Review of “Special ID” (English Dub)

* * C

This Hong Kong martial arts film stars Donnie “Ip Man” Yen as an undercover cop trying to bring down a Hong Kong mobster. When he threatens to quit, he is promised he can return from undercover work if he brings in his former protege, who has returned from America to murder a minor mobster. Though there are some nice fight scenes, there is nothing new here. Action movie tropes are in full force. The attempt at a relationship with a female partner (Tian Jing, who starred opposite Jackie Chan in Police Force: Lock Down), forced on him when he follows his suspect to the mainland, falls flat. Its unclear how much of the movie’s problems stem from the dub. Some of the back story is told in flashbacks which don’t directly relate to the main plot thread. Continuity is poor, especially toward the end of the film. It’s watchable for the fight scenes and the locations, but the plot is tired and the characters wooden.

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