Review of Flash Point (2007) by Rachael B — 14 Oct 2007

You might expect another balls-to-the-wall martial arts collaboration between director Wilson Yip and action star Donnie Yen, but the large majority of Flash Point is lame police drama crap. The film's last 25 minutes is intense, bone-crunching fun, with an impressive shootout thrown in for good measure, but that assumes the first hour hasn't already put you in a coma. Visually, this movie looks great, featuring dynamic camerawork and gorgeous photography, but that still doesn't help the hokey, cliche-ridden plot.

When the action finally kicks into full gear, however, Flash Point delivers. Donnie Yen's recent venture into mixed martial arts creates some savage new moves, and a sense of gritty intimacy between the fighters - it's a blast to watch. It's just a shame there wasn't more of it to fill the running time, or at least better pacing to keep things consistently interesting. Armed with a copy of the DVD and chapter select, however, Flash Point should be a lot of fun.