Synopsis
While China is traumatized by military cliques during the World War era in the 1020s, Shanghai is the cynosure of all eyes. People see it as both Hell’s Kitchen and Heaven’s Gate/ One of the city’s most memorable heroes has to be Chen Zhen, who single-handedly avenges his mentor’s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Vanished from the public eye ever since, he has been taken dead though his body is never found.
Seven years later, a wealthy entrepreneur called Koo returns from abroad and makes a grand entrance on the Shanghai social scene by befriending the notorious mafia boss of the city. This mysterious man is none other than Chen Zhen in disguise who dwells in a world of nefarious means in order to infiltrate the criminal empire. He soon discovers a clandestine collusion between the mafia and the Japanese.
Disguised as a caped crusader at night, Chen sets out to dismantle with his martial arts skill the evil collusion that plaques the country. One of his foremost missions is to ferret out the assassination list prepared by the Japanese…
My Say
i like! Partly because i always like to watch anything about history, even if it’s repeated all over again and again.
Enjoyed the beginning where the Chinese had war in France, Thumb Up!
Quoted:
The film opens with a lesser known history of the First World War: Chinese men on the Western Front. Between 1914 and 1918 France and the Great Britain use their diplomatic influence reo recruit soldiers from the Third World, China being one of them. Thousands of Chinese laborers are conscripted and transported to Europe to help the Allied war effort, most of whom end up dead in the line of fire. Chen Zhen is one of the few revered survivors who make it back to China in one piece.
Deprived of the wages they were promised, these Chinese soldiers develop close bond akin to brotherhood in the field. When their bullets eventually run out, Chen Zhen employs his martial arts to conquer the battlefield, saving his compatriots’ lives with his superheroic feat.
I was stunned when I saw how Donnie Yen managed to kill off the the enemies during WWI.
It’s unbelievable to see his accuracy in escaping the bullets, reaching the buildings etc.
He ran pretty fast inside the movie, am very impressed, unless that was "fast forward"..
The movie basically tells the history on Chen Zhen (after Huo Yuan Jia).
Upon his return to China, he took on his warmate name, tried to hide his real identity.
He was against the Jap and tried all means to get support from businessmen.
Chen Zhen fell in love with Kiki (Shu Qi) who was working as a hostess at a club and the couple shared some wonderful memories.
Chen Zhen realized Kiki was working for the Jap and infact she was the captain in the Jap army,
Kiki managed to discovered Chen Zhen’s real identity and disclosed that to the Jap who wanted him to be killed.
Both of them finally ended up as enemies despite they did love each other.
He was against the Jap and tried all means to get support from businessmen.
Rated NC 16 with some violent scenes, it’s painful to watch Donnie gng thru the war treatments where he was naked, and yes, his naked butt was on the screen for flash.
But then those where indeed what POW (Prisoner of wat) went through during those days.
Some gross scenes like blood and stabs,.
The only twist I saw inside the movie was when Shu Qi was killed, quite unexpected.
A few censored scenes here and there if I am not wrong…
It’s hilarious when Donnie Yen became the Black Mask Man!
Totally almost got me choked!
Ending was a fast… again. -.-"
Fight, knock out, fight with many punches and the jap knock out and the end…
i’ll give 3.8 out of 5.
Hard to give 5 because it’s not really a perfect production.
4 is too much because of the abrupt ending, if only there are more twists…
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Review above are based on my personal thoughts and am in no affiliation to the movie production or whatsoever.
