Raging Fire (2021)

Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse team up again for what would be director Benny Chan's last movie. Raging Fire is an old school good cop versus bad cop revenge extravaganza.

The story is really nothing new, though it does try to show the difficulties Hong Kong's police face with pressure from varying groups. It also asks the question, what does it take to push a good cop over the edge? I was able to call out the major plot points and turning points without reading the synopsis in that it strays very little from stories done before. What Raging Fire has going for it is over the top, frenetic action sequences. Whether with fists, knives, guns, or cars, the action choreography is graphic and breath-taking.

Raging Fire's other strength is its two stars. Donnie Yen as Bong, the tough, honest cop gives a captivating performance as a man struggling to survive in a system that does not reward integrity and sacrifice. Nicholas Tse's Ngo chewed up the scenery and his opponents in a mesmerizing performance of a wronged cop out for revenge. One of the strongest scenes is a quiet, tense conversation between the two men who used to be friends, taut with anger as they play cat and mouse, not knowing for sure who the predator is. Yen and Tse have amazing chemistry.

The rest of the cast, including Qin Lan, who plays Bong's wife, have very little time or moments to stand out. The good cop team and the bad cop team characters are not very memorable.

Raging Fire's explosive action sequences propelled by its two stars' energy tumbles headlong to the climax everyone will know is coming, providing enough entertainment to make this a movie worth watching. Hold on for the ride because the action is non-stop.

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A must for fans of HK action

Sadly over-shadowed as being veteran director, Benny Chan's, last film, this is an old-school Hong Kong action film given a sparkly new coat of paint, modern, faster, more violent action, and a superb script we've all seen before... yet somehow original enough to make us want to see it again.

To be honest: I'm a big fan of Donny Yen; Nicholas Tse is the "pretty boy" who can be frustratingly brilliant every now and again; Benny Chan churned out enjoyable action content, whereas the plot - coupled with all of the above - meant that this was always on my viewing list, but never a priority. I ended up watching it on a recent flight with a Chinese airline, and, DAMN, did I regret not seeing it sooner?!

I won't spoil anything but, as the other review here points out: things are a tad predictable. But for what this is, that's more than okay.
What the other reviewer didn't mention though, was the moral dilemma of doing the right thing - even if it meant potentially sacrificing a comrade - and the question of whether the villain was actually justified in doing what he did?
This is what made Nicholas Tse's character so enchanting: even though trauma had turned him into a ruthless killer, there was a motive behind it all that audiences could most probably relate to.

The action in this film is A-grade - and that's what you'll likely want to see it for!
Donnie Yen tries to up his acting, but we all love him for his on-screen combat talent, so who cares as long as he's not Arnie-level bad, right? It's like watching a Jackie Chan film: we all know what we want and what to expect going in, but trying to emote to make up for age slowing him down, doesn't change the fact that we still want to see more of what made us fans in the first place!

In short: where this will never be the best film you'll ever see, it hits all the right buttons. Recommended.

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