certainly a breathtaking shot of moving images! The end fight scene takes precedent in of all places - a police station! Without doubt, the finale ends in dramatic fashion - Hong Kong style! If you are a shallow action movie admirer like myself - the crazy stunts like jumping off of buildings, getting smashed by buses, rolling down stairs, the street & car chases, rooftop hopping, gunplay, explosives, & the fighting will certainly lure you into the darkside of Invisible Target!
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