Jet Li’s The Enforcer (1995) Review

Verdict
3.5

Summary

The Enforcer is pretty slick with an engaging story, plenty of tension and memorable characters. Most of the action is well done but there is too much wirework making some of it defy belief. There are worse ways to spend an evening though and Jet Li fans will enjoy it.

Plot: Johnny (Xie Miao) is a junior kung fu champ growing up in China. He’s been told his father, Wei (Jet Li), is a dangerous criminal. He’s really an undercover agent infiltrating the Hong Kong Triad. When a brazen cop, Inspector Fong (Anita Mui), sets out to bring down the gang, she investigates Wei’s mainland past and uncovers his true identity. After Wei’s gravely ill wife dies, Fong takes Johnny back to Hong Kong with her, and father, son and cop team up to bring down a criminal empire.

Review: I have to admit that I’ve only watched this movie for the first time recently and although it wasn’t amazing, it certainly had its moments and it surprisingly had a lot of heart.

What let it down was the over use of wirework (I seem to bitch about that a lot recently) which took away from a lot of action. It’s a shame as Jet Li has ways had the skills and doesn’t need wires to look good.

The Father/Son relationship was well explored and Xie Miao practically stole the entire movie; he was a little badass and the scene where he takes on the school bullies was incredibly satisfying.

Rongguang Yu was a fabulously deranged villain who was always unpredictable and would beat up his own men at any time. He also wears shades all the time and manages to be cool as well as unhinged. Why does nobody wear shades in movies anymore? I want more cool people in my action cinema!

It isn’t wall-t0-wall action and we get time to care about the characters which was refreshing; the fact that we care what happens to them all makes the story more intense. It’s never dull and moves along quickly and the unpredictable plot keeps you guessing.

Overall, The Enforcer is pretty slick with an engaging story, plenty of tension and memorable characters. Most of the action is well done but there is too much wirework making some of it defy belief. There are worse ways to spend an evening though and Jet Li fans will enjoy it.