BLACK MASK

Hong Kong, 1996, 83 minutes, Colour.
Jet Li.
Directed by Daniel Lee.

Black Mask (execrably dubbed in rather more high-falutin' accents than the film demands) was the popular film of the mid-'90s that introduced Jet Li to American audiences. A star in his native Hong Kong, he had appeared in many films, especially the series Once Upon a Time in China. In his move to the United States, he appeared as the villain in Lethal Weapon 4. Soon afterwards he was given star status, seeming to be the successor to Jackie Chan (who, meanwhile, continued to be even more successful in such films as the Rush Hour series). Films that Lee appeared in include Romeo is Dead, The One, Kiss of the Dragon.

Black Mask is a kind of science fiction, martial arts mixture. A group of clones are manufactured from humans by a gang lord. He uses them to eliminate all the drug lords of Asia so that he can have complete control and negotiate with the drug lords of Colombia.

The character played by Jet Li then decides to retire and becomes a librarian where he is considered something of a recluse and a nerd. However, he becomes friends with one of the top police of Hong Kong. When there is danger, he suddenly appears, wearing a black mask.

His former girlfriend, also a clone, is in the squad that he encounters trying to eliminate a drug lord and confronting the policeman. He decides then to retire, especially for the safety of his fellow librarian, Tracy. However, he has to rescue her and she helps him in various adventures. Needless to say, there is a final confrontation between the Black Mask and the drug lord, between the girl and the policeman. Before the inevitable happy ending, there is an extraordinary amount of martial arts stunt work as well as special effects for fights, explosions, and derring-do pieces.

One reviewer referred to the plot as "deliriously bonkers" - which is probably a fair enough summary, though it does not indicate just how possibly deliriously entertaining such a film can be.