SPL aka Kill Zone. Flashpoint. Ip Man. Bodyguards & Assassins. Ip Man 2. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. Wu Xia aka Dragon.
I’m not shy about my love for Donnie Yen and the blistering brutality he’s capable of dealing out through his lightning-quick beat downs, an especially impressive feat seeing as he’s only four feet tall, but I’ve also been vocal in my wish to see him give the period films a rest. He’s made some great ones, obviously, but there’s something about seeing his MMA-infused martial arts in action in a contemporary setting. The alley brawl from SPL? The final fight from Flashpoint?
Happily the six year drought is over as the next several months will see Yen kicking ass in two modern day settings. Iceman hits next year and starts in the Ming Dynasty where Yen’s character is frozen only to be thawed out in modern times for some laughs and fighting hijinx, but first up is Special ID. The film follows a squad of undercover cops whose identities are leaked leading to their assassinations. Cue the machine gun-style fisticuffs!
Check out the clip below and start salivating for Special ID’s eventual release here in the States.
Yen’s fighting Andy On here in what may or may not be the film’s finale, but since Collin Chou is also on board we can probably (hopefully?) expect another fight similar to the one they delivered in Flashpoint.
The teaser trailer is here as well and shows off some of the film’s stunts and bigger set pieces. The occasional bit of wire work is used, but Yen’s fighting skills and style more than make up for it in my opinion.
Special ID opens in China and Hong Kong on October 18th. I will be importing the Blu-ray roughly four to six months later.
