SPL: Kill Zone
SPL: Kill Zone
R | 12 September 2006 (USA)
SPL: Kill Zone Trailers

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

Reviews
BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Thomas Tokmenko A variety of Hong Kong's top-tier male actors come to the forefront in this modern gangster tale of iconic issues: moral consequences & power struggles. The cinematography is gritty and stylized to the point where you can breathe in the tension on-screen, which properly sets the tone and makes this one of the biggest positive attributes for the movie. The HK film legend Sammo Hung plays arguably his darkest role as a crime lord who takes pity on no one and crushes everything outside his personal interests. Another HK film veteran Simon Yam, is the leader of a group of detectives who will do anything to bring Sammo down regardless of police protocols. The plot is fairly simple as a cat & mouse chase ensues throughout the nighttime ambiance of downtown Hong Kong sparking a blood-feud between detectives and gangsters. The film excels in creating emotional drama between characters and impressing the audience with snowballing suspense that explodes in the third act. An incredible martial arts display happens here, thanks to action masters Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, and Sammo Hung. Unfortunately the melodrama is exaggerated to the brink of absurdity, even within the bounds of other HK crime films, and you'll become tired of seeing extended shots of concluding moral quandaries. Even so you'll glance over the flaws thanks to the charisma and superb fight choreography of the lead actors. The story, albeit unoriginal, is genuinely interesting. You'll be sucked in the drama meanwhile becoming emotionally invested in the detective squad. A fresh entry in the long-running crime genre from HK. -8/10
tamirc I decided to check this flick out after someone suggested it was better than "The Raid" and "Kung Fu Hustle" (Two very different films, but both of which I loved).I was extremely disappointed. The plot is paper thin and the script is very weak. The "good" guys are idiots and mess up on every single turn. Non of them is likable. Not even Donnie Yen's character, which comes off as very conceited and bratty. The action and script are not believable at all. They include: The commander miraculously released from the bad guy's cage without explanation. The protagonist finally finishes the bad guy, but doesn't check if he's dead or handcuffs him, instead he goes searching for a product placement.A 75 kg man picking up and catapulting a 130 kg man over his head without using momentum. A cop fighting a man with a mini Katana without trying to disarm him. A cop coming to kill a man, but using the element of surprise to waste all his bullets on anyone who is not the target, even though he has a clear shot. The bad guy is videotaped playing golf with a cop's head, then his accomplice shoots the cop in the head, but this is insufficient evidence, apparently, to charge him with anything.A cop shooting at a hostage taker while the hostage is still alive, but not firing a single shot once he is executed. then doesn't call it in to warn other cops, so they get executed as well. A cop going to a dangerous neighborhood alone and unarmed. A woman saying she can't get pregnant, but next time she appears on screen, she has a month old baby. A man is beaten with sticks while running, but this doesn't hinder him at all. Then he gets beat up with sticks for several minutes but continues to stand (maybe I missed the part where they said he was an android?).A cop has a few months to live, he is devoting his remaining time to taking out the bad guy, he's willing to destroy his reputation by faking evidence, but does not simply kill the bad guy when the bad guy confronts him on the street while his gun is drawn. Bam, would have ended the movie there, but no, had to make it complicated and get everyone killed. Great! no wander you're the commanding officer in this flick.Oh, and finally, the good guys lose. That was worth sticking it out for...The only redeeming points are Donnie Yen's and Jackie Wu's martial arts skills, as well as Sammo's surprising agility (although I think camera work and editing helped him out a little), but those are rarely seen. Without these, the movie is a 3. As it is I give this a 5.
Geschichtenerzaehler If you want to understand Kill Zone, you need at least a small grasp of the eastern concept of karma. Basically it means, that bad things that somebody does, will sooner or later backfire at him. This is the central theme of this movie.Kill Zone is a gritty police thriller about a bunch of cops aiming at taking down a crime lord. There are no real heroes in this, though. Every character sooner or later leaves the boundaries of moral behavior, and yes, there will be some kind of payback.Unfortunately this also makes it hard to root for any of the characters, although they are not completely unlikeable and their motives are understandable. Another problem is, that to remain within it's theme, the story stresses probabilities at times.If you want to watch this merely for the martial arts, be aware that the fight scenes only make up a small part of this movie. On the other hand they are excellently choreographed. The often mentioned, furious back alley knife vs. baton fight, might be one of the greatest martial arts scenes ever put on film.
Angelus2 Detective Chan (Simon Yam) is on the verge of bringing crime boss Wong Po (Sammo Hung) down, however Po kills the witness allowing him to be free once more...Chan, a broken man is willing to do anything in bringing Po to justice, even going as far as making up evidence. But, a new detective Inspector Ma Kwun (Donnie Yen) is suspicious of Chan's uncompromising tactics...But can Kwun save Chan from the vicious Po?First of all this film is not scene after scene of kung-fu brilliance, it is deeper then that. It is a story about a man on the edge who will do anything to get the result he wants, it's about good, evil and the place in-between. How far can you go into the Gray zone without turning evil? Simon Yam gives a fine performance as the detective trying to bring Po down, his performance is very contained and yet there is something heartbreaking about his final pursuit, Sammo is just frightening as the Triad boss, who will do anything to stay out of prison...and then there is a man known as Donnie Yen... Donnie Yen can deliver good solid performances along with Simon Yam..But his strength is his martial arts and dazzles the audience as he incorporates MMA with Kung-Fu flawlessly. (Something he would later perfect in Flashpoint) Though there are only a few limited fight scenes, the build up towards it does wonders as the fight scene is justified and appears to be very tense. Once more Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung join forces and offer a brilliant piece of cinema..May they continue to bring us amazing spectacles.