It seems that there is little to differentiate this movie from the 1991 Aaron Norris version, but when I come to think of it, the real name is probably something like "King of Killers" or "Punishment Angel" or something like that. The thing is that the movie was released on Chinatown video with this name so this is that name that I am using.
As I said before, this movie could be called "The King of Killers" namely because it is about an assassin called the King of Killers. He kills for free and only kills people who deserve it. As such he kills a high profile Japanese business man and upon his death a fund is activated to go to those who are the first to bring down the killer. Unfortunately, and this is the twist, somebody else was paid some money upon the businessman's death, and upon discovery, they think he killed him.
The movie is basically an action packed adventure where at first it looks like a bumbling idiot and a naive mainlander are trying to hunt a professional killer, but it turns out that the idiot is trying to make sure that nobody thinks that he is the killer, which is true since he is a real idiot. What makes the movie cool is not the in-depth plot, or strong themes, but rather the cool action sequences. This movie has one of the best elevator shoot-outs that I have ever seen, and the final battle is one worth waiting for. What this movie is is a Hong-Kong action flick, and as one, it delivers.
Hitman
1998 [CN]
Action / Comedy / Crime / Thriller
Plot summary
Financially troubled, a newbie hitman reluctantly takes the job of finding the plotted killer of a Japanese tycoon.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
August 24, 2021 at 09:16 PM
Movie Reviews
What one can expect from a Hong Kong action flick
While not without its flaws, Contract Killer boasts some impressive fights.
A down-on-his-luck and financially strapped ex-soldier named Fu (Li) - is reluctantly is drawn into becoming a hit-man after moving from the country to try and make it in the big city of Hong Kong. Before a mega-rich Japanese businessman is mercilessly assassinated, he smartly planned ahead and offered a hundred million dollars to whoever captures his killer. A whole panoply of money-grabbers come out of the woodwork to try and claim the loot by catching the wily killer, including the murdered tycoon's son Eiji (Sato). While Fu and a charismatic underworld type named Norman (at least in the U.S. version his name is Norman) (Tsang) are trying to work their way through the precarious situation they find themselves in, with the help of Kiki (Leung), a cop named Chan (Yam) is trying to prevent any more bloodshed. Who will find - or become - the "King of the Killers"? Find out today...
We've always been big Jet Li fans, and Contract Killer is a solid showcase for his talents. It was fun watching him go from a thrifty ragamuffin to a dapper killer, but while still continuing to be a good guy at heart, of course. He even helps a group of children win stuffed animals at a carnival, including one lucky kid who gets a Big Bird and a Cookie Monster. Pretty sweet. Much of the transformation of Fu's character was done using a classic shopping montage, which we always love to see.
Director Wei Tung, who is primarily known for being an actor and stuntman, turns in a well-shot, professional-looking product, and the U.S. DVD is in widescreen, which reinforces that. Unfortunately, it's English-dubbed only, with no option for the original spoken language. Another frustrating thing about the DVD presentation is that a lot of annoying rap music is shoehorned in all over the place. In many scenes, funky-fresh beats just randomly start playing, and of course it's all over the opening and closing credits. The lyrics even appear if you turn on the closed-captioning. Here's a prime example, and we quote: "contract killer, yo." Our question is: WHY? Is there someone out there who would enjoy the movie exactly as it is, but the fact that there isn't rap on the soundtrack every two minutes cause him to lose faith and interest in the film? Would that really be a dealbreaker for someone? Of course, the main reason to watch Contract Killer is for the Martial Arts fights, and there are some absolute killers on display. It really is a pleasure to watch Jet Li work his magic. We definitely felt these high-quality and extremely well-executed fights should have lasted longer, and there should have been more of them. But what we do get is top-notch stuff. Not to belabor the point, but watching these beautifully choreographed battles with some piped-in hip-hop is like spray painting over fine art. But honestly it's not really reason enough to avoid seeing this movie, especially considering it's available dirt cheap and is widely accessible.
While not without its flaws, Contract Killer boasts some impressive fights, and is one of the last pager-era Martial Arts extravaganzas.
Some classic Hong Kong action courtesy of Jet Li
This excellent Jet Li flick is his last Hong Kong movie before he moved to America and made LETHAL WEAPON 4, and boy, is it a good one. For once the complicated story takes precedence over the action sequences so that this feels like a fully-rounded film rather than just another predictable fight flick. It's a film which throws in a police story, a murder mystery, loads of assassins and bad guys, a romance, plenty of excellent comedy and of course some very fine martial arts battles. In fact the fights here are fewer but better than ever, perhaps because they are so few. Highlights include the predictable but engaging end battle/massacre and the Russian fighter who uses his light ring to blind his opponents (you'll understand if you see it).
The characters are fully developed and the script is chock full of intense situation, personality building, and tons of comedy. Eric Tsang plays Li's mentor Norman Lo and is extremely good in the part, having moved on wonderfully from his turns in such '80s fare as MY LUCKY STARS. Jet Li himself is very good in the leading role, being both wonderful in the action stakes and also more than adequate when it comes to acting as well. The movie is well paced and remains interesting throughout, is beautifully filmed, and is just about as good as you can get for a fight flick. Highly recommended.