Hak hap (1996)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Daniel Lee

Writers:

Hark Tsui (screenplay) &
Koan Hui (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A survivor of a supersoldier project must fight his former comrades as a masked hero.

Plot Keywords:

Mask | Police | Superhero | Severed Leg | Lasersight

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Tsui Chik / Black Mask
Ching Wan Lau	...	Inspector 'Rock' Shek Wai-Ho (as Lau Ching Wan)
Karen Mok	...	Tracy Lee
Françoise Yip	...	Mei Lin (as Francoise C.J. Yip)
Kong Lung	...	Commander Hung (as Patrick Lung)
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	King Kau (as Anthony Wong)
Xin Xin Xiong	...	Jimmy Jimmy
Moses Chan	...	701 Squad Member (as Mouses Chan)
King-fai Chung	...	Police Commissioner (as Chung King Fai)
Ken Lok
Lawrence Ah Mon	...	Operating Room Doctor (as Lawrence Ahmon)
Mei-Yee Sze		(as Sze Mei Yee)
Roy Szeto
Suk-yee Chan		(as Chan Suk Yee)
Nunzio Caponio		(as Caponio Nunzio)
Henry Fong	...	Ricky Tai
John Whitney		(as John J. Whitney)
Glenn Peters
Winston Ellis	...	701 Squad Member (as Winston G. Ellis)
Russ Price	...	Rocket (as Russell A.C. Price)
Victor Haiti
Mike Lambert	...	701 Squad Member (as Michael Ian Lambert)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ricardo Alexander	...	701 Squad Member
Corey Burton	...	Commissioner (voice) (uncredited)
John DeMita	...	Tsui Chik / Black Mask (voice: English version) (uncredited)
John Di Maggio	...	Ricky Tai (voice) (uncredited)
Alex Fernandez	...	Tony (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Carlos Ferro	...	Kaio (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Yung Kwan	...	(uncredited)
John Lee	...	Commander (voice) (uncredited)
David Leung	...	Jimmy Jimmy (uncredited)
Sherry Lynn	...	Tracy Lee (voice) (uncredited)
Matt McKenzie	...	Inspector 'Rock' Shek Wai-Ho (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Andrew Philpot	...	Lieutenant (voice) (uncredited)
Dwight Schultz	...	King Kau (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Daniel Lee

Writing credits
Hark Tsui		(screenplay) (as Tsui Hark) &
Koan Hui		(screenplay) &
Teddy Chan		(screenplay) (as Teddy Chen) &
Joe Ma		(screenplay)
Chi-Ming Pang		(comic story) uncredited
Ann Hui		uncredited

Produced by
Teddy Chan	....	associate producer (as Teddy Chen)
Tiffany Chen	....	administrative producer
Hark Tsui	....	producer (as Tsui Hark)

Original Music by
Teddy Robin Kwan		(as Teddy Robin)
DJ Revolution
Ben Vaughn

Cinematography by
Tony Cheung		(as Cheung Tung Leung)

Film Editing by
Ka-Fai Cheung		(as Cheung Ka Fai)
Ka Cheung Tai		(as Cheung Ka Tai)
Ettie M. Feldman		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Bill Lui
Eddie Ma

Art Direction by
Bill Lui
Eddie Ma

Costume Design by
William Fung
Mabel Kwan

Makeup Department
Justo D. Cascante III	....	special makeup effects artist
Rachel Kong	....	hairdresser (as Rachel Kwong)
Tooke Lee	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Paul Au	....	assistant production manager
Marco Mak	....	post-production manager (as Mak Chi Sin)
Wong Kam Ming	....	assistant unit manager (as Wong Kam Ming)
Steven Ng	....	unit manager
Dana Reid	....	executive in charge of production
Bonnie Shum	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pou-Soi Cheang	....	second assistant director (as Cheang Pou Soi)
Koan Hui	....	assistant director
Teddy Lee	....	second assistant director
Kavin Leung	....	assistant director
Benny Luk	....	second assistant director
Hing Fan Wong	....	second assistant director (as Wong Hing Fan)
Ann Hui	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Chak Wing Cheung	....	property master (as Cheung Chak Wing)
Sung Pong Choo	....	storyboarding
Kin Wah Ko	....	assistant property master (as Ko Kin Wah)
Raymond Kwok	....	assistant art director
Chung-Sum Lam	....	head construction (as Lam Chung Sum)
Kenneth Mak	....	assistant art director (as Ken Mak)
Alex Mok	....	assistant art director
Chung Ching Wong	....	assistant art director (as Wong Chung Ching)

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley walker (as Greg Barbanell)
Jeff K. Brunello	....	sound effects assistant (as Jeff Brunello)
Eddie Bydalek	....	sound recordist
Ming Yang Chen	....	dialogue: Mandarin (as Chen Ming Yang)
Paul Curtis	....	supervising sound editor
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Akbar Ali Goolam	....	sound transfer
John Garret Gorman	....	sound recordist (as Gary Gorman)
Rebecca Hanck	....	sound effects editor
Alan Hunter	....	foley artist
Shawn Kennelly	....	foley mixer
Sid Knowles	....	foley recording engineer
Eric Lewis	....	assistant adr engineer: English dialogue
Kwok-Wah Ng	....	sound effects editor
Kwok-Wah Ng	....	sound effects (as Ng Kwok Wah)
Juliet Phillips	....	foley artist
Mark Phillips	....	sound re-recording engineer
Joan Rowe	....	foley walker (as Joanie Rowe)
Ernie Sheesley	....	dialogue recordist
Liz Sroka	....	sound re-recording mixer
Johan Theron	....	sound effects editor
Nicci Van Niekerk	....	sound effects editor
Tim Walston	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
Stephen Ma	....	visual effects

Stunts
Ricardo Alexander	....	stunts
Siu Wah Chan	....	stunts (as Chan Siu Wah)
Kwai Po Chin	....	stunts (as Chun Kwai Po)
Sam Kai-Sen Huang	....	stunts (as Huang Sen)
Huan-Chiu Ku	....	martial arts coordinator (as Ku Huen Chiu)
Mike Lambert	....	stunts
Dion Lam	....	martial arts coordinator
Chi Wah Ling	....	stunts (as Ling Chi Wah)
Lam Fu Wai	....	stunts
Xin Xin Xiong	....	stunts (as Xiong Xin Xin)
Woo-ping Yuen	....	martial arts fight director (as Yuen Wo Ping)
Russ Price	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wai Lin Chan	....	gaffer: second unit (as Chan Wai Lin)
Chi Fai Chow	....	best boy (as Chow Chi Fai)
Pui Lun Ho	....	dolly grip (as Ho Pui Lun)
Kwok-Man Keung	....	camera operator: second unit (as Keung Kwok Man)
Kwok-Man Keung	....	second cinematographer
Tsan Cheong Kie	....	focus puller (as Kie Tsan Cheong)
Albert Sum	....	gaffer
Sunny Tsang Tat Sze	....	gaffer (as Tsang Tat Sze)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Siu Lan To	....	wardrobe assistant (as To Siu Lan)

Music Department
Tree Adams	....	composer: additional music (as Adam Hirsh)
D.J. Babu	....	musician: additional scratching (as DJ Babu)
Brian Cox	....	music supervisor
Jed Grodin	....	music supervisor
Roc Raida	....	musician: additional scratching (as DJ Roc Raida)
Rob Swift	....	musician: additional scratching

Other crew
Charles Heung	....	presenter
Huan-Chiu Ku	....	martial arts coordinator (as Ku Huen Chiu)
Dion Lam	....	martial arts coordinator
Kavin Leung	....	continuity
Kit Wong	....	production accountant
Pauline Yeung	....	service
Pauline Yeung	....	tea lady
Woo-ping Yuen	....	martial arts director (as Yuen Wo Ping)
Cathy Ziehl	....	assistant to studio vice president (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Distant Horizons
• Film Workshop
• Win's Entertainment Ltd.

Distributors

• Alliance Releasing Home Video (Canada) (VHS) (dubbed)
• Arcade Movie Company (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Arcade Movie Company (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Artisan Entertainment (1999) (USA) (dubbed)
• Artisan Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Artisan Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Evolution Entertainment (2003) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Manga Films (1998) (Spain) (video)
• Odeon Films (1999) (Canada) (dubbed)
• RTL Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7)
• Rapid Eye Movies (Germany)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Cinefex Workshop Co. Ltd. (visual effects)
• Cubists (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Fine Art Film Production Company  subtitles
• True Technic Ltd.  studio
• Ramindra Sound Recording Studios  sound mixing studio: Dolby
• Kodak (Far East)  film supplied by
• Mandarin Laboratory (International) Ltd.  subtitles
• Cinerent (Thailand) Co. Ltd.  equipment
• EFX  sound editing
• Screen Music Studios (SMS)  adr recording facilities
• Tommy Boy Records  soundtrack released by
• Wilshire Stages, The  sound re-recording mixing

Also Known As:

Black Mask (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
Hei xia (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence including martial arts combat, some sexual content and language.

Runtime:

96 min | USA:102 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB (cut) | Hong Kong:III (original version) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (2000) | Philippines:PG-13 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Germany:18 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 (direct to video) | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R (certificate #36739) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Distant Horizons

Trivia:

The games Tracy plays on the Sega Saturn while locked inside Black Mask's apartment are "Virtua Fighter 2" and "X-men: Children of the Atom."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Safety cable and harness visible during the fight scene on top of the industrial complex

Quotes:

Commander Hung: [approaches with a rail gun] Teacher. You wanted to be a human. Now you can die like one.
Michael: [removes the black mask] Thank you. I'm honoured. I'd rather die... then live like you.
Commander Hung: Have it your way then, teacher! I'm happy to oblige you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Killing Spree

Jet Li rocks!!!

In Stand By Me, Vern and Teddy discuss who was tougher, Superman or Mighty Mouse. My friends and I often discuss who would win a fight too. Sometimes we get absurd and compare guys like MacGyver and The Terminator or Rambo and Matrix. But now it seems that we discuss guys like Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li. It is a pointless comparison seeing that Lee is dead, but it is a fun one. And if you go by what we have seen from Jet Li in Lethal 4 and Black Mask, you have to at least say that he would match up well against Chan. In this film he comes across as a martial arts God.

Black Mask is about a man that was created along with many other men, to be supreme fighting machines. Their only purpose is to win wars that other people lose. They are invincible in some ways. Now that is the premise for the film, but what that does is sets up all the amazingly choreographed fight scenes.

Jet Li is a marvel. He can do things with and to his body that no human being should be able to do. And that is what makes watching him so fun.

Besides the martial arts in the film, Black Mask is strong with humour and that is due to the chemistry that Jet has with his co-star, the police officer. They are great together. But to be honest. if anyone is reading this review, they want to know if the film is kick ass in the action department. And the answer to that is a resounding YES!!! Lots and lots of gory mindless action. You will love this film.