SPL: Sha Po Lang (Kill Zone) (2005)

Director: Wilson Yip

Cast: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Wu Jing

Country: Hong Kong

Rating: R

Run Time: 93 Minutes

If you are reading this review, than you don't even have to contemplate your decision on whether or not to see this film. SPL is one of the finest martial arts action films ever made. It features powerful drama, great performances, and some of the greatest action scenes in cinema history. The sound design and film editing makes for some of the most adrenaline pumping fight sequences I have ever seen. Watching this film will make your jaw drop more than once. More than likely, your jaw won't come back up until the action scenes have finished. Few action films can achieve such an accomplishment, and SPL is one of them.

SPL is the first of four collaborations between director Wilson Yip and action star Donnie Yen. They would follow up this film with a lesser but still enjoyable contemporary police drama, Flash Point, in 2007. A year later, the two would craft what is essentially one of the greatest action films ever made, Ip Man. A solid sequel, Ip Man 2, followed two years after that. Since than, the two have not reunited for another film. I hope they reunite soon because Yen and Yip go together like Chow Yun Fat and John Woo. They are easily the best actor/director duo working in the action genre today.

Heavyweight vs. Lightweight

SPL is a crime epic that tells the story of several cops and gangsters. The three leads are played by action gods Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, and Simon Yam. Inspector Chan (Yam) continually loses his chance at legally convicting ruthless crime lord Wong Po (Hung). During one attempt to transfer a witness to court, Chan and his witnesses are ran into by another car. A shard of glass from the crash penetrates Chan's skull. The damage leaves him with a tumor that will eventually kill him. The crash also leaves a poor little girl without her parents as well. Feeling guilty and responsible, Chan adopts the lonely girl and makes it his life goal to take down Po however necessary. The rest of Chan's team, played by Liu Kai Chi, Danny Summer, and Ken Chang, all vow to help Chan at all costs; even if it means they must break the law in the process. Things are further complicated once Inspector Kwun (Yen), a by the books cop, joins the team.

One of SPL's strongest aspects is its own title. SPL, or Sha Po Lang, refers to words in Chinese astrology. These words reflect stars that have the capability to do good and evil depending on their place in the heavens. As the film progresses, we are shown scenes that show both the good and the bad of each character. Essentially, no one character is completely in the right in their actions and morals. A cop can have good intentions but achieve it in an illegal way. A gangster may want to love and feed his family but commit murders to do it. I applaud SPL for leaving it up to the audience to consider how they feel about each character.  However, each character's actions have consequences. Therefore, no character escapes the film unscathed.

Star Yen fights in some of the best action scenes in cinema history.

The U.S. retitle, Kill Zone, is just a lame retitle. Yeah, people get killed. But did we really need to remove such a great title and replace it with such a generic action title? I like a title like Kill Zone. I think it would better fit a Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal vehicle from the early 90's. It would totally work than. However, Kill Zone is a dumbed down title for a film that is nowhere close to being dumb. Blame it on Harvey Scissorhands of the Weinstein Company for that one folks.

SPL's three leads are all played wonderfully. Each character gets their backstory and motives fleshed out so that we as an audience understand each one. All three of the lead characters also kick major ass too. Simon Yam even gets to rack up a killcount during a small but sweet shootout in the film's finale. It should also be mentioned that even the three members of Chan's team are fleshed out too. Each has a small backstory and are very memorable. In any other American film, these three supporting teammates would just be cops who do nothing but kick butt. In this film however, we really care for them. 

The standout supporting performance goes to Wu Jing as Jack. Where has this guy been? His action sequences are incredible! With his bleach blonde hair and silent performance, Jack is one of the most vile and unforgettable right hand men in action cinema. If you don't believe me, just check out my Top 10 Right Hand Men List. Wu Jing is nearly numero uno.

Hung's hangout is lit for a fight for goodness sakes.

SPL's fight sequences are all choreographed by star Donnie Yen. Yen's dedication to showcase first rate action boggles the mind. Yen's one on one fights with Wu Jing and Sammo Hung are two of the best fight sequences in cinema history, especially the one with Wu Jing. These scenes are scored so well too! The music is incredibly dramatic and blends well with the film's flawless editing and graceful photography. Every punch and kick is easy to visualize and the grounds for each fight are clearly visible too. I also love director Yip's artistic choice to have loads of dust fly off of the actors whenever they are punched. It resembles the dust blood that Steven Spielberg uses in Saving Private Ryan and the mist blood that Johnnie To uses in Exiled.

Not much more can be said about SPL. You should simply check it out. I should warn all viewers though that his is a very dark and bleak film. The violence is quite graphic and the conclusions to each character's arc is quite dramatic. Watching this film with a load of martial arts loving friends might help make the viewing experience more uplifting and enjoyable though.

Rating: 9/10 - SPL is a fabulous martial arts drama. The characters are memorable, the drama is compelling, and the action sequences are visually mind blowing. I highly recommend this film to any one who considers themselves an action fan, is a devotee to any of the action icons in this film, and has a slight interest in martial arts films.