Story is not bad - it's about the fall of Sammo Hung's gang because of one fatal move - that has moral implications - he made, with things starting to go awry gradually. There are some witty lines. In a scene where Sammo Hung's gang are trying out new firearms and they ask him to change his weapon too, Sammo Hung takes out his old and trusty rifle, fires three shots, all hitting bull's eye. And he quips, "It's high time you learnt to be environmentally conscious and go green."
There are quite a few action scenes throughout, with three major martial arts scenes. The gunplay is the standard fare of pyrotechnics with bullet hits and things being blown up. While I enjoy martial arts movies, I'm averse to extreme violence; unfortunately, Fatal Move is pretty graphic and extreme with blood and gore.
While Ken Lo does indeed get one fight, it's far too short and over too quickly in a few seconds. Ken Lo mentions in an interview that Wu Jing kept asking if they'd get to fight each other. It's actually possible to let them have a go at each other in a raid on police station; it works within the context of the movie, even if the scenario would be a bit off logic. Newcomer Jacky Heung, who spent a year training in martial arts, gets two action scenes one of which is a martial arts scene whereby he goes on a gory maniacal killing spree. He does have quite a bit of presence. While Sammo Hung has plenty of screen time, he only has one car chase scene and one fight. Wu Jing doesn't have as much screentime, but he gets the lion's share of the action scenes.
The first martial arts scene is when Wu Jing, who doesn't speak much, storms into a rival gang headed by Kou Zhan Wen, Wu Jing's senior from Beijing Wushu Team. He's Wu Jing's close friend and they're both on Dreamboat Soccer Team. It's definitely a pleasant surprise to see him here. He's a very capable martial artist and has been in short roles in Tai Chi 2, Master of Taichi and as the main villain in Fist of Hero and Master Ma II. Before going in, Wu Jing begins, "Since they aren't pulling out their guns, neither should we." Next he tells his subordinates, "Stay back, and watch a great show."
And indeed, we get a great show, a very bloody and violent fight whereby Wu Jing dispenses the rival gang members with ease. The encounter between Kou Zhan Wen and Wu Jing is fantastic. First Kou Zhan Wen stops Wu Jing with further killings of his men with dual weapons, sabre on one hand and something that looks like sai but with two prongs on the other hand, "Chopping up my brothers like vegetables - that's not very nice." He first traps Wu Jing's sword with the sai-like weapon and swings his sabre at Wu Jing - all in split-second. Very neat stuff. He wields dual weapons with great dexterity and speed. The exchange is very intricate, fast and intense. A pity it doesn't last long enough. However, it's the harbinger of what's to come between Sammo Hung and Wu Jing in the finale which is nothing short of breathtakingly jaw-dropping, accompanied by a wonderfully appropriate soundtrack.
While it may appear that the fight between Wu Jing and Sammo Hung is not a necessity but rather added so that we get to see them fight, I beg to differ. It's a battle for pride and honour, as well as to affirm one's skills, to fulfill their wish as martial artists before their untimely doom. It starts with a simple line from Wu Jing, "I don't believe you're number one." And they start. They're really going out at each other. Neither is holding back. The vigour, the breakneck speed, and those moves that look really dangerous, the impact of the hits. While I've seen Wu Jing fighting with sword before, I've not seen him doing it like in Fatal Move with such alacrity and ferocity. This is simply some of the finest weapon works ever.
The martial arts sequences are of traditional type with complex manoeuvres mingled with realism and intensity of modern-style fighting sans gravity-defiance. At the speed and intensity they're going at each other, it's not something that non-martial artists can pull off - not at the level of competence, effortlessness, the rawness, the speed, the insanity, the aggressiveness of the contact, and the precision. They'd be hesitating to do such fatal moves and stunts anyhow.
I've never been big on Nicky Li choreography for modern works from New Police Story to Invisible Target. But with Fatal Move, for once, I'm sold. Not only is he able to come up with such an intense and intricate choreography but also able to inject some freshness and creativity into the matrtial arts sequences, throwing in some exquisite moves of great ingenuity. The only things I wished for are longer length for the fight against Kou Zhan Wen and a lot less violence.
