When a gang attacks a group of cops during an operation, a good cop decides to do everything he can to get the members of its gang even though he had been kept out of the operation and may be more connected to the gang than he originally thinks.
Written and directed by Benny Chan, whose last movie this is as he passed away in 2020, Raging Fire is a great last film for the filmmaker to leave behind as his own memorial of sort. The film is a strong cop story with good writing and direction, as well as a good sense of delegation as shown in the choice of Donnie Yen not only as its star, but also as the fight choreographer. The film has a few longer feeling parts here and there, but overall, the story has a pace that works for it with plenty action and lots of good sequences for Yen to showcase his work whether as a fight choreographer or fighter himself.
Donnie Yen is of course the lead here and he does great. This part is clearly tailored to his skills, acting and fighting, and he makes the most of it. His work here will absolutely please his fans, although it’s a bit different from what some will expect, and should make fans of those who aren’t already. This is Yen’s movie and he knows it, yet he shares the screen well and gives the kind of performance that is just right. It’s hard to describe it because of that, but his work here is on point, nuanced, and something to be seen. Playing the villain is Nicholas Tse who is also quite fantastic, giving a performance where the viewer can see that the evil comes from hurt and that is most powerful evil there is. Tse’s performance grabs the attention and plays well against Yen’s good cop. He’s the right counterpart for Yen and it leads to some truly great scenes between the two, may they be talking, arguing, or fighting.
Now, onto the fights! This is a film that most will want to see for that and they will be served what they expect to some degree. This is an action film and it has plenty of it. The fighting here is something that is pleasing to see and exciting, the film actually lets the viewer see what is going, and the choreography is on point. Some will expect more classic martial arts from Yen here, but what he offers is interesting and fun to watch, so going into this with an open mind about the fights and an understanding that Yen is not in one of the larger action sequences will mitigate expectations and help the viewer really appreciate what is offered here.
Raging Fire is one of those action movies that needs to be seen and on the biggest screen available. It’s fun film that is made by talented people who know what they are doing. It’s Benny Chan’s last movie and definitely a good legacy for him to leave behind.
The Fantasia International Film Festival runs every year, and this year runs virtually from August 5th until August 25th.