Language: Dubbed Cantonese
Release date in Malaysia: 27 June 2013
Rated: P13
Genre: Action comedy
Running Time: 98 minutes
Director: Wang Zi Ming
Cast: Jet Li, Michelle Chen, Wen Zhang, Wu Jing, Collin Chou , Raymond Lam, Stephen Fung, Aida Liu, Liu Shi Shi
Synopsis: When a spate of eerie murders erupts across Hong Kong two cops are assigned to the case. Young maverick WANG and grizzled vet HUANG who is fed up with his reckless younger partner always landing them in hot water. Reaching a dead end after discovering all the victims were former boyfriends of aspiring starlet LIU, one of them must go undercover as Liu's lover to lure the killer out.
Verdict: The horribad Cantonese dubbing, poor mou lei tao (Hong Kong slapstick) humour, lazy acting and unimpressive action choreography made me feel like walking out of the cinema within the very first 15 minutes. But after getting used to the dubbing and realising that the entire film may be an attempt to spoof and reference Hong Kong classics and flops, it became slightly more bearable. I had then started to wonder if all these crappy dubbing, cheesy scenes with expressionless acting, cheap CGI and camera effects are deliberate. Unfortunately, a bold concept alone doesn't automatically make a good movie. Those who don't get it at all may still feel that they were cheated into thinking that this is a typical Jet Li action film. Internationally, Li's image would probably be more tarnished now with his recent streak of rubbish movies. It's definitely more forgivable if Badges of Fury was released for Chinese New Year, and not dubbed at all.
Second opinion: "At least it's still better than The Heat" (girlfriend).
What really kept me in the cinema: Rare Chinese boobs, heart-melting sweetness (like apple) and the Liu Yi Fei-look alike (at certain angles).
Malaysian censorship: Nothing censored. All cleavages and male upskirts are shown.
Rating: 1 / 5
[SPOILER SECTION BEGINS HERE]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inaccurate English translations: In Chinese - "Thank you everyone, this round's on me." English subtitles - "Thank you. Your insurances are on me." In Chinese - "Your dead boyfriends have enough to play mahjong." English subtitles - "(something something I can't recall) The Beatles."
Jet Li: Whilst the movie's spoofing a few Hong Kong classics, it also pays homage to its headlined actor. Not only the former martial artist's character here is named after the role that made him popular, Wong Fei Hung (Once Upon a Time in China), a few dialogues at the beginning of the film might also mean more than it seems. Let me know if you feel the same way: "Why is this old man (Jet Li) doing in our team?" "I'm not an old man, to you, I'm an experienced veteran." "Huang Fei Hung (Jet Li) may seem like an useless old man now but he used to be a great in the police force in the past. If he survived this long with this job, he definitely isn't a nobody." I guess it's probably to remind or tell everyone that although the movies Jet Li's in suck now (like this one), he is, hands down, one of the legends and game changers in the Chinese film industry. And according to fellow blogger Benjamin, the last fight scene with the bamboos may be a tribute to a Jet Li-featured film as well.
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