User Reviews

MY FATHER IS A HERO is a collaboration between director Corey Yuen and star Jet Li that feels virtually identical to one of their previous pictures together, BODYGUARD FROM BEIJING. The two films are interchangeable in terms of look, feel, and fight action, so they'd made a fine double bill for martial arts fans. This one has some touching scenes between Li and Xia Miao, who plays his son. Usually, I don't like kids in action or suspense film; they're invariably whiny, they cry a lot, and they get in the way. Not Miao. He's a tough, ass-kicking boy who takes no crap whether it's from the bullies at his school or the thugs his dad's involved with. Miao's acting is strong and he's definitely the best child actor I've seen in an action film yet.

The film ticks all the boxes without really breaking anything in the way of new ground; most Hong Kong crime thrillers of the 1990s were like this, with ultra-cool and slick criminal gangs and plenty of tension when the hero gets involved with them. The family scenes and the touches of romance in this one aren't as out of place as they sometimes can be, and it helps that there's a high calibre of acting talent throughout. The late Anita Mui is particularly good as the tough cop on Li's tail.

Li himself is once again excellent, showing off his skills in both the acting stakes and the action parts, and with Corey Yuen at the helm the fights in this are superb. The shoot-out at the shopping mall is great stuff, and of course the majority of the fun is saved for the extended climax. Here, we get Li tackling three top villains on a bomb-laden boat. The bad guys are Rongguang Yu (the sunglasses-wearing, ultra slick chief villain who's one of the slimiest I've seen – he almost drips oil and grease), Collin Chou (who was the main villain in BODYGUARD FROM BEIJING) and Ken Lo (the high-kicking guy who Jackie Chan fought at the end of DRUNKEN MASTER II). The ensuing action is thoroughly entertaining, especially when Li ties his son to the end of a rope and proceeds to use him as a human yo-yo, thwarting the villains by tossing him through the air at them! All in all a lot of fun, as long as you're not expecting a classic.

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.

Much of "My Father Is A Hero" is heavy-going, downbeat and melodramatic; on the other hand, the final fight scene alone is almost worth the price of admission. Jet Li has some powerful acting moments in this film (like the scene where he realizes that his wife has just died and has all those recollections of her, but has to keep his cool so as not to expose his identity to the crime boss), and his bond with his son is moving. A surprisingly flexible Anita Mui has a couple of crisp fight scenes as well, but the show is pretty much stolen by the little boy who plays Jet's son, and who doesn't just kid around - he shows really spectacular kung fu skills. On the whole, it does take some effort on the viewer's part to stick with this film, but ultimately it's worth it. (***)

*Spoilers ahead*

Great action scenes, but come on... How can anyone actually endure a plot where

* The very much in love Jet Li does not grieve, not even comment on, his wife's death

* The top notch inspector from Hong Kong who goes to investigate a criminal in a place where she has no jurisdiction decides to actually start living with the criminal's family - telling them she is a cop - for quite some time in the vain hope that the criminal will return (what did she do all those days?). And when she returns to her office, noone comments on it.

* gravity suddenly no longer applies when you are using your kid as a weapon

My rating: 3 out of 10 (and that's only because of great fight scenes)

(Sorry, a few spoilers here!)

The Enforcer is a surprisingly great movie, esp. by Hong Kong standards. It deals with Jet Li being a deep undercover police-man from Beijing, who despite a sick wife and a son that needs him keeps being sent on long undercover missions. Here, he's sent to Hong Kong to infiltrate a crime syndicate. While helping them, he is caught on a photo by the Hong Kong police who doesn't know him, and Anita Mui, a highly placed Hong Kong police lieutenant, goes to Beijing to find out who he is. She finds his wife and son, and realizes that the crook she came to find may not in fact be a crook. Soon, the wife gets sicker, and eventually dies. The lieutenant then takes care of the son, and they go to Hong Kong to find the undercover cop. That's just half the movie. The other half involves the kid being in danger and even being beaten by his dad because the father has to act coldblooded in front of the mafia guys. Then there's some very good chemistry between Jet Li and Anita Mui's characters, and the final battle with the bad guys is good and rewarding.

All in all, this movie is told incredibly well, and everything in it rings true and is very, very moving. Great story, very good acting, lots of cool kung fu (also from surprisingly supple Anita Mui!), *and* lots of great action scenes in general. Never a dull moment.

The only thing wrong with the movie is that we're never really told who Jet Li's character really is. We know he's a good guy, and that he works for a police chief, but this chief denies knowing him as anything other than a crook, even when the Hong Kong police lieutenant shows up to inquire about him. But this is a minor thing that I am more than willing to ignore. This is a very satisfying movie in all ways.

9 out of 10.

The impressive fight scenes and great performances make up for a rather so so story and the uneven pacing. All the characters are pretty cool, and it had a couple of very emotional moments, plus Jet Li is simply amazing in this!. The plot is pretty weird, and there were a few moments where i felt bored, however the finale makes up for it by giving us fantastic fight scenes, plus you care for the main characters, even though Jet's character is a little hard to warm up to at 1st. Anita Mui and Jet had good chemistry together, and Rongguang Yu is very menacing as the main villain, plus it had a very grim and gritty feel to it as well. The opening is really cool, and while it felt routine at times, it also had some pretty creative moments as well, plus it's quite violent as well!. It's also a decent story of father and son relationships, and the locations were pretty cool as well, plus the fight choreography was excellent!. The impressive fight scenes make up for a rather so so story and the uneven pacing, well worth the watch!. The Direction is good. Corey Yuen does a good job here, with good camera work , decent angles, and he kept the film at a reasonable pace!. The Acting is great. Jet Li is AMAZING as always, and is amazing here, he had a mysterious character, and was hard to warm up to at 1st, but i soon found him likable, and he had good chemistry with both Anita Mui and Miu Tse, kicked that ass, is fantastic in the acting department, and just did an amazing job!. (Jet Rules!!!!). Anita Mui is very beautiful and does excellent with what she had to do, she had good chemistry with Jet and had a cool character, i liked her a lot. Miu Tse is actually very good as the son and impressed me with his skills, he also had good chemistry with Jet and wasn't annoying at all!. Rongguang Yu is great as the main villain, he was very menacing and also had a sinister look! (Yu Rules). Rest of the cast do OK. Overall well worth the watch!. *** out of 5

Before I say anything, I'd like to say that I think Jet Li is great. I'm a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema, and Jet Li is a living legend in action films. It's not Jet that is the problem...

The plot is standard fare. Jet Li is an undercover cop who's on the job actions led him to be wanted by the police. His wife dies, and his kid is left to fend for himself. Anita Mui plays a tough Hong Kong cop who uncovers Li for who he is, and makes it her duty to protect the kid.

Where this film falls flat is the incredibly unbelievable action sequences and plot circumstances. I don't want to give any spoilers, but just as an example- Anita Mui and this little kid taking down five or six armed thugs. I don't care if she is the top Hong Kong cop, and I don't care if the kid is the world's greatest kung fu kid- no WAY. How about Jet Li and the kid defeating even larger groups of terrorists (in a specific way that both defies gravity and is laughably lame)? That's just two examples of many instances where this becomes nearly un-watchable. I'm not saying an action movie has to be realistic to be entertaining, but please don't insult the viewers intelligence!

To be fair, this film isn't totally lost. Li does one of his better acting jobs, and Anita Mui is excellent. The drama side of things is all right, and there were a couple instances of watchable action. But Jet Li can do way better. Jet Li HAS done way better. Just look at "Fist Of Legend", for example.

Overall, don't waste your time with this one. 4 out of 10.

Somewhere in this movie is a decent action film straining to get out, but it is constrained and held back by the cheesy melodrama and tiresome "human" touches that repeatedly arise.

Jet Li is Kung Wei, a cop so undercover even his wife and young son Siu Kiu have no idea what he does.

This doesn't seem to matter to them though, as long as Kung Wei shows for Siu Kiu's martial arts demonstrations and puts food on the table no-one seems willing to ask the hard questions.

Unfortunately Kung's wife is quite ill – the kind of ill that you don't come back from. Let's just say she isn't buying green bananas. The fact that Kung appears the model husband and son makes it odd that he ignores this fact to follow up on a case that will take him even further undercover.

Deep, deep, DEEP undercover.

Kung Wei is "imprisoned" to get alongside a known bad guy with links to high crime – when they both bust out they head to Hong Kong where Kung finds what he is after, only initially he seems a little too enamoured with the fast money and high life that goes with the job description.

Things complicate further when a local Inspector Fong tracks down Kung's wife and son on the mainland and starts piecing the puzzle together…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Enough of all that drama – this is a Jet Li action flick right? Well yes and no. There is action but not enough for an action fan, and when the climax finally arrives it is too reliant on explosives and the kung fu standard is not nearly as good as half a dozen other Jet Li flicks.

The plot is too convoluted and made little sense, the fact that his doting dying wife still believed he was a criminal – and that Kung Wei made no attempt to explain otherwise – made no sense to this little black duck, especially when everyone else seemed to know including his kid.

To recap, drama without any real drama, action without substance and major character decisions without credibility. To top all this off my DVD copy (which shares the same cover as the poster here and the IMDb film page so I think it's real) has some of the cheesiest subtitles in cinematic history. The kind that you can sorta follow, but at the same time can't help but laugh at.

Final Rating – 5 / 10. A couple of brief fights are worth watching, but unfortunately the other 100 odd minutes are largely to be endured. I've seen a great many Jet Li flicks this one doesn't crack his top 8.

My Father Is A Hero is a stupid name for a movie. This is one of the few times I'm glad Miramax changed the name (The Enforcer) to appeal to an American audience, otherwise I probably wouldn't watch this movie at all because I would assume this was some stupid melodramatic piece of **** with one fight scene or whatever.

Well, technically it is still melodramatic about a father who subconsciously feels that fighting crime is more important than his brat and dying wife. The drama is so not convincing and it's rather pathetic. I didn't care at all about the dying wife and the neglected brat. I did, however, like Jet Li's character and the main villain is wonderfully malignant.

This movie is somewhat one of those "so bad it's good" type of films. Why? It mostly points towards the kid and some of the goofy action sequences. The scene when the main antagonist threw the kids face into a glass table and punched him in the face in bloody like fashion was hilarious. Plus the fight scene when these guys were trying to chop the kid with cleavers were funny. It's like "Jesus, what is wrong with these people?"

The action is where this movie shines. The action choreography is great but sometimes it's completely illogical and corny. But hey, it's what makes HK action movies great.

In conclusion: The drama was lame and not convincing but the action and the acting performance of Jet Li and some of the absurd crap in this movie is what keeps it from sucking hard.

Jet Li is an undercover cop living in shocking poverty as he must infiltrate the underworld to capture a tic-ridden villain who appears to wear the same wardrobe as Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. He accomplishes his mission by leaving his young son in charge of his sick mother. You really must love your job very much to leave your wife who is obviously going to die. What happens now is an entrance to a drama that gives you respite. The boy, assuming an enviable attitude, studies and saves coin after coin to give ant´s soup to his mother. Meanwhile Jet Li escapes from jail along with his contact to thereby join the robber mafia. Meanwhile, her son receives school bullying and the police, who pursue Jet Li, arrive where the dying mother who selflessly hands over her son to the complete stranger. At this point one wonders if there are more surprises left. The first thing the agent does is take the boy to Hong Kong to locate Jet Li. Problems arise and everything gets complicated. The boy ends up in the hands of the evildoers and at a certain point Jet Li must strangle his son to save his life. It is almost impossible to avoid crying. The son is dumped in a garbage bag but we all know that there is a secret technique that Li and his son practiced to prevent strangulation situations. But the bad guys anticipate and terrible things keep happening and we begin to question the level of evil of the scriptwriter. Finally the villain gets what he deserves from him in a spectacular martial arts sequence that is almost insurmountable. The ending gives room for a dramatic blow so low that it ends up breaking you. There's no point, the Chinese can be devilish when it comes to plot twists. As a dramatic film it is very good, as an action film it is spectacular.

This movie is a little slow in parts but the fight scenes make it one of the most extraordinary movies that I have seen. This is one of the reasons that I generally like Hong Kong movies - not only do they have great fight scenes, but they also like to delve into human struggles, which is what American movies rarely do (at least on more than a superficial level).

The focus of this movie is a deep undercover cop in China. He has a family and he tries to be a good father, but his work forces him to be very secretive. At first we think that he is a criminal, but the back cover of the video tells us that he is not. We soon learn that he is a Chinese cop, but nobody else really knows that.

The problem arises when his wife dies of some disease and his son must go to Hong Kong with a Hong Kong police officer to try and find him. As such his son, who happens to be a martial arts expert, must brave the underlife of Hong Kong, and the police, to find his father. Not only that, but back at home he has to handle to taunts of his peers who all believe his father to be a criminal.

The child is the real star of this movie as it focuses on his struggles in not only finding out the truth about his father, but also trying to find him. He is lost in a world were strangers claim to be relatives and where his father at times must deny him to protect himself. Yet deep down the child knows that his father loves him, and the struggle to show his love to his child is one of the most tortuous parts of this movie.

There are two great fight scenes in this movie. The first is the shootup in the restaurant. I will not go into deep detail, without saying that it is phenomenal, and is what one should expect from the action capital of the world. If there is one thing the Chinese know how to do, that is to make a really good action movie that leaves its Hollywood counterparts for dead.

The second cool action sequence is the end sequence where the father uses his kid as a weapon against the bad guys. We have seen previously how this kid is a really good martial artist, but we also know that together both of them make an almost unbeatable team. In fact, not only is the kid good at martial arts, be is also very cunning.

I guess the title tells us everything - the kid learns that his father is a hero. This is not clear at the beginning, and everything seems to tell us that his father is a crook. The truth is that he is not. His father is out there to destroy the power of the cartels and he is willing to put himself into danger to stop the criminals.

It is surprising that so much comes out of this movie, where as a typical Jackie Chan movie is generally quite shallow. But then we really don't watch a Jackie Chan movie for in-depth character development - we watch them to see Jackie Chan do absolutely stupid stunts so that he can maintain his fan base. Hey, he enjoys it so who am I to critise him.

The children acting was Awesome.

Suspense Action.

Emotions Too good.