Ye Cha
1999 / 94m - Hong Kong
Crime, Drama
2.5*/5.0*
The Masked Prosecutor poster

Watches

July 11, 2014

2.5*/5.0*

A Hong Kong superhero flick that never truly feels like one. It's from the late 90s (one of Hong Kong's more tragic cinematic eras), so that shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. A sprawling blockbuster and/or Marvel-killer this is not, still Yau finds ways to keep things entertaining, and fans of his oeuvre probably won't be too disappointed.

A masked hero is roaming through the streets of Hong Kong. He is out to catch the bad guys, no matter what their crime is. He beats them to a pulp and delivers them to the police station. The police are quite happy with the extra help, but since the actions of the masked hero aren't exactly legal, they are forced to track him down.

A film like this needs a big budget, which simply wasn't there. The film looks pretty cheap, the soundtrack is dreadful, even the performances aren't all that great. That last bit's a tad more surprising, as actors like Louis Koo and Jordan Chan are capable of doing better, even on a budget. But it is quite entertaining, and Yau makes sure he doesn't take thing too seriously. Decent filler.