ACF 116: Invisible Target DVD Streets 06.10.08

Invisible Target / Nan er ben se

Directed by Benny Chan

Hong Kong, 2007, 130 min

Invisible Target is an action-packed, testosterone-laced thriller replete with terrific old-school Hong Kong stunts. And it's coming out on Tuesday, June 10th in a Two-Disc Ultimate Edition from Dragon Dynasty that's spectacular.

A well-trained crew pulls off a daring daytime armored car heist, netting $100 million in U.S. currency. However, we later learn that they were betrayed by the mastermind of the robbery and that as they were leaving Hong Kong three were killed by the police. The other four got away, but without their share of the loot, and six months later they've returned to claim it.

Nicholas Tse plays Chan Chun, an unconventional cop who has a personal interest in bringing the gang to justice, preferably his own form and not that of the courts. Shawn Yue is Fong- Yik-wei, a good cop but rather arrogant and egoistic. Rounding out the leaders of the good guys is Jaycee Chan, Jackie's son. Looking much like a taller, leaner version of his father, Jaycee is a naive, upright young policeman named Wai King-ho. His older brother was an undercover cop who disappeared around the time of the robbery and who's therefore suspected of having joined the bad guys.

Jacky Wu (as Wu Jing) is Tien Yeng-seng, the ruthless leader of the gang. His crew includes Ronin Tien Yeng-yee (Andy On), Tien Yeng-chi (Vincent Sze), and Tien Yeng-yan (Mei Wang Xue, here as Xue Mei Wang). Jacky is, as always, fantastic in his action sequences. For me, the real find was Ms Wang, who I understand is a wushu champion. I don't think she has a single line in the film, but she can definitely kick butt and more than hold her own against any of the guys, as Shawn Yue attests in the commentary.

There goes some more glass!

Benny Chan, who's previous credits include New Police Story and Robin-B-Hood, definitely knows how to handle action. The film is well-paced and a real rush when it's supposed to be, which is often. My only quibble, and it's admittedly a very small one, is that Chan gets a bit carried away with breaking glass. Basically, anything made of glass gets destroyed, which gets predictable after awhile.

This Dragon Dynasty release is just jam-packed with extra features, which are listed below. I don't know anywhere that you'll get more value for your money.

Invisible Target Two-Disc Ultimate Edition gets a well-deserved 4 out of 4 star rating, highest recommendation.

Basics
- Price: $24.95
- Street Date: June 10, 2008
- Rating: R
- Languages: English Dolby 5.1, Cantonese Dolby 5.1, Cantonese DTS
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Closed Captioned

Special Features:
Disc 1
- Audio Commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan and actors Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, and Andy On
- The Making of Invisible Target
· Trailer Gallery

Disc 2
Exclusive Interviews
- Gen X Genius: Director Benny Chan
- Like Father, Like Son: Star Jaycee Chan
- Licensed to Kill: Star Shawn Yue- Invincible Target: Leading Villain Jacky Wu Jing
- Young and Dangerous: Co-Star Philip Ng
- Carte Blanche: Co-Star Vincent Sze
- The Ronin: Co-Star Andy On
Featurettes
-Fight For The Glory: Constructing The Action Sequences of Invisible Target
· Conception To The Silver Screen: A Look At The Storyboard Concepts for Invisible Target
· The Gala Premiere
Deleted/Extended Scenes