After being jaded by sub-standard fare like Himalaya Singh, Where is Mama's Boy and Legend of the Dragon over the past year, it took a lot for most Hong Kong film fans to sit up and take notice. The trailer for SPL created a quick buzz among the internet fan community, and it became one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Thankfully, SPL is one of the few Hong Kong releases in 2005 that actually lived up to the hype. It's not quite a classic, but it marked at least a small return to the hard-hitting and violent action HK action fans have come to know and love over the years.

SPL -- like most martial arts movies -- has a pretty basic plot. Simon Yam plays a cop who has been diagnosed with cancer. Before he retires and hands over his squad to Donnie Yen, Simon wants to bring down the big Triad boss (Sammo Hung) that has been the albatross around his neck. Even though the plot is staright-forward, the screenwriters unfortunately try to over-do things, and, as such, the secondary characters become overdeveloped at the expnese of the main characters. It might seem strange to quibble about something like this in an action movie, but SPL devotes a lot of its' running time to dramatic scenes, rather than fights, and these parts ultimately don't add up to that much. It's kind of an in-joke among martial arts movie fans that the exposition scenes are just filler to get to the next brawl -- SPL really does feel like that. The actors do a good job and these scenes are well-shot, but it just seems like there could have been so much more to them, and the first two-thirds of the film come off as a bit flat as a result.

Thankfully, like many of the action movies produced during Hong Kong's "golden age", SPL really steps up the kung fu quotient during the last half-hour. Of particular note are a couple of fights that Donnie Yen (who also helmed the action direction, which reins in of his usual undercranking and wire antics for blood sprays, which is a refreshing change) participates in: first against newcomer Jing Wu, and then with HK veteran Sammo Hung. Jing, a young martial artist known for his wushu skills, has been called the next Jet Li by some, and his debut does not disappoint. It's not on the level of Tony Jaa's bone-crunching turn in Ong Bak, but Jing certainly has some potential, and I look forward to seeing where his career goes. As for Sammo, he has a tremendous fight with Donnie to end the film. It might be too short for many fans who view this as a dream matchup, but keep in mind that Sammo is in his fifties, and he's probably never going to be able to pull off something like his work in Pedicab Driver again.

If you're looking for something with a deep plot or great acting, then SPL probably isn't up your alley. It does try to be something more than your usual martial arts movie. But, ultimately, any trappings of dramatics are wisely put to the side so that the viewer can experience some of the best hand-to-hand fighting Hong Kong has put on-screen over the last few years.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]