Back to the Future Dubbed Scenes Funny
Entertaining
foOki 28 November 1998
A HK movie which doesn't have over the top music, bad dubbing, over stylish direction or bad actors deserves to get a better mention. After watching the APPALLING "Black Mask" (directed by that unfortunately highly American influenced Daniel Lee) I didn't expect much from this. I was pleasantly surprised. Good acting all round (watch for Jet li's subtle quirks), standable music, nice sound, simple and unglorified directing (check out the fight with the guy with the lasers) good fight scenes, and a solid plot make this a good change of pace from most Jet Li movies. Don't watch it for a Martial Arts Flick, just watch it for a well made action movie and you won't be disappointed. 7.5 /10
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I liked it
From the cover of the movie, with Jet Li dressed up in a full Swat-like body armor, swinging in a rope, I didn't really expect much. It seemed pretty cliché if you ask me. But I watched it, and boy, was I surprised. Ok, so it was dubbed. And dubbing is always bad. But the story was quite interesting, and carried out well throughout the movie.
In the opening scene a mafia boss is killed by a hitman, along with a bunch of his bodyguards. His family puts a bounty on the hitmans head (100 million dollars, to be exact... That's alot!), and they call upon all the assassins of Hong Kong to find this hitman, and kill him.
Jet Li's character, Fu, is a rookie hitman who's low on cash. He's thrown out by his roommates for not paying the bill and is wandering the streets when he hears of the 100 million dollar award for the one who finds the killer of the mafia boss. He also finds a new friend, who finds a few hits for him. However it seems that Fu isn't really that great of a hitman. Sure, he is fast, strong and well trained in the martial arts, but he's to sensitive.
They end up getting in trouble, because everyone thinks Fu's friend is the one who killed the mafia boss, and they have to run from some of Eiji's (the badguy in the movie... But is he really bad? What did he do that's so bad? Well, its obvious that he is meant to be the badguy, anyway) assassins. The end is pretty predictable (but the identity of the killer who killed the mafia boss is probably supposed to come as a surprise. It didn't.) but all in all its a good movie. Entertaining, and much, much better than most Hollywood action movies.
I give it a 8, interesting characters, plot, fights and pretty much everything. But I suppose it could have been better on some minor points. It just doesn't feel like a 10, heh.
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Style Clash
Jet Li (Hero, Black Mask etc.) and Erik Tsang (Infernal Affairs) star in this wire fu action flick with an identity crisis. We start in kind of Jackie Chan territory with plenty of humour with Li a bumbling incompetent hit-man and Tsang a small time crook getting involved in a multi-million dollar 'hit'. As the film goes on all the comedy moments are forgotten and we begin to move into a serious action flick involving a bit more gun play than the usual Jet Li film, in fact it comes across at times as a cross between a Jet Li film and a John Woo heroic bloodshed type affair.
The action sequences are all to the high standard expected of Jet with a few added gun play sequences. Li is very likable in the lead role and Tsang is very good in his sidekick role showing a different persona to his performance in Infernal affairs.
Overall a fairly good hong kong action flick but the differing styles clash at times 6/10
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While not without its flaws, Contract Killer boasts some impressive fights.
Warning: Spoilers
A down-on-his-luck and financially strapped ex-soldier named Fu (Li) - is reluctantly is drawn into becoming a hit-man after moving from the country to try and make it in the big city of Hong Kong. Before a mega-rich Japanese businessman is mercilessly assassinated, he smartly planned ahead and offered a hundred million dollars to whoever captures his killer. A whole panoply of money-grabbers come out of the woodwork to try and claim the loot by catching the wily killer, including the murdered tycoon's son Eiji (Sato). While Fu and a charismatic underworld type named Norman (at least in the U.S. version his name is Norman) (Tsang) are trying to work their way through the precarious situation they find themselves in, with the help of Kiki (Leung), a cop named Chan (Yam) is trying to prevent any more bloodshed. Who will find - or become - the "King of the Killers"? Find out today...
We've always been big Jet Li fans, and Contract Killer is a solid showcase for his talents. It was fun watching him go from a thrifty ragamuffin to a dapper killer, but while still continuing to be a good guy at heart, of course. He even helps a group of children win stuffed animals at a carnival, including one lucky kid who gets a Big Bird and a Cookie Monster. Pretty sweet. Much of the transformation of Fu's character was done using a classic shopping montage, which we always love to see.
Director Wei Tung, who is primarily known for being an actor and stuntman, turns in a well-shot, professional-looking product, and the U.S. DVD is in widescreen, which reinforces that. Unfortunately, it's English-dubbed only, with no option for the original spoken language. Another frustrating thing about the DVD presentation is that a lot of annoying rap music is shoehorned in all over the place. In many scenes, funky-fresh beats just randomly start playing, and of course it's all over the opening and closing credits. The lyrics even appear if you turn on the closed-captioning. Here's a prime example, and we quote: "contract killer, yo." Our question is: WHY? Is there someone out there who would enjoy the movie exactly as it is, but the fact that there isn't rap on the soundtrack every two minutes cause him to lose faith and interest in the film? Would that really be a dealbreaker for someone? Of course, the main reason to watch Contract Killer is for the Martial Arts fights, and there are some absolute killers on display. It really is a pleasure to watch Jet Li work his magic. We definitely felt these high-quality and extremely well-executed fights should have lasted longer, and there should have been more of them. But what we do get is top-notch stuff. Not to belabor the point, but watching these beautifully choreographed battles with some piped-in hip-hop is like spray painting over fine art. But honestly it's not really reason enough to avoid seeing this movie, especially considering it's available dirt cheap and is widely accessible.
While not without its flaws, Contract Killer boasts some impressive fights, and is one of the last pager-era Martial Arts extravaganzas.
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What one can expect from a Hong Kong action flick
Warning: Spoilers
It seems that there is little to differentiate this movie from the 1991 Aaron Norris version, but when I come to think of it, the real name is probably something like "King of Killers" or "Punishment Angel" or something like that. The thing is that the movie was released on Chinatown video with this name so this is that name that I am using.
As I said before, this movie could be called "The King of Killers" namely because it is about an assassin called the King of Killers. He kills for free and only kills people who deserve it. As such he kills a high profile Japanese business man and upon his death a fund is activated to go to those who are the first to bring down the killer. Unfortunately, and this is the twist, somebody else was paid some money upon the businessman's death, and upon discovery, they think he killed him.
The movie is basically an action packed adventure where at first it looks like a bumbling idiot and a naive mainlander are trying to hunt a professional killer, but it turns out that the idiot is trying to make sure that nobody thinks that he is the killer, which is true since he is a real idiot. What makes the movie cool is not the in-depth plot, or strong themes, but rather the cool action sequences. This movie has one of the best elevator shoot-outs that I have ever seen, and the final battle is one worth waiting for. What this movie is is a Hong-Kong action flick, and as one, it delivers.
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What the HELL was the director thinking?
Shaky, frenetic, inept camerawork and editing virtually destroy this movie. The director speeds up the fight scenes (as if Jet Li weren't already fast enough), cuts too quickly between shots, holds his camera too close to the actors and generally does everything in his power to make the action scenes difficult to see and enjoy; what begins as a serious martial arts movie becomes a laughable cartoon. Li is likable, Gigi Leung is excellent, but this film is not substantially better than ANY low-budget straight-to-video actioner you can find at the video store. A shame. (**)
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Hitman: Absolution.
Warning: Spoilers
Despite greatly enjoying his performance in Yimou Zhang's 2002 film Hero, (one of my most memorable cinema visits) I for some reason have never got round to seeing Jet Li's Hong Kong action flicks. In a local DVD shop,I saw two Li DVDs at a good price,which led to me contacting the hitman.
View on the film:
Doing his own dubbing for the first time in his last Hong Kong flick,Jet Li gives a very good performance as Fu (!),with Li holding the impression that Fu is always one step ahead. Whilst not making them a buddy duo, Li and Eric Tsang's lively performance as Ngok Lo catches the empathy they both share,and makes their partnership one that flows with ease. Offered up high-quality stunt work from Li and the team, director Wei Tung & cinematographer Arthur Wong chop it away for poor artistic ambition.
Sticking a big poster of Three Colours: Blue on the screen a number of times, Tung and Wong give the long scenes of Fu and Ngok making attack plans a crisp,glowing appearance which undermines the grit that could be on show in the tale. Closely working with editor Ka-Fai Cheung, Tung presents the action scenes horribly, via the constant use of speeding up footage and jump-cuts that don't let the viewer to follow the battles or give the fights breathing space (you don't need 80 jump-cuts to show Li throwing a simple punch.) Kicking off with an enticing assassination, the writers kick the action and danger aside to instead focus on the timid buddy team-up,which makes this a failed hit.
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A good movies makes it to America via Jet Li
This is a good movie that may have never made it to the American market if not for the success of Jet Li in the U.S. Eric Tsang is a very successful actor in the Hong Kong market, but has virtually no following here -- which is too bad. He may have even been listed as the star of the movie in the original Chinese version.
Eric is a Chinese blend of Danny DeVito and Joe Pesci. He can portray the wormy character of DeVito in the Romancing the Stone/Jewel of the Nile movies. And he also does a great blending of the Home Alone/Lethal Weapon Joe Pesci character. People should rent this movie to see him render his role.
As for the movie, itself, this is a little different than most Jet Li fare -- maybe because he is not the clear star. There is a little less of the martial artist and a little more of the actor. It is a pleasant change.
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Jet Li Can Do Comedy!
Wei Tung directs an entertaining film. 'Sat Sau Ji Wong' successfully mixes action, thriller and comedy. Jet Li seems to be more at comfort in most Chinese movies as I found him very wooden in his American movies. Here he gets to display a flair for comedy and he does not let his martial arts gift to overshadow his acting either. The brilliantly choreographed fights are a pleasure to watch. Gifted comedian Eric Tsang adds comic relief with great timing. Simon Yam doesn't get much scope. A charming Gigi Leung offers eye candy. The story is quite solid but at times the film does run the risk of derailing (though it quickly manages to come back on track). Overall, 'Sat Sau Ji Wong' impressed me and I'm glad to see a more humorous side of Jet Li. The actor shows potential in this genre and I wish he'd attempt more comedy. Perhaps Wei Tang can offer him more such projects in the future.
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Maybe the worst movie of Jet Li
Warning: Spoilers
A good action flick, has a lot of problems when you want good martial arts. The movie is about a poor guy, trying to get some money. But has problems, and you see how some comedy appear, and in some moment, also the drama. I want to say that the typical movies from Hong Kong are fine, but this one has poor script, the action could be better, and the characters could be more developed. But considering the action movies from USA, is a masterpiece. Is a good choice if you are tired to see Steven Segal or Van Damme. Is a must for Jet Li fans, as myself. For those who want the bestest, see after this movie Hard Boiled by John Woo.
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Some classic Hong Kong action courtesy of Jet Li
Warning: Spoilers
This excellent Jet Li flick is his last Hong Kong movie before he moved to America and made LETHAL WEAPON 4, and boy, is it a good one. For once the complicated story takes precedence over the action sequences so that this feels like a fully-rounded film rather than just another predictable fight flick. It's a film which throws in a police story, a murder mystery, loads of assassins and bad guys, a romance, plenty of excellent comedy and of course some very fine martial arts battles. In fact the fights here are fewer but better than ever, perhaps because they are so few. Highlights include the predictable but engaging end battle/massacre and the Russian fighter who uses his light ring to blind his opponents (you'll understand if you see it).
The characters are fully developed and the script is chock full of intense situation, personality building, and tons of comedy. Eric Tsang plays Li's mentor Norman Lo and is extremely good in the part, having moved on wonderfully from his turns in such '80s fare as MY LUCKY STARS. Jet Li himself is very good in the leading role, being both wonderful in the action stakes and also more than adequate when it comes to acting as well. The movie is well paced and remains interesting throughout, is beautifully filmed, and is just about as good as you can get for a fight flick. Highly recommended.
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Mystery/action film starring Jet Li as a newbie hitman.
This film is unique among the Jet Li collection because, first, Jet's voice is not dubbed (i.e., viewers actually hear him speak accented Cantonese), and, second, Jet's character, Ah Fu, is rather inept, lacking the characteristic coolness common to most of Jet's other roles. Jet Li has certainly done better films than this, but Hitman is worth a watch simply because it is quite different from all the rest.
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As much an Eric Tsang movie as it is a Jet Li vehicle.
When an unscrupulous Japanese businessman, Mr. Tsukamoto (Kenji Sahara), is bumped off by the King of Killers, conman Ngok Lo (Eric Tsang) takes novice hitman Fu (Jet Li) under his wing and enters a competition between professional assassins to catch Tsukamoto's murderer, the reward being a cool $100million.
Contract Killer feels very much like one of those knockabout kung fu comedies from the mid-'80s, partly because it stars Eric Tsang of 'The Lucky Stars', but also in the way that it is structured: the first hour is mostly played for laughs, with only the occasional burst of action, but the best is saved for last - an excellent martial arts battle between the 'good' guys, the villains, and the mysterious 'King of Killers', whose identity I will keep a secret.
Fans of Jackie Chan's '80s/'90s comedic output (Project A, My Lucky Stars, Twin Dragons) will no doubt get a kick out of Li's attempt to follow suit, but I found the majority of the film rather tedious, the comedy not all that funny and the intermittent action in the first sixty minutes not very impressive. That said, it's worth staying the distance for the final fifteen minutes, where Jet finally gets to show us what we all know he is capable of.
4.5/10 (generously rounded up to 5 for the lovely Gigi Leung as Tsang's daughter, who makes things a little easier to bear). Needed less of the comedy, and more and better action set-pieces during the build up. Also, the US version that I watched has terrible rap music over the action, which really doesn't suit the film.
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Typical 1990's Hong Kong action movie...
As much as I do enjoy Asian cinema, it just pains me to my very soul whenever I get an Asian movie that has been released as an English dubbed version. And especially bad is it when the DVD doesn't even offer the option to change the audio track into the original language. And unfortunately "Contract Killer" (aka "Sat sau ji wong") is such a dubbed movie. And what perplexes me even more is that the dubbing voice actors never do a proper work. It is always done so poorly that it becomes laughable.
Anyone familiar with Hong Kong cinema will be thrilled to see Simon Yam, Eric Tsang, Gigi Leung and of course Jet Li in "Contract Killer". Simon Yam provides the serious acting, Eric Tsang provides the comical relief and Jet Li is of course doing the action.But they were being brutally butchered by a pathetic English dubbed audio track.
Story-wise then "Contract Killer" is very typical for the action movies that were coming out of Hong Kong cinema during the late 1990's. That being said, it is of course up to the individual viewer whether that is good or bad. I did find it entertaining enough for what it was, I just struggled to swallow that dubbing pill.
Aside from the dubbing horror, then the music in the movie was mostly very poorly selected; and here I'm thinking of the title track, the music played during the rather impressive elevator shaft fight scene and during the last fight scene.
"Contract Killer" appeals to anyone with a lifelong love romance with Hong Kong cinema. For newcomers there are far better Hong Kong action movies available. And as for it being a Jet Li movie, well don't get too excited, because it is not amongst his best work.
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Not Jet Li's best, but entertaining
The Hitman is Jet Li's last movie he made in Hong Kong before making his US debut in Lethal Weapon 4. It has a good support cast with Eric Tsang and Simon Yam. This is light-hearted and sometimes goofy action flick with a convoluted plot and some out of place comedy in what should be a wall to wall action film. The action that is in it is awesome with Jet Li's usual super human kung fu skills as well as a heavy dose of gunplay. Had the film been a little more serious, it would have went a long way. However, the action here is awesome and is a better movie than the Chuck Norris movie of the same name. However, not by a lot, especially if you take the action out of it.
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See Jet kick and jump in his prime.
The Contract Killer is one of Jet Li's best films. Besides the cool action sequences, the movie has effective humor (courtesy of Eric Tsang), and well... more action sequences. Not to mention the movie has one of the most rubbish scripts ever in the history of Kung-Fu/Action cinema. The script is so bad, the sub-villain is a guy with lasers on the tip of his shoes. And the villain eats his diseased grandfather's ashes. Yeah.
Anyways, long story short, Jet and Eric must find the killer of old mafioso don Tsukamoto, in order to receive a 100 million dollar reward. Everything else is action and buddy comedy.
It is important to recognize the talent and agility Jet demonstrates in his fighting scenes. Although they are far from being his best, the work he puts in here is astounding; heavily inspired by most of Jackie Chan's work as a matter of fact. Jet isn't a killing machine here, or a spiritual white robbed man with a bad haircut. He is but a skillful martial artist that doesn't want to hurt anyone badly, therefore, he resorts to use his surroundings most of the time. Like Jackie in most of his films.
It is also important to recognize Eric Tsang. The man is very good in this one; funny, enjoyable and overacted (but in a tasteless way of course). I also liked the musical score and requisite Hip Hop soundtrack.
Statement: You are not a Jet Li purist if you haven't seen Contract Killer. I also highly recommended this to anyone that wants to laugh and see some large amounts of ass kicking at the same time.
5.3/10
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Doesn't Really Know What it Wants to Be, But Jet Li is Great
It's an ok Jet Li vehicle, but nothing more. This is an example of a great premise that's wasted by mediocre storytelling and execution. Hitman (Contract Killer) never really rises above average.
It's about two hitmen teaming up to take down the biggest, baddest assassin around. It should've been way more awesome than it was.
Don't be fooled by the title and cover. This is probably not the kind of film you're expecting, and you may be sorely disappointed if you watch it without this knowledge. It's an action comedy first of all, and the action is spaced out and there's not actually a ton of it. It's a slower movie that gets bogged down in the middle by its story, and it spends way too much time focusing on other characters. It seems to forget that we came for Jet Li, and we get tons of background and development for Eric Tsang's character who is obnoxious and unlikable. Jet Li isn't even a hitman, which I actually liked, as I usually dislike assassin protagonists since they're so hard to root for.
Jet Li is this movie's saving grace. Had there been more action and more of Li onscreen, I would've given it at least four stars. Unfortunately though, there are basically four long action scenes, with like, two other small fight scenes. While that sounds like a lot, the movie manages to make you feel cheated. The action is excellent, but the film is let down by everything else.
The action scenes are great, though. The carnival scene was cool, the apartment chase and fight was well done, the second apartment fight was really cool, ending in an elevator shaft, and the final battle was very well done. There is some major stunt work on Li's part, as usual, and the action doesn't disappoint when it comes.
It's only for Jet Li fans, or I guess just Hong Kong film enthusiasts, but just know what you're in for. It kind of becomes a dramedy midway through, with not enough emphasis on action or Li's character. Li was the only reason I watched it, but his action scenes sure are on point. I would much sooner recommend one of Li's other 90s films, Shu dan long wei (1995) over this one.
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My favorite Jet Li movie
I strongly recommend you to watch the original version, avoid the U.S version under the name "Contract Killer", those bastards at Columbia/TriStar don't give you the option to watch the movie in it's original language, soundtrack and runtime.
Anyway, this is my favorite Jet Li film, i already watched it more than thousand of times and it never bores me.
The action is cool, it both provides great fights scenes and some good (and also bloody) gunplay.
Jet Li kicks ass (as always), Simon Yam gives his usual good performance and Eric Tsang is a (unexpectedly) good (and funny) sidekick, i expected the typical lame humor that you find in HK action movies, but the humor was actually good enough to give a some chuckles, the story is also good, it has some twists.
Even the soundtrack manages to make the film enjoyable, it also gives the movie that typical "late 90's" flavor.
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Hitman
A mysterious assassin known as the 'Angel of Death' has being killing various criminals. His latest victim is an elderly Japanese businessman who had committed atrocities during the war. His grandson takes over the business and offers $50,000,000 for the killer and an identical sum for the person who contracted him. This attracts contract killers from around the world. These include Fu, a would be hitman from Mainland China who's previous contracts suggest he is in the wrong line of work. When he turns up be finds himself supported by Ngok Lo, who tells people he is Fu's manager. He sets about making Fu look the part. As the story progresses the various assassins chase down leads before finally those surviving face off in one final fight to get the money. Away from the hunt for the killer Fu gets close to Ngok Lo's beautiful daughter Kiki.
This film was a lot of fun; it combines humour, impressive action and even a little romance. The central story is well told and provides a few good twists before the assassin's identity is finally revealed. The action is hardly non-stop but when the action scenes occur they are impressive. Jet Li does an impressive job as Fu and Eric Tsang is a lot of fun as Ngok Lo. There are also notable performances from Simon Yam as Officer Chan Kwan, the policeman looking for the killer, and Gigi Leung as Kiki; the rest of the cast are solid too. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Hong Kong cinema looking for a nice blend of comedy and action.
These comments are based on watching the film in Cantonese with English subtitles. In the version I watched the characters and been renamed with similar western names but in my review I stuck with the names listed on the IMDb.
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Jet Li looked lost! 4/10
Review: The only thing that kept me interested in this film was the chemistry between Jet Li and his newly found agent. Apart from that, there isn't that much action but the storyline is half decent. The witty script was funny in parts but Jet Li didn't really show that much emotion throughout the whole movie. He seemed to look a bit lost most of the time, which is why his sidekick played a big part in keeping this movie interesting. After a big crime lord is mysteriously killed, a big wager is put on the table to find the killer. Once the murderer is revealed, he joins forces with Li to take down the crime lords, who didn't have any intention in paying out the big reward for finding the killer of his grandfather. I was hoping for big action scenes with different hit men, but I was quite disappointed with the direction that the director took the storyline. With all that aside, it's worth a watch just to see a different side to Li and some of the scenes are really funny. Average!
Round-Up: With only one movie left in my Jet Li season, I can't wait to start collecting the old Kung Fu movies because I have enjoyed some of the action, which doesn't have the crazy flying in the air scenes. As for Jet Li, I'm definitely impressed with his martial arts skills but I'm not that impressed with the movies that he has made lately. I've watched a few interviews with Jet Li which shows that he is quite a funny man who doesn't take life that seriously, which you can see in some of his films, but he really need to start making some better movies. Anyway, I found this movie funny but not that great in the action department.
I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a down and out man who joins up with an agent to track down a murderer for a large amount of money. 4/10
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Jet Li is ...
... good, but also the main player here ... yeah OK you knew that. Not only because he's on the poster, or his name comes up first in the cast list. But I do guess that you've seen some (a few or many) of his other movies. And I say that because Hit-man isn't the first movie, someone will stumble upon, while he's/she's looking up Jet Li. Just because it's also not his best one ...
Still this is entertaining and if you don't expect any story you'll get your moneys worth ... concerning the action scenes! Suspension of disbelief is also needed (like in most action movies though) and Li's charisma isn't felt like in some other movies ... In two words: Light & fun!
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Not bad. Not bad at all
As most other reviewers have noted, this film is a surprise. Not a standard Jet Li actioner, but an amusing buddy comedy with a pretty intricate plot. Jet Li is Fu, a mild mannered and highly skilled, ex Chinese army soldier who lives in the cheap end of town (in HK, that is). He hangs around with a bunch of blowhard hoods who get hit jobs from coded requests in the personal ads (presumably Fu wants to be one of them for the money and prestige, but I thought this aspect was a little thin. Something lost in the subtitles no doubt). A high level Japanese businessman/crook was assassinated, activating his revenge fund of $100 million and attracting bounty hunters from across the globe. Fu gets wind of the job via his little network and tries to get in on it. It is here that he meets Eric Tsang's character, a fairly seasoned lowlife, who sees Fu's potential and latches on to him, becoming his sponsor or agent. Well, they make quite a pair; one an achingly polite, meek, ass kicker (!), the other a sharply dressed professional liar with a fake resume from hell.
Surrounding these two and their odd relationship is loads of wheeling and dealing as global hit squads, the police, the dead guy's grandson and those who control the estate vie for whatever they can get out of the deal. All the while rumours circulate that the job was done by the mysterious uber-vigilante know as the Angel of Death or The King of Killers. It's a multi-lingual, multi-cultural affair that really reflects our contemporary world in a way that isn't seen often enough on screen. And by the end it's clear the film has bitten off more than it can chew, not getting the most out of the power games and some characters. But that doesn't stop it being generally well acted, exciting, funny and filled with character ( a lot more than most that share the Jet Li shelf at my video store anyway)
Do check it out.
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Jet Li and Gigi - Need I Say More?
This movie is quite a treat. Li does an action-COMEDY film for a change! All of the actors in this one are just superb and well chosen. Before he dies, a Japanese tycoon, expecting to be gunned down, establishes a big reward in his will for the man who takes out his assassin(s). Of course, he does end up being killed, and a cool level-headed dude, in charge of acting upon his will, takes charge of the task and spills out the rules to the band of hitmen eager to win the reward money. A hillarious fat guy, pretending to be a bigshot conman, but who is quite unsuccessful in the trade, takes the rookie Jet Li under his wing hoping to cash in. His lawyer-daughter, played by pop superstar Gigi Leung, tries to straighten out her pop, and begins a platonic romance with Li. The movie's action, comedy, and acting are first-class: it'll have you in stitches at times, such as the teddy bear scene. However, it would have been nice had the romance between the Li and Leung characters been further developed: the ice skating scene was a real delight. Nevertheless, this was one of Jet Li's best movies and certainly a different turn for him.
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Charisma, kicks and comedy
Fast action and lots of laughs too!
In The Contract Killer, Jet Li supplies the charisma and quick kicks as a lowly trainee hitman going for the big score in tracking down the King of All Hitmen.
Li's character is in tandem with a sly, but bumbling conman, played by the great Hong Kong character actor Eric Tsang (Men Suddenly in Black, Accidental Spy), who excels at menace and comic relief. Tsang gives one of his typical 3D performance a la Bob Hoskins or Sydney Greenstreet.
A rare directorial effort from actor/stuntman Wei Tung, who also directed Magic Cop.
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a change in character
Jet Li plays a hitman in this movie but lacks too much of the characteristics of a hitman, instead he is overwhelmed with morality and sympathy.
The plot wasn't all that great, a Japanese Tycoon has put on his death will to award 100 million dollars to whoever kills his assassins as he suspects he will be assissinated.
What disappoints me most in this movie is the fighting choreography, as much as i hate to say it, this movie really lacks of wire used fighting. However, the movie is still worth to watch because this is somewhat a change of a movie when it comes to Jet Li. But if you are interested in really good fighting scenes with Jet Li, i'd suggest you watch Twin Warriors (Tai Chi Master) or Fist of Legend, which has just about enough wire fighting scene work, and nonetheless a pretty good story as well.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163818/reviews
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