...the cinematic 'lone wolf' detective. We, as ardent movie-watchers, have seen a countless number of them. Highly skilled, but doesn't play well with others. And in fact, plays by his own rules. A loose cannon, who doesn't believe in the bureaucracy of the set standards. Often chastised by his superiors, in that his way of doing things, racks up too many dead bodies, and causes more damage, financially, than if things were done the 'right way'. A rogue, whom the associated police force would rather do without, if not for the fact that he does get the job done...perhaps too well. And so on, and so forth, and a partridge in a pear tree, right?? But we absolutely love them, don't we?? The death-defying anti-hero that succeeds, where the status quo, by-the-book 'normal' have fallen short...and that success is usually preceded by fiery explosions, rampantly wild & reckless vehicular pursuit, an endless shower of bullets, a sense of within-the-law lawlessness, and of course, an accumulative body count of bad guys. And yet, once the smoke has cleared, we, as devotees of the genre, really want to to know more about such alluring, no-nonsense rogues, whom we might vicariously relate to...what makes these dudes tick?? With regards to director Clarence Fok Yiu-leung's (...1992's "Naked Killer" and 1996's "Thunder Cop", amongst others) dynamic actioner, "Special ID", it is the former aspect, where the film works best...and it's the latter inquisitive observation, where the film seems to fail...
...Captain Cheung Zhang, head of the city's detective force, definitely has cause for concern; one of his best men...Chang Chi-lung (Donnie Yen), a loose-cannon rogue cop, forcibly relegated to sight-unseen undercover work...has to consistently be reeled in and verbally reprimanded, with regards to his sense of duty and loyalty to the force, with fears that he is too close to crossing the fine line between the law and lawlessness. Understandable, of course, considering Chang's wretched, criminal-like appearance & demeanor, his association with underground gambling circles, and even his mentoring of easily impressionable, juvenile delinquent waifs. And to make matters worse, one of Chang's hoodlum friends, Sonny (Andy On), has resurfaced, and is stirring up difficulties with the triad gangs...
...sent up, north of the city, to rendezvous with Sonny, and underliningly find out what his full intentions are, Chang finds himself invariably torn between his sense of duty...corrupted, as the result of his undercover position...and the measure of loyalty to his friend, who has blatantly assumed control of the local criminal element. Further difficulties ensue, when Chang finds himself paired up with a by-the-book, albeit spirited police officer, Fang Jing (Jing Tian), who despite her initial impression of dislike toward Chang, as the result of how criminally decrepit he appears to have allowed himself to become, gradually comes to find a sense of equal ground with him, in trying to adorn his element of street savvy, which she sorely lacks. Will Chang and Fang find an amiable and trusting rapport with each other, capable of instilling justice from both ends of the field...official and undercover...without revealing their intent and identities to the criminal element, within their sights?? Is the undercover Chang in over his head, way too deep, to even consider betrayal towards a once-friend, who represents everything opposite to his sworn sense of duty?? And what happens to Chang, should Sonny find out who and what Chang really is...that is, if he doesn't know, already??...
...there's no denying that martial arts dynamo Donnie Yen has most assuredly come unto his own, in the past couple of decades, and become more than a mere notable presence in the martial arts film genre. His mark on the genre covers a respectably wide range, from period films to contemporary actioners; an indomitable presence to be reckoned with, his eclectic and prolific dynamics proved most evident, as far back as '93's "Iron Monkey" & "Butterfly Kiss", and well into the turn of the century, with jaw-droppers like 2007's "Flashpoint", 2010's "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen", and of course, his donning the role of a legendary martial arts master, in the "IP Man" films. Even with Donnie's minor league efforts, he has managed to shine through, with exceptional performances that stand out over and above even the most substandard of material. And it is the latter observation, which makes the pot-boiling martial arts crime drama actioner, "Special ID", as slow and tedious as it is at times, still well worth watching...
...but then, those privy to the behind-the-scenes headlines, associated with this particular film, might have a clearer understanding, as to how and why the film might have been coerced into taking a turn for...well, not 'the worst', per say...let's just say that underlining problems backstage, might well have kept the film from achieving it's full potential. Multiple rewrites, which muddled the film's storyline. Mud-slinging from the camps of both Donnie Yen and actor Vincent Zhao, which stuttered...even at times, outright halted the film's production, and culminated in vicious accusations, cross-firing lawsuits, and finally, actor Zhao...cast as the villainous protagonist in the film...storming off the set, and being replaced by actor Andy On. And yet, through it all, Donnie Yen...also acting as producer, in this film's inception...maintained an unswerving faith and confidence in the production...a production which evolved into a film that's merely satisfactory, balance-wise, instead of stand-out exceptional...
...that's not to say that there's not a lot to like, as far as "Special ID"; to the contrary, in fact. The hand-to-hand combat scenes, few and far between as they are, are nonetheless slam-bam dynamic in their exhibition, exuding a surprisingly varied melding of tried & true traditional martial arts, intermixed with the new wave of mixed martial arts; the better of the scenes has Donnie Yen's character, Chang, take on a number of henchmen at a time, some breath-taking stunt-filled wildly-out-of-control vehicular pursuit, and of course, there's the final confrontation between Chang, and his opposition, the once-friend Sonny, as portrayed by Andy On. In fact, the chemical dynamics between these two, are quite compelling, engaging, and reflective of what is best, as far as the hero/villain exchange. It's just a shame that, as said before, these dynamic moments are fleeting, in favor of some very plodding storytelling...conflicting ethics between Chang's unorthodox methods, and the police force standards...Chang's self-dwelling on his crisis of identity, and his dire hopes of regaining respect enough to assume the capacity of a much more honorable detective role...inane conversations and interactions with Chang and his mother...that seems more like generic, cookie-cutter filler material, rather than interesting storyline transitioning, from action scene to action scene...
...holding her own, with extraordinary fervor, considering the dynamics of the two males leads, is actress Jing Tian; amazingly enough, as Chung's free-spirited, reluctant partner, Fang, she is afforded respectable opportunity to showcase her own physical abilities...quite literally holding the gamut in this film, as far as the majority of the highly astute and choreographed action and stunt work...
..."Special ID" may not be considered the best of Donnie Yen's films, with most viewers possibly finding themselves impatiently checking their watches, from time to time, in the course of the film's plodding running time; however, even with the...nope, still can't use the word 'worst', even with
this film...more substandard of Yen's body of work, can ardent viewers find
something to appreciate. Such is the case, herein.....
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