SPL is a tale of cops and gangsters, with the cops trying to outdo the triads for nastiness in the pursuit of justice. Inspector Chan Kwok-Chung (Simon Yam) and his gang are so determined to put Wong Po (Sammo Hung) behind bars that they tamper with evidence at the drop of a hat to get results, much to the chagrin of Chan’s prospective successor Ma (Donnie Yen). Much to everyone’s surprise, though, Ma is brought around to Chan’s way of thinking and joins in the vigilante fun.

A quick scan down my review list shows that I prefer the somewhat “older” Hong Kong film, and I'll admit not being terribly keen on the latest wave of action movie. I have also written derisively about Cat III films from time to time. So has SPL changed my opinion on either subject?

The answer is: yeah, I suppose so. It’s certainly very well made. Sammo Hung as the main villain is an inspired choice, and he plays the role with obvious relish. He never once descends into pantomime villainy, often a criticism of Hong Kong films. In fact, for all his nastiness (and make no mistake, he really IS nasty) he is also a loving husband and devoted father. In fact the theme of family, and particular fatherhood, is a motif that crops up throughout the whole film. Near the end, Sammo is allowed to speak one more time to his family in a poignant scene that John Woo would have been proud of.

On the downside, the viewer is expected to swallow an awful lot in regard to the plot at times. This is not normally a problem for me, but perversely the high quality of the production does tend to draw one’s attention to the improbabilities of some of the storyline. For example, I doubt very much that Simon Yam and his crew would be able to get away with half the stuff in real life that they pull off with ease in this film.

The action is, for the most part, brief and to the point. And with the exception of a few shots near the end, they seem to be relatively free from the kind of new-age gimmickry we’ve come to expect from action films these days. The parallels between this and the Thai film ONG-BAK are quite justified, as the success of ONG-BAK must have been a sobering experience for Hong Kong filmmakers. Donnie Yen is clearly meant to be the star of the piece, and is not undercranked to the ridiculous degree as in some of his earlier films. However, he is eclipsed at every turn by the bad guys he fights, most notably by Jacky Wu Jing, who is simply superb. He was apparently in DRUNKEN MONKEY, but that film made such a small impression on me that I can’t remember a single thing about it.

I was amused to learn that this film was directed by Yip Wai-Shun, who had directed an interesting little film called BIO-ZOMBIE, which was Hong Kong’s answer to George Romero’s classic DAWN OF THE DEAD. These two films couldn’t be more different!

SPL is certainly worth watching, and entertains well enough. But I'm not sure it will stand the test of time, and it didn't tittilate me as much as I'd like.