Dou fo sin (2007)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Wilson Yip

Writers:

Kam-Yuen Szeto (written by) and
Lik-Kei Tang (written by)

Release Date:

2 August 2007 (Singapore)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

An agent battles against three brothers of a powerful Vietnamese gang.

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | Sniper Rifle | Shootings | Murder | Explosion

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Donnie Yen	...	Det. Sgt. Ma Jun
Louis Koo	...	Wilson
Collin Chou	...	Tony
Ray Lui	...	Archer Sin (as Lui Leung Wai)
Bingbing Fan	...	Julie (as Fan Bing Bing)
Kent Cheng	...	Inspector Wong
Yu Xing	...	Tiger (as Xing Yu)
Qing Xu	...	Madam Lau (as Xu Qing)
Ben Lam	...	Sam
Lan Law	...	Madam Ma (as Law Lan)
Ping Ha	...	Tony's Mum (as Ha Ping)
Irene Wang	...	Cindy
Austin Wai	...	Four Eyes
Wai Ai	...	Hero (as Al Wai)
Chi Wai Wong	...	Baldy (as Wong Chi Wai)

Also Known As:

Flash Point (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
City Without Mercy (International: English title) (working title)
City with No Mercy (International: English title)
Dao huo xian (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Flashpoint (UK) (DVD box title)
Fuse (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
Po jun (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence and brutal martial arts action.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:14A | USA:R | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | South Korea:15 (cable rating)

Company:

Mandarin Films Distribution Co.

Trivia:

In the parking garage scene, it took Yu Xing 39 takes in order to complete the simple shot of him leaping over the gate when attacking the man in the car. Donnie Yen attributed Yu's difficulty to nerves, as this was his first movie with Yen and the scene was his first to be shot in the film. An outtake of Yu crashing through the gate and breaking it is included in the movie's final credits.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the man is shot on the roof of the parking structure, even though the movie depicts events in 1997, there is a modern silver BMW 5-series parked next to the victim’s car. It is a 2004-2007 (pre January 2007 facelift) model.

Movie Connections:

Follows Saat po long (2005)

One of the best films to come out in a long time

Flashpoint is a beautifully shot film that moves a long at a fast pace. I was never much of a Donnie Yen fan but I have been converted to one after seeing this film. Hollywood needs to bring him back, at least as an action choreographer. The action scenes in this film are far more sophisticated than anything Hollywood is doing.

Wilson Yip did an amazing job as director. It's a shame this didn't get a U.S. theatrical release. If Hollywood is smart, they will recruit him.

Bingbing Fan is a beauty that should also be brought to Hollywood.

Flashpoint doesn't break new ground in terms of it being a typical cops and gangsters flick, but it is as good as any of them.

The fights are excellent and realistic.

Flashpoint is highly recommended for HK movie fans.