The Enforcer (1995)

Overrated and overhyped

Load of rubbish!!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"Kung Wei" (Jet Li) is a Chinese undercover cop who has an adoring son named "Ku Kung" (Mo Tse) and a very ill wife but rather than being able to take care of her he is sent against his wishes to Hong Kong to infiltrate a gang of smugglers led by a notorious criminal by the name of "Po Kwang" (Rongguang Yu). Naturally, in order to join the gang he has to convince everyone that he is a criminal and even his son and wife cannot know the truth. Neither can the police in Hong Kong who have assigned a female detective named "Inspector Fong" (Anita Mui) to apprehend him. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film contains quite a bit of action, drama and comedy. Unfortunately, the sheer quantity of these three elements caused the movie to seem quite uneven. Throw in an overabundance of martial arts and the accompanying preposterous stunts and the result is a movie lacking coherence and realism. No doubt some viewers will really like this movie simply for the action it provides and quite frankly it wasn't that bad. However, all things considered I can only rate it as about average. No more and no less.

Kung Wei (Li) is a loving husband and father, but has to spend a lot of time away from his family because he "has a rapport with these underworld types" and is now deep, deep undercover in an attempt to stop the gang of Po Kwong (Yu), a criminal mastermind with an army of thugs. Wei has an especially strong bond with his young son Johnny (Tse), who, like a pint-sized version of his father, is a Martial Arts expert. When Wei's wife becomes sick, the pressure on him becomes even greater while he's away from his family, and Johnny strikes up a friendship with a female cop named Fong (Mui). While Wei is undercover in Hong Kong, Fong and Johnny follow him there from mainland China. Then the stage is set for the ultimate confrontation: who will be victorious? Find out today...Moodily directed by Corey Yuen, a man whose career as an actor, director and stuntman is simply amazing, and who has been kicking all our butts since Above the Law (1986), he seems to be going for more of a balance between emotional drama and action. While nothing seems out of place, as might be expected the highlights of this movie are the fight/action scenes. There are some really impressive moments, and when the energy is there, it's amazing to watch, but there are certainly some peaks and valleys we as viewers must go through. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, in fact it may make the action scenes stand out all the more.Thankfully, this movie does have a blonde meathead screaming while shooting a machine gun. So yes, it is truly a work of dramatic art. You know Po Kwong is a villain because he wears his sunglasses at night (and at all other times too), and he and his gang of baddies really put the tot Johnny through hell. Johnny has to go through all manner of trials and tribulations, perhaps even more so than his father does. Many of those things wouldn't fly in America, even in a movie they'd be considered politically-incorrect child abuse. There's even a scene of Johnny being bullied at school: apparently Johnny is a big ant aficionado, and can even train his ants to spell words like "mom"! When some bullies try to break up his ant party, he stops them in the only way that works: fight back! So there are some good lessons here too.The Dragon Dynasty DVD is typically excellent, with many features and a crisp, clear transfer. One of Wei's underworld contacts is subtitled as "G-Dawg", so perhaps there were some concessions to the American market (???) - but at least there aren't any misplaced musical cues like in the U.S. DVD version of the Jet Li outing Contract Killer (1998). In the end, fans should appreciate the killer fight scenes, action moments, and stunt work, while non-action buffs may appreciate the dramatic content. So the appeal here is pretty wide.

Review: I quite enjoyed this movie. I really liked the little boy, who played Jet Li's son and there chemistry and fighting skills was a joy to watch. The storyline was well put together and Jet Li proved that he can act as well as kick butt. Basically, Jet Li plays an undercover cop, trying to take down a crime boss but while he's on the job his wife dies and his son goes to live with a cop whose trying to work out Jet Li's true identity. The fighting scenes were quite good, especially when his son is using his martial arts skills to help take down the baddies and the showdown at the end was worth waiting for. In all, it's an entertaining film with enough material to keep you interested throughout. Enjoyable!Round-Up: This film also has intense drama and you feel for Jet Li who can't reveal his undercover status to his family. After earning the trust from the baddies, he's unable to go back home because it might break his cover so his only communication with his loved ones is through a pager and phone calls to his son. I was really impressed with his sons acting skills and he really did show true emotion for such a young boy. The director didn't go overboard with the string action so the fight scenes looked realistic and well choreographed. Anyway, if your into your martial arts movies, this is definitely worth a watch.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: HK$15.5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a undercover cop fighting against a crime boss, with the help of his young son. 6/10

I was entertained when I saw this Jet Li film in a second hand theater. The story is a little melodramatic but the fight scenes are outstanding. Gei Ba Ba De Xin/My Father is a Hero(1995) was the first Jet Li movie that I ever saw. One of his last films from Hong Kong before heading for Hollywood. My Father is a Hero(1995) is an unusual Jet Li picture because it mixes gunplay with plenty of martial arts. My favorite scene is the shootout at the restaurant. I hate the version released here as The Enforcer because of the English dubbing. The action scenes are aggressively directed by Corey Yuen(director of the visually splendid Saviour of the Soul{1992}). Jet Li shows that he's the closet there is to a successor to Bruce Lee. Anita Mui kicks butt as Inspector Fong Yat Wah.