FLASH POINT

The newest Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen actioner gets its American theatrical release today….. Bake Snaker’s the first to see it…

I reviewed “SPL” a few months back here on EG. I mentioned in the review that I thought it was very over-rated. However, I understood why people flipped. Alot of action, long drawn out fighting scenes. So, I can’t understand why “Flash Point” has half the action and style of “SPL.” Very trite script that involves a Dirty Harry type cop (Donnie Yu) and an outed undercover (Louis Koo) and some bad guys. Same old, same old. BTW, Louis Koo gives George Hamilton a run for his money in the tanning department. Everybody who shares a scene with him looks like a ghost.

There is one 15 to 20 minute climactic fight scene that is almost worth seeing the film for. The full impact punches made me squirm in my seat. I find it hard to believe they were faking this stuff. The big selling point of this film is the employment of MMA (mixed martial arts).. basically employing a melange of disciplines from Chinese wushu to boxing. If you are in to this… then see this film… if not..skip it.

Another strange thing about this film… IMDB tech specs say 35mm but I’m convinced half of this film is HD… or it has the worst digital intermediate I’ve ever seen. Although the detail is great… it’s flat as hell and washed out in many scenes. Even the person I saw it with who is not film savvy thought the film was made 10 years ago. And the palette is quite unsophisticated. The blood looks like red paint.

The best thing about this film is Collin Chou (Seraph from ‘The Matrix Reloaded’). He is a truly menacing enemy. He shines in every scene he’s in. I would like to see him play the lead in a serious drama. I’m sure he could pull it off.

WATCH THIS: