MPAA RATING
R

RUNTIME
1 hour, 42 minutes

RELEASE DATES
Video: Oct 23, 2001

Starring:

  Jet Li           Lau Ching-Wan     Francoise Yip     Karen Mok

Directed by: Daniel Lee

Produced by: Tsui Hark

Movie Review                                                                                                                               

This year you have watched Spiderman and years ago - Batsman and on TV and cinemas - Superman and then you were given a movie that costed the legendary martial arts phenomenal Brandon Lee's life in The Crow, well if you combine them all - what you get is - the 1998's Hong Kong Sci-Fi Jet Li's Actioner - Black Mask. Although the movie itself may seem to be a combination of all these superheroes save the day elements - International Superstar Jet Li (The One) and Maker Tsui Hark (Time and Tide) provides something different: Martial Arts. But in spite of all the fuss... the movie itself is definitely no masterpiece and may even be one of the worst Jet Li's HK movies. One thing that's great about this movie is the lightning pace and the close to all-star cast which certainly made Black Mask a fun and easygoing film to all action fans.

As to the story, it actually does have a plot, though it is certainly serve as a second class citizen to the high energy wire-fu martial arts display by the expert Jet Li. The movie begins with an explanation of how a group of people known as the 701 squad had their nerves taken out, in turn leaving then senseless, emotionless and no pain! They were trained to fight to the death. Of course, Jet Li the hero escapes to find a new life as a librarian in Hong Kong. See a plot hole already! But who cares for the plot, when martial arts are the treat. The 701 squad were then al ready to take over the world by killing all crime lords, while Tsui (Li) befriends a super cop (played by the HK veteran Lau Ching-Wan) and together they began to fight the 701 squad in their own where. Then there is the love triangle between Jet Li, Francoise Yip and Karen Mok, well if you reckon the story sounds complex so far, then it becomes even more... then suddenly some fights and the movie ends. But in spite of the storyline Black Mask has one of the most and best Sci-Fi fight scene ever made in HK cinema, especially the ending fight scene between Jet Li and the 701 crime leader which was both visually stunning and incredible. If you think Black Mask ripped off Matrix, you better look at the year of production - Black Mask (1998) and Matrix (1999) so it is the other way around.     

The casting of Jet Li as Black Mask is exceptionally good as the Li behind the mask reminds many Americans of Bruce Lee playing Kato as sidekick who also wore a Black Mask. His chemistry with Lau Ching-Wan and Francoise Yip is surprisingly pretty impressive, and Francoise Yip is a scene stealer. The cameo by HK gangster expert - Anthony Wong is both menacing and short-lived, but indeed had a lasting effect on the movie. But leading fussy lady and Jet Li's Love interest is played by the annoying Karen Mok, who screen time is long and painful for viewers. But overall all the cast members performed well without any doubt.

Black Mask is certainly an exotic blend of High-Tech weaponry, unmatched martial arts prowess, bodies, bombs and bondage from a master filmmaker and a martial arts sensation who reinvents the action genre in their slick, smartly imaginative, visually stylish and slyly humorous adventure on an epic scale. Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China and Time and Tide) brings his unique blends of lightning-paced action, show-stopping set pieces, imaginative cinematography and editing and deft sense of humor to this exhilarating adventure of a modern day hero.  Although Black Mask is no Spiderman or Matrix it is without doubt, the best Sci-Fi action movie to come out of Hong Kong in the last decade. What more do you want? If Jet Li is Black Mask!

Ratings:

                1/2               7/10   

By Andrew Chan (31 December 2002)