Kung Wei (Jet Li), a undercover Chinese cop sent to track down a notorious criminal Po Kwong (Yu Rongguang) in Hong Kong. There, he ultimately teams with his son Johnny Kung (Xie Miao) and a another cop Anna Fong (Anita Mui), the both together are an incredible Kung Fu master-in-the-making. Together, they lay down the law in the final fight on Po. An undercover cop struggling to provide for his son and ailing wife, must infiltrate a ruthless gang. But things turn sour when another cop blows his cover and he quickly finds himself battling for his life and the lives of his family. Maybe Jet's most successful break from traditional hero to modern day action man, this isn't a classic in any means but does deliver a contemporary Li performance in keeping with his growing US following. The story doesn't take us anywhere new - Jet is an undercover cop set to bring down top criminal Yu Rong Guang and things get messy when the family becomes involved. Thankfully the moderate screen action demands top-drawer performances from its stars and delivers - of course wushu wonderkid Tze Mui, playing our hero's young son, is notably the best thing. Of the action, a nifty three-on-one near the end may require the odd rewind. Much of "My Father Is A Hero" is heavy-going, downbeat and melodramatic; on the other hand, the final fight scene alone is almost worth the price of admission. Jet Li has some powerful acting moments in this film (like the scene where he realizes that his wife has just died and has all those recollections of her, but has to keep his cool so as not to expose his identity to the crime boss), and his bond with his son is moving. A surprisingly flexible Anita Mui has a couple of crisp fight scenes as well, but the show is pretty much stolen by the little boy who plays Jet's son, and who doesn't just kid around - he shows really spectacular kung fu skills. On the whole, it does take some effort on the viewer's part to stick with this film, but ultimately it's worth it. (***)
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293 weeks ago