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Finally apprehended by veteran detective Chan Kwok Chung (Yam) after years of ruling the Hong Kong underworld, brutal gangster Wong Po (Hung) manages to escape justice by arranging the execution of the prosecuting attorney and the witnesses who could have sealed his fate and kept him behind bars. As Po walks free, the soon-to-retire Chan is diagnosed with terminal cancer and, with nothing left to lose, persuades his team of detectives to bring down their nemesis no matter what the cost. However, their plans to operate outside the law are uncovered by Chan’s future replacement, Ma Kwun (Yen), a cop with a fearsome reputation who suddenly finds himself at odds with both the criminals he is trying to catch and the men he needs to trust. But Ma’s ethics are brought into question when Po hires a deadly assassin (Wu) to kill Chan’s men with ruthless efficiency and he is forced to join forces with his predecessor in order to wage bloody war on Po and his henchmen. Climaxing in a long-awaited, extended screen showdown between martial arts legends Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen and featuring a breathtaking mano-a-mano face-off between Yen and Jacky Wu, Kill Zone is an electrifying and suspenseful thriller guaranteed to keep action fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Directed by Wilson Yip and featuring the work of many of the creative talents who helped him in bringing ‘Ip Man’, ‘Flashpoint’ and ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ to the screen, Kill Zone stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man; An Empress And The Warriors), Simon Yam (Ip Man; Triangle), Sammo Hung (Three Kingdoms; Kung Fu Hustle; The Medallion) and Jacky Wu (Invisible Target; Fatal Contact) and combines hard-hitting martial arts action with gritty police thriller conventions. The action certainly does find the mark, but what makes it so convincing is its sparing use. There is no sense of overkill, with the ‘villain’ and ‘heroes’ all getting their share of the limelight. Veteran Sammo Hung plays the mob boss Po with great skill, managing to convey his menace as well as his ability to fight with the best of them. Donnie Yen joins the existing team only to find himself embroiled in their final acts of ‘justice’. It’s actually a very good set up with the plot owing as much to American cop thrillers as it does to martial arts films. Sure the action is different but there is a lot going on to make us care for all the characters.
The downbeat (and surprising) ending are in retrospect perfectly pitched and highlight just why this is one of the best releases around at the moment. Rating: **** Kill Zone will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Cine Asia on 8th March 2010. Release date: 8th March 2010 Special Features include: audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan; promotional gallery; ‘Kill Zone: The Making Of’ documentary; Behind The Scenes – Anatomy of a Scene; ‘Alleycats’ (with optional Bey Logan commentary); ‘Challenge of the Masters’ (with optional Bey Logan commentary; Interview Gallery (Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Wilson Yip, Jacky Wu); Dolby Digital Cantonese and English 5.1 audio options (DVD); DTS HD MA Cantonese 5.1 and DTS HD MA English 5.1 audio options (Blu-ray); optional English subtitles. |
Widely regarded as one of the finest martial arts films of recent years, Kill Zone is an intriguing little release which almost lives up to the hype.
