An elderly Yakuza boss takes a bullet in the opening scene, but as he does so he threatens his masked assailant with the news that he has salted away $100 million in a special vengeance fund. It's no bluff; and even before the evil old boy's ashes are cold the most skilled hitmen in the world start arriving in Hong Kong to join the hunt for the mysterious "King of Killers". One such hopeful is Tai Feng (Jet Li), a hitman with a track record of zero; he is so darn nice that he has yet to bump anyone off. Lacking both a reputation and a tux, he is barred entry from the killer's convention until conman Sam Wong (Eric Tsang) cottons on to the kid's potential and steps in as his agent. Once Tai has been dressed for success (a hilarious scene about the importance of wardrobe in the killing game), they hit the trail.

Like many Hong Kong films, Hitman is about honour and family. Sam is the despair of his law student daughter (Gigi Leung), but he just can't stop his swindling ways. The Yakuza's grandson has his own notions of filial obligation, which involve him personally avenging gramps' death (and thereby keeping the $100M in the family). A showdown between the factions is inevitable, despite the best attempts of the HK police (Simon Yam) to deport anybody with "professional assassin" on their entry visa.

Hardened action fans might be irritated by the screen time devoted to Sam's wacky schemes, but rest assured that the film's final fights provide a rousing finish to Jet Li's Hong Kong career. Note that this is also the first time that Jet has used his real voice in a film - he is usually dubbed, so as not to offend HK moviegoers with his outrageous mainland accent! (Thanks to the Small Potato for that HK factoid.).