Review for Invisible Target: Ultimate Edition (2 discs) (Review)
Saturday, 7th August 2010, 17:42

Page 1 Page 2

Extras
This is another one of Cine Asia's Ultimate Editions, usually a misnomer given that they are the only editions. However, in this case the hyperbole may be justified, with 2 discs worth of content, and some choice extra features. Both discs come with the usual animated menus.

Disc 1 gets a Trailer Gallery with the teaser and theatrical trailer, as well as trailers for four other Cine Asia releases.

You'll also find, Orchestrated Mayhem: The Making of Invisible Target here. This lasts 25 minutes and is your usual EPK piece, with brief interviews with the cast and crew, clips from the film, and behind the scenes footage. It is an interesting watch though.

The cream of the extras on this disc has to be the audio commentary. It's Bey Logan as ever, this being a Dragon Dynasty release brought over to the UK, but this time he's joined by the film's stars, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, and Andy On. Admittedly with Bey such a voluble and knowledgeable speaker, he does lead the commentary, with plenty to talk about. It does seem at first as if he overwhelms the other speakers, who struggle to get a word in, but as the commentary progresses, it evens out, and there are some choice anecdotes about the making of the film to listen to. I do think that subtitles for the commentary track would have been helpful though, if only to note who was speaking at that particular moment.

The second disc is also laden with extras, with much to appreciate if you are a fan of interviews. The interview gallery has seven to choose from, with contributions from director Benny Chan, and stars Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, Wu Jing, Philip Ng, Vincent Sze, and Andy On. They talk about the film, their careers, working with their co-stars and the director, and much more. In total, the interviews run to 2 hours and 33 minutes.

There are 14 minutes worth of Deleted and Extended Scenes with a commentary from director Benny Chan. Although it's a shame that you can't switch off the commentary and see the scenes as they would have appeared in the film.

There are two featurettes on the disc, Fight For Glory: Constructing the Action Sequences of Invisible Target, which lasts 19 minutes, and 18 minutes of storyboard comparisons with director's commentary.

Finally we get to see the Gala Premiere. This lasts 10 minutes, and sees the director and the stars on stage to introduce the film.

Conclusion
Invisible Target is a whole heap of fun, more fun than it has any right to be really, aping as it does those modern classic kung-fu action dramas of the late eighties and early nineties. In the extra features it becomes clear that the creators wanted to pay homage, as well as recreate the buzz that surrounded films like Police Story or Armour of God. It was a genre that Jackie Chan made his own, the modern action movie, kung fu action in a modern milieu with a healthy dose of comedy and drama. It seems that sort of action has passed from Hong Kong cinema. But Invisible Target not only revives that genre, showing that the current generation of stars can handle such outrageous action as well, but it also rejuvenates it, giving it a modern twist that actually sets it apart from the earlier films. Invisible Target is in some ways better than those old films that I still cherish.

The acting is stronger for one. These are actors from a dramatic background first, rather than an action background, and as such they can bring more nuance to the characters, make them more rounded and interesting. It also means that the director can spend more time on the story, and the back-stories, which in turn means that this film isn't just a good guys versus bad guys knockabout. These are characters with shade and dimension to them. The antagonists demand audience sympathy even when they commit the vilest of crimes, and there is some chance for redemption even as they pursue their vengeance and schemes. The good guys on the other hand aren't all whiter than white. Chan Chun has forgotten that he is a cop in the midst of his grief, and his own need for revenge makes him more of a danger to his allies than his foes at times. At the same time Fong Yik Wei has been blinded to the possibility of error or failure by his own pride and arrogance in his infallibility, so that when the fall comes it's harder than most. The only beacon of innocence is Wai King Ho, and that's because he's the naïve rookie. Yet he's about to learn a hard lesson about the realities of the world beyond his simple black and white perceptions of right and wrong. And the rest of the police are worse.

But then there is that absolutely insane action, made all the more breathtaking as the director asked the stars to perform their own stunts, as was the way of things in years past. So when you see Nicholas Tse jumping off tall buildings, being hit by a bus, Shawn Yue laying the smackdown to a restaurant full of bad guys, or Jaycee Chan being kicked off a balcony… twice, it's hard not to keep the jaw from dropping. Also, for a modern film, there is a whole lot less CGI than you would expect, and scenes that you would assume would be effects enhanced, are actually done for real. Apparently it is cheaper to set fire to your actors than it is to mock it up in a computer. It's Hong Kong action movie recklessness of the sort I thought was a thing of the past, and yes, the end credits sequence does have a blooper reel.

Edge of the seat? Check. Silly grin in place? Check. Heart Pounding? Check. Pausing the film and skipping back to replay an action sequence? Very check! Invisible Target was an utter blast, a Hong Kong action epic updated for modern audiences, and working in every respect. With films of this quality possible, I hope that this signals a renaissance for the Hong Kong action movie industry. It's long overdue.

Previous Page