Notable Cast: Donnie Yen, Julian Cheung Chi Lam, Michael
Hui, Francis Ng Chun Yu, Cheung Tin Fu
Although Donnie Yen has been the face of Hong Kong cinema
since his career went astronomical with the Ip Man franchise, his return
to the director’s chair with 2023’s Sakra elevated him to the next
level. While the wuxia film was met with many mixed reactions from fans (I felt
the film was a massively underrated modern classic, but I digress), it created
many new avenues for the action icon to follow for the next part of his career.
The Prosecutor, his directorial follow-up and a wholly different action
film than its predecessor, proves that not only does Donnie Yen have the goods
as an action star at 60 years old, but his directorial career is very, very
bright. Sporting a mixture of dramatic legal thrills and vicious action
beatdowns, The Prosecutor balances Yen’s penchant for punching someone
as hard as a shotgun blast with a more mature dramatic angle. The modern
sensibilities will appeal to a larger demographic than Sakra, particularly
those who love Yen’s cops n’ robbers flicks like Raging Fire, Flashpoint,
or SPL. Yeah, that’s absolutely a great thing. Case dismissed.
Like many Hong Kong films, even in the current
mainstream-China-influenced industry, The Prosecutor is a juggling act
of genres and tones. Back in the day, Hong Kong films would just make anything
an action film. Is it a supernatural horror movie? Add action. Is it a goofy
satire comedy? Add action. Is it a historic event? Well, somebody is wielding dual
handguns or getting kicked in the chest. That’s what The Prosecutor
feels like. While the film opens with one of those funny claims that the
following is “based on a true story,” by the time the first action sequence is
done - featuring Donnie Yen as a cop in a drug raid who gets the most
egregiously powerful sound effects when he hits someone - you know that most of
the realism is out the window.
It’s fine. The strange balancing act that the director part
of Donnie Yen is pulling off here is that old-school HK ideology toward tonal
shift. For every brutal action flick beat down, a subsequent sequence of
dramatic character work gives the film a bit of emotional pathos that just
works. Donnie Yen, playing police officer Fok Chi Ho, who changes careers to
become a legal prosecutor after realizing he needs to help see justice through
on the other side of the law, can deliver those changes both in front of the
camera and behind it.
In front, he’s anchoring a film that requires him to deliver the action set pieces we’ve come to expect from him while still managing to build a character that connects with the disenfranchised he is looking to protect. This allows him, as an actor, to deliver an incredible one-liner in the finale fight on the train and then deliver an emotionally driven speech in court about the role of justice in a society full of loopholes and criminals that take advantage of the courts. He does both admirably. Yen has surrounded himself with some fantastic secondary casting - including some newbies and some industry stalwarts (Francis Ng Chun-Yu and Kent Cheng Jak-Si are always welcome to any film, in my opinion) that help him accomplish the task.
The script leaves some to be desired, particularly in its
penchant to catering a bit too much to the mainstream Chinese propaganda
machine about presenting the legal system in such a bright light by the film's
end, but it gets the job done. It helps that Yen is directing the living hell
out of this film most of the time, delivering some pizzazz to the action but
maintaining the little moments that deepen the film experience. While most
people will remember the stylish action sequences, Yen truly shines the most in
the smaller moments as a director. It’s hard for me not to feel really great
about my experience with the film when I keep looking at the juxtaposition that
Yen creates between when his character is sitting with the legal team and
refuses to drink the expensive wine but later chooses to share some tea in a
small worn glass from the grandfather of a defendant in his small home. Those
things showcase the strength that Donnie Yen is showing as a director.
Granted, the action is genuinely spectacular. Truthfully,
it’s to be expected, but it will still be one of the main reasons that viewers
come to see The Prosecutor. The film opens with a massive SWAT raid that
is highlighted by a “one-take” that careens into a first-person viewpoint to
get the viewers right into the chaos and then manages to find a reason to get
Donnie Yen into brawls every 20 minutes or so to make sure that action fans are
satiated between the legal melodrama. What makes it so impressive that each
action sequence is visually distinctive, with pops of color and unique
locations. Whether it's a street brawl, a race to avoid being run over in a circular
parking garage, or the impressively choreographed destruction of the finale on
the train, Donnie Yen never ceases to provide the best of action each
year.
So, with that, I’m sending out a summons for everyone to see
The Prosecutor. Its melodramatic legal drama may not be for some, but
there’s enough action to ensure justice is served with a healthy helping of
ass-kicking. However, Yen manages to give the dramatic bits some thematic juice
and never skimps out on beatdowns and martial arts. It leaves only one verdict:
The Prosecutor is the first great action film of the year and a must-see
for anyone who loves incredible action.
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