Raging Fire review – bad cop steals show from good in savage Hong Kong thriller

With adrenaline-pumping action, Nicholas Tse’s vengeful villain cuts an almost tragic figure

The final film from Hong Kong maverick Benny Chan (Big Bullet, New Police Story, Who Am I?), who sadly died during post-production, this has all the genre pleasures of an old school bad cop v good cop flick. Honest, stoic cop Bong (Donnie Yen) is about to capture a longtime criminal nemesis when, to his horror, a masked gang annihilate his foe along with a dozen other colleagues. Even more shocking, Bong soon discovers that the leader of this savage ambush – spectacularly shot at an abandoned shopping mall – is none other than Ngo (Nicholas Tse), a former comrade-in-arms whom he sent to jail for misconduct.

Straight out of prison and thirsty for blood, Ngo and his band of cops-turned-criminals are itching to settle the score, which leads to some adrenaline-pumping action pieces. The ageless Yen is as mesmerising as ever in these sequences, one of which involves him infiltrating a housing project and jumping through one window to another, all while being outnumbered by ruthless goons. Still, Tse steals the show here, in part because his villain has more depth than Yen’s angel of justice. Sporting long black locks and a broody gaze, Ngo makes for an almost tragic figure; he is only evil because of misplaced loyalty to a system that does not hesitate to spit him out.

Such resentful undercurrents add an impressive grittiness to the action sequences: the fight scenes are drenched in mud and tears, and the camera revels in the material dirtiness of combat. There are occasional lags during dialogue-heavy moments, but the final showdown between Tse and Yen – the pair wrestle each other among the rubble of a run-down church – is a special moment.

• Raging Fire is released on 12 November in cinemas.

Contributor

Phuong Le

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Shock Wave: Hong Kong Destruction review – one long tick-tick-boom symphony
Andy Lau plays a bomb-disposal officer in this old-school action thriller with tricksy, Infernal Affairs-esque storytelling

Leslie Felperin

12, Jun, 2021 @9:53 AM

Article image
Everything Under Control review – endearing gangster mashup from Hong Kong
Comedy caper deserves credit for fighting the corner of the city’s cinema in the face of the mainland film behemoth

Phil Hoad

21, Jan, 2023 @3:47 PM

Article image
Kill Boksoon review – intense Korean assassin thriller with satisfying complexity
This fast-moving yarn about a woman balancing contract killing with raising a teenage daughter has flair and depth to spare

Leslie Felperin

30, Mar, 2023 @6:00 AM

Article image
Where the Wind Blows review – Hong Kong gangland meets Singin’ in the Rain
Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Aaron Kwok play rival cops in this confusing but visually arresting 60s-set thriller

Wendy Ide

01, Oct, 2023 @11:30 AM

Article image
The Killer review – super-violent South Korean thriller with well-coiffed assassin
A retired mercenary must free a kidnapped teen in this lurid and drum-tight thriller

Leslie Felperin

21, Mar, 2023 @7:00 AM

Article image
Beasts Clawing at Straws review – jet-black comedy in arch Korean thriller
A long-suffering sauna worker finds a bag stuffed full of cash in a crime caper with perfectly pitched performances

Leslie Felperin

10, Aug, 2021 @11:00 AM

Article image
Charcoal review – tremendous thriller has family looking after mafia interloper
A Brazilian family struggling with their ailing grandfather are offered an unusual way out in Carolina Markowicz’s darkly comic and suspenseful feature debut

Leslie Felperin

07, Mar, 2023 @11:00 AM

Article image
Where the Wind Blows review – a heady mix of gangster lore, lust and lawlessness
Hong Kong stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai play corrupt police officers in Philip Yung’s ambitious but over-the-top crime epic

Leslie Felperin

26, Sep, 2023 @8:00 AM

Article image
Night in Paradise review – operatic Korean display of gunfire and death
This blood-splattered Korean gangster flick with a romantic subplot follows Tae-Gu as he hides out from his enemies

Leslie Felperin

08, Apr, 2021 @11:00 AM

Article image
Solid Gold review – sluggish Polish crime thriller
A tough-nut ex-cop is lured back to her old job to help bring down a drug baron in this overlong and unengaging drama

Phil Hoad

05, Dec, 2019 @1:00 PM