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The Hidden EnforcersAKA: Summer Killer Year of release: 2002 Genre: action Director: Nam Yin Stars: Sammo Hung, Nadia Chan, Ken Wong, Monica Lo, David Lee, Bill S. Chan, Emily Kwan, Simon Lui Rated IIB for violence Version reviewed: Long Shong DVD |
There was a time when Sammo Hung's name was enough to make a Hong Kong movie a hit -- or at least make it turn a profit. But times have changed, and even Sammo's involvement in this production couldn't keep The Hidden Enforcers from disappearing from local theatres in only a week. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I approached this film. Though things aren't as bad as initial reviews painted them to be, The Hidden Enforcers is, at the most, a by-the-numbers cheap action flick -- and for fans of Sammo's work, average just doesn't cut the mustard.
The plot initally holds some promise, which is a surprise, since the movie was written and directed by Nam Yin, who is so low-budget, he makes Wong Jing productions look like Merchant-Ivory films by comparison. Let's put it this way -- he's the talent behind the never-ending Troublesome Night series as well as innumerable other cheap action or horror pictures. At any rate, the film has Sammo as a cop who loses some of his squad after a botched drug raid and retires in disgust against the system which helps criminals, rather than imprisoning them. Fifteen years later, he re-emerges as the boss of a highly-trained crew of vigilante killers, who he sets out to get revenge for his fallen comrades.
Yeah, okay, the plot isn't exactly high art or anything, but it sets the stage for a good action movie, especially with Sammo. The main problem here is that there isn't a whole lot of action. There's a few bits and pieces here and there, but it's nothing close to the epics one has come to expect from Sammo. The stuff that is there (which was co-ordinated by Ridley Tsui, not Sammo, which might be part of the problem) is decent, but it's nothing better than you might see in your average B-movie, from either the United States or Hong Kong.
And that is ultimately The Hidden Enforcers's main downfall. Everything is done compentently, and the action sequences do offer a bit of excitement. But, come on, we're talking about Sammo Hung here -- the guy that gave fat bastards everywhere a glimmer of hope that one day they too will be able to kick ass. I know a "good" reviewer should go into every movie with a clean slate, but Sammo's body of work has been so impressive, it's hard to keep those feelings muted while watching one of his films. All in all, The Hidden Enforcers is a decent movie that most action junkies should like, but one has the feeling that it should have been so much better.
RATING: 5
