MY FATHER IS A HERO (1994-HK)
review by Jerome


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Li is a good father!
The Chinese title of the film literally means give the letter to my father. This refers to the letters Gung Siu Gu (Xie Miao) sends to Gung Wai (Jet Li) when away on business in Hong Kong. The plot centres in on Gung Wai, a Chinese government special agent / policemen sent undercover in Hong Kong. To gain trust from the gang leader Po Kwong (Yu Rong Guang) he broke out Blackie (Ko Shou Liang) from a mainland jail and took part in a shootout, taking Inspector Anita Fong (Anita Mui) hostage. The incident turns Gung Wai into a wanted criminal, but also leaves Anita wondering about the true identity of Gung Wai.

Jet Li’s character Gung Wai / Gong Wei is a caring father to Siu Gu (Xie Miao) and caring husband to his sick wife. Due to his job as an undercover policeman he seldom spends much time with them and on his latest assignment questions whether his job has him neglecting his family.

Xie Miao’s character Gung Siu Gu / Gong Xiao Gu is caring son to his mother and an amateur wu shu exponent. He always worries about his father just as much as his sick mother. He continuously sends letters to Gong Wei in the hope of finding him. Xie Miao has a good onscreen son- father chemistry, which is no surprise as they, both worked together on New Legend of Shaolin in 1994.

Anita Mui’s Inspector Anita Fong comes to Beijing to search Gong Wei’s background. Posing as Gong Wei’s relative, she gets to know Xiao Gu and his mother. When Xiao Gu’s mother dies, she becomes his surrogate mother and takes him to Hong Kong to search for his father.

Yu Rong Guang’s Po Kwong is nasty character that steals valuable Chinese antiquities and sells them to highest bidder as well as buying bombs to use in robberies. He plots to rob Hong Kong’s wealthy by organizing an auction on an oilrig filled with bombs. Ken Lo and Collin Chou whom don’t have much dialogue, but add to the action in the finale play his henchmen.

Ko Shou Liang’s Blacky is friendly character even though he works for Po Kwong. He always looked out for Xiao Gu when in Hong Kong, because his father broke him out of prison. However, Po Kwong kills Blacky for protecting Xiao Gu.

The finale pits both Jet Li and Xie Miao against Collin Chou, Ken Lo and Yu Rong Guang. Watch for the human yoyo and the fighting with henchmen using tonfas.

My Father is a Hero is an action packed extravaganza, surely to appeal to those fans of Hong Kong cinema’s action days when the industry was producing 300 films per year. Highly recommended.

I rate it 9/10

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Genre: Drama / Action
Director: Director: Corey Yuen
Cast: Jet Li, Damian Lau, Yu Rong Guang, Anita Mui, Ko Shou Liang (aka Blacky Ko), Xie Miao (Tse Miu), Ken Lo, Collin Chou (as Ngai Sing), Corey Yuen.
Reviewed by Jerome (Bart), February 2006