Thursday 8 February 2024

Raging Fire (5 Stars)


Hong Kong police films are a genre of their own. The action is faster and more thrilling than police films made anywhere else. "Raging Fire" is one of the best films in the genre. I find it difficult to say much about it. The words elude me. It's a film that has to be seen to be believed.

Cheung Bong (played by Donnie Yen) is a stereotypical good policeman. For him it's all about law and justice, When a criminal offers him a handful of bank notes, he throws it back in his face. Bribes are out of the question. But he has problems with his bosses in his police station. Bong isn't a team player. When his bosses ask him to rewrite his report and not mention the son of a wealthy businessman, he refuses. He tells the truth, whatever it may cost him.

His honesty also put him at odds with his colleagues. He was the only witness of five police officers beating a criminal to death. He testified against them in court. After five years in prison they can't return to the police force, so they've become criminals. They're planning a big bank robbery. Their intimate knowledge of police procedures gives them an advantage.


Gunfights, fist fights, car chases. "Raging Fire" has it all. We don't see Donnie Yen using as much of his martial arts skills as we do in other films, but when he's forced to fight he's impressive. If you like action films, this is a film you must see.

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There's a curious difference in marketing from country to country. In America the film has been released on Blu-ray and DVD. That's normal. In Germany it's also been released on a 4K disc. Thank you, Germany. But in England it's only been released on DVD. That's poor.

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