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Tsui (Li) was programmed and medically modified to become part of a special Chinese army fighting force, the secret and deadly Project701 Squad. Its members were perfect fighting machines. But now they've been scheduled for obliteration, and since the life of a monster killer isn't for Tsui anyway, he fights his way out of the force and hides in Hong Kong, assuming the identity of a meek librarian. Too cute. He's nice to his co-workers and even becomes friends with a cop, Inspector Rock (Ching Wan Lau).
When Rock begins to check out a string of murders that Tsui realizes carry the hallmarks of survivors of the 701 Squad, he knows he'll have to fight them one by one to finish them off, but first he'll have to come up with a secret identity. So channeling the ghost of Bruce Lee as Kato in The Green Hornet, he puts on a black cap and hides his face behind a mask that at first glance looks like an automotive air filter. It's not the costume designer's finest moment.
As it turns out, the rogue leader of the 701 Squad has a plan to kill off all the drug lords and capture their files so he can ultimately seize control of the international drug trade. He easily figures out who the pesky Black Mask is, and he sends his minions out to finish him off. The battle commences.
Genius fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping is in charge of the action in Black Mask, and there's action aplenty, one tornadic throwdown after another, and if that's all you expect from a Hong Kong flick, you'll be fine with it. Connoisseurs, however, should look to other Jet Li movies made around the same for a more satisfying experience. Check out the more sophisticated The Bodyguard from Beijing, the fun blend of action and comedy in High Risk or the touching father/son relationship in My Father Is a Hero. And by all means, avoid the cheesy sequel.
Aka Hak hap.
Get me to a Jiffy Lube pronto.
