Raging Fire (2021).
Directed by Benny Chan
Written by Benny Chan, Ryan Wai-Chun Ling, and Yaoliang Tang
Starring Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Lan Qin, Angus Yeung, Yuen Ka-Bo and Ben Lam
The Stage.
Cheung Sung-bong is a very respected officer of the Regional Crime Unit - he’s an honest family man who gets the job done. When a pack of ex-officers turned violent criminals ambushes a group of police and kills his boss, Cheung makes it his mission to bring them down.
The Review.
This was Benny Chan’s final film before he tragically died from cancer - and he went out with a bang. From the opening scene, you know you’re watching an epic inspired by Michael Mann’s Heat. Donnie Yen, who’s one of my favorite Hong Kong actors, plays Cheung and he’s good as the stoic, determined police officer looking to avenge his mentor’s death but the real star of this film is Nicholas Tse, who plays Ngo, the leader of his band of cops-turned-criminals. He’s so charismatic in the role that I found myself rooting for him. Certain scenes even felt inspired by Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, specifically one set inside of a police interrogation room. He’s just so damn cool, like a mixture of Chow Yun Fat’s Tequila and Luke from Bullet in the Head.
Mr. Chan was an extremely competent filmmaker so everything looks great. The action is shot very well (aided by the killer talents of the actors in said fights) and the camera movements are kinetic and draw you into each situation. There’s a little too much noticeable CGI here for my tastes - specifically CGI blood and explosions, but the only piece that was so bad that it was actually distracting was one scene of a motorcycle jumping a guardrail. Overall Raging Fire looks and sounds great.
The story doesn’t provide anything new - you’ve probably seen this kind of thing a million times (there are grey areas in life, police-work isn’t black and white, etc.), and it feels a little long in the tooth at points, but luckily those lulls are broken up by some action scenes and goddamn…they deliver. One particular fight scene involves Cheung battling his way out of a slum neighborhood after he confronts a local drug dealer who’s not ready to go quietly. Cheung takes off his bullet proof vest, wraps it around one arm as a sort of shield, and then heads into battle with tons of goons armed with machetes. The fight heads from the favelas to a sewer and then even into the city streets. You really feel every hit as they beat the hell out of each other. Another involves the first fight I can recall on film while one character is in the driver’s seat of a car and the other participant is driving a motorcycle next to him. It was thrilling and inventive. Finally, there’s a big action set piece at the end of the film that is most definitely inspired by Heat as cops pin the criminals in the middle of traffic and the bullets start flying.
The End.
As the credits roll, we’re treated to a tribute of set photos featuring the late director working amongst his crew. It was a rewarding cap on a solid film, paying homage to the master who had helmed his final project.
Raging Fire might be a familiar tale of cops vs. robbers, but it is engaging and the performances are great, specifically that of Nicholas Tse. Add in the amazing action scenes, and this one becomes an easy film to recommend if you like action movies.
