Raging Fire

Whilst the plot is nothing new, Raging Fire is an absolutely incredible action thriller full of memorable set pieces and is definitely a superb and bittersweet final film for director Benny Chan.

Donnie Yen gives an excellent lead performance whose physicality is balanced against more dramatic moments. Nicholas Tse is a superb villain, equally physically capable with believable motivation yet still managing to be gleefully evil.

Benny Chan's direction is phenomenal with a variety of standout set pieces including hand to hand combat, shootouts and car chases. The music by Nicolas Errèra is great, consistently ridiculously bombastic which helps to make everything even more dramatic.

I'm a huge Donnie Yen fan. As one would expect of a movie he stars in, the fight scenes are awesome. Fast paced but completely clear. Brutal without holding back for MPAA rating. And the non-fight action is also enjoyable.

Unfortunately there are only 3 or 4 action scenes in this 2-hour movie. The rest is run-of-the-mill and ranges from mediocre to useless. It brings down the movie for me and keeps it from being rewatchable. (1 viewing, 3/12/2022)

Yen Smolders in 'Raging Fire'. Donnie Yen has clearly established himself as an international, bankable action star. He is not only a dynamic martial arts action star, but a highly watchable screen presence.

In Raging Fire, Benny Chan's final Directorial work, Yen combines the elements of his persona as an action star and dramatic actor for a successful result. His dramatic engagement equals his action prowess, and these elements combine to make this film superior.

Shan (Donnie Yen) is a highly respected hardline cop with a long history of success on dangerous cases. However, his past unexpectedly comes back to haunt him when a sting operation is attacked by a mysterious group of criminals led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse), his former protégé, a talented former officer who had once respected and admired Shan. However, a terrible mistake three years prior landed him in prison, quickly turning the once rising star into a furious man with a grudge, and the will to destroy everyone who had wronged him-including his former mentor.

Many East Asian action films have a common theme showcasing the blurred line between police officer and villain. This film is no exception. While Yen is clearly the protagonist, Nicholas Tse is a sympathetic, albeit ruthless, adversary.

The film's story is not necessarily original, but it is engaging. Both Yen and Nicholas Tse bring a deep gravitas to their performances that makes them sympathetic, despite the circumstances. Nicholas Tse' performance is a strong counter-balance to Yen's. Yen's does not have as much depth and meaning without Tse.

This film is unusually deep for an action film, and perhaps, that is defining signature of a Benny Chan film. Here it is executed on a high level.

While the film has dramatic elements, there is no shortage of action. The knife fight choreography is about as exciting as you will see in any film. While I could write on about the dramatic undertones for paragraphs it is the final Yen-Tse showdown that puts this film among the top of the year's martial arts action jewels. The fight choreography is sensational.

I am sentimental; so I couldn't help but feel sad that Chan will not have the chance to see the international acclaim this film will likely garner. The closing credits feature behind the scenes clips of BennyChan in action, directing this one. He is clearly all-in.

The film is subtitled.

There is nothing to be picky about at the production and action levels. The overall completion is very smooth. It is also a good work in Hong Kong action films in recent years. It is gratifying that in recent years, Hong Kong directors have become more and more brave in shaping the characters in the gray area. After Infernal Affairs, many directors have been assimilated or hidden by capital and began to make some relatively safe works. In recent years, because of the change of the general environment, the "anger" in the creators' hearts has been aroused again, so there are very representative figures such as pan Chengfeng and AO. They can't be defined by a simple dualism of good and evil. This is the most real place of human nature. From the perspective of Chen Musheng's own works, it can be regarded as an upgrade of the new police story. In essence, there is no great new idea. There is little ink on the inner struggle of the characters, which can only be defined by cool films. However, as a creator, it is a happy thing that the posthumous work will be so widely recognized. I would like to pay tribute to the director and thank him for creating so many romantic and warm dreams.

RAGING FIRE is a fitting swansong for Hong Kong director Benny Chan, who died during post-production. It's a cop thriller throwback to the likes of NEW POLICE STORY and INVINCIBLE TARGET, with Donnie Yen typically playing a dedicated cop on the trail of a gang of robbers headed by Nicholas Tse. The film suffers from being overlong - half an hour out would have improved that - and from over-complexifying a rather straightforward scenario. But the action zings, particularly in Donnie's two fight scenes, and the climax is a real delight. It tends to avoid cheese and overwhelming sentiment which is good too.