Paradox

A Hong Kong martial arts film. Lee is a father who works as a policeman. His daughter goes to Thailand and disappears. He travels to Bangkok and starts looking for her with the local police. The trail quickly leads to a network trading in organs. What the film is known for is the fighting. The choreography is Sammo Hung's, in the heavy, contact-based line of the Hong Kong tradition: long takes, little cutting, and an arrangement close to real impact. Louis Koo does not come from martial arts and undertook serious preparation for the part. The narrative follows the genre's known template: a missing child, a search abroad, a corrupt local structure. Its difference is carrying that through emotionally to the end, with a finale that does not soften. Wilson Yip directed; he also directed this third entry in the SPL series. Tony Jaa appears in a short but effective role. A strong example of its kind for anyone who likes Hong Kong action and hard choreography. Before you watch, know this: the violence is explicit and the subject is organ trafficking; the film gives relief nowhere.