Hong Kong filmmaker and former Milkyway Image (Hong Kong) Ltd. cohort Dennis Law found himself on some pretty green pastures in the early 2000s upon the release of Wilson Yip’s blistering call-to-arms Donnie Yen starrer, S.P.L.. He would team up a few times over with that film’s co-star, Wu Jing, in the years that followed with the production of a few more action-geared titles on their bumper, the first of which would be Fatal Contact, Law’s second directorial gig after 2005’s The Unusual Youth.
Law directs the film from his own script starring Wu as Kong, a national martial arts champion and struggling Chinese opera group performer who gets lured into the world of underground fighting. Joined by girlfriend Tin and a hustler named Captain as his fighting coach, making money is the name of the game as Kong finds himself wedged as a key asset between two rival bosses using the circuit to best one another. The deeper Kong goes and the more money he makes, the tougher his opponents become, until a major twist forces him choose between throwing a match to appease criminals, and sticking to his principles as a fighter – principles that will ultimately unravel upon an even more shocking truth that awaits.
This film is about sixteen years old but is still just as fresh and entertaining as you would expect or hope if you’ve been following Wu’s career since Tai Chi Boxer with Darren Shahlavi, or Drunken Monkey co-starring OG trailblazer Lau Kar Leung. It runs slow for most of the duration in which the film explores some of the interpersonal economic struggles shared between our supporting characters, including Theresa Fu’s Chui-chi who confides in Ting, played by Miki Yeung. Co-star Ronald Cheng brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the role of Captain, who typically and peculiarly sells himself short as a pugilist despite being visibly able to handle himself during a brawl.
Law produced the pic alongside Herman Yau who is another major force in the genre and that makes Fatal Contact a major muscular show of force given the screenfighting starpower on hand, including Kenji Tanigaki, Andy On and Xing Yu (Shi Yanneng) among the roster. That also means some really high highs with the energizing action sequences by Nicky Li who has recurred with Wu on multiple occasions after, including on 2008’s Fatal Move with Sammo Hung, as well as on 2008’s Legendary Assassin joining Wu as co-director, and in 2015’s S.P.L. 2 (a.k.a. Kill Zone 2). Indeed, there’s use of wirework involved in some of the action, but none of it cripples the enjoyment of seeing the choreography on display by Wu who endured his fair share of bumps and bruises during this production, making it one of the toughest productions of his career.
The result of Fatal Contact is a dark, brooding and evidently tragic crime tale that goes heavily for the heart strings by the film’s final shot via CG tear-drops, and a shot of two of our main stars reminiscing with one another before a starlit backdrop, closing with a cremation along with the incineration of a pair of shoes, all playing out with the film’s title track, “Black Storm”. It’s a sad song befitting for a sad movie ending, but at the very least if you’re new to this movie, then I’m happy to report that I didn’t give away any particular names of the characters who die. So, there. You can’t yell at me. All the same though, if moody martial arts thrillers are your thing, then Law is your man and Fatal Contact is your huckleberry.
You can find that film as of this post wherever movies are sold or rented, as well as streaming for free with ads on Vudu where you can also find another Wu action hit, Invisible Target which you can read more about here.
