The Screen Anarchy family have been fans of Wilson Yip and his work in HK cinema for many years, purpoting him as one of the directors responsible for revitalizing the industry after the lean years following the Golden Age in the 90s. Ever since his 2005 film Sha Po Lang kicked us hard in the friendlies we have been eagerly watching his career.
Yip returns to the SPL franchise which garnered him global recognition with his latest film, Paradox, the third installment of the Sha Po Lang series. His craft combined with the legendary Sammo Hung directing the action is a match made in action heaven. Headline your film with Louis Koo, Tony Jaa, Ka Tung Lam, and the recognizable go-to Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm and it is a wonderful combination indeed.
When his daughter goes missing in Thailand, a Hong Kong cop (Louis Koo) teams with local police (Tony Jaa, Wu Yue) to find her, but instead finds himself embroiled in a web of corruption and violence in this explosive thriller from famed action director Wilson Yip (Ip Man Trilogy, SPL: Kill Zone).
WellGOUsa has the North American rights for the film and they have just released a trailer. While there is certainly an endless barrage of fists and knees flying around in it the editing doesn't give us a sense of the set pieces that Yip and Hung have prepared for us.
And when you have a moment check out James' review of Paradox...
...Paradox might be the most brutal chapter in the SPL series yet, as Sammo Hung eschews Li Chung Chi’s balletic wire work in favour of close-quarter skirmishes where blood, bone and sinew are viscerally torn apart. The absence of series veterans Donnie Yen, Wu Jing and Simon Yam needn’t concern viewers either, as the cast here steps up to the challenge of pushing the action envelope.