Black Mask (HK 1996)

Rating: ***
Producer: Tsui Hark
Director: Daniel Lee
Action Director: Yuen Woo Ping
Cast: Jet Li, Lau Ching Wan, Karen Mok, Yip Fong Wah (Francoise Yip), Xin Xin Xiong, cameos by Anthony Wong and Chan Ho

A fun and enjoyable comic book action film starring Jet Li as the Kato-like vigilante, Black Mask. He is one of a group of experimental soldiers whose emotions have been eliminated for optimal combat efficiency. When the project was scrapped, Li escaped to Hong Kong and got a job as a mild mannered librarian. Intense Lau Ching Wan is his hard edged cop friend. Beautiful Yip Fong Wah was his former student and is now his enemy. This film has a good look and feel, a killer soundtrack, good effects, and a few well choreographed fight scenes courtesy of Yuen Woo Ping. But overall it's kind of bland and lacks energy and spirit (but is much better than "Dr. Wai And The Scripture With No Words" (1996)).