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Max Zhang should be well on his way to super-stardom in the realm of action films, but it seems as if he’s taken a wrong turn somewhere. After impressive and scene-stealing moments in films like SPL 2 and Ip Man 3, he was given his own chance to shine in the spin-off Master Z. It was the perfect star vehicle for him and a damn fine action flick. While successful, it never quite reached the heights of its parent franchise. Then comes along a film like Invincible Dragon, a highly confused picture that’s never sure where it wants to go.
Kowloon (Max Zhang) is a detective in search of an elusive serial killer. The killer has a very distinct MO and only kills female police officers. Just when he feels as if he’s closing in on him, his fiancé Fong Ning (Stephy Tang) is taken by the murderer. Overcome by grief, time passes on and Kowloon has let himself go. The killer, along with Ning, have seemingly disappeared. One year later, there’s another victim and he feels this may be his last and only chance for closure. In his search, he’s reunited with an old acquaintance named Sinclair (Anderson Silva) and his girlfriend Lady (JuJu Chan) who may information that could lead him to the killer.
Fruit Chan is a highly decorated filmmaker, but he made a major mistake with this picture. It’s a genre-bending tale, which is usually fine, but somehow in Invincible Dragon, they never gel quite right. In fact, it’s chock full of good, bad, and WTF. I’ll mix it up and start with the bad. Anderson Silva’s performance is stiff and his inexperience in front of the camera takes away from what could have been a great character. The film has an unnecessary narrator that drones on, and there’s far too much misplaced humor. As for the good, Zhang is a great performer and does what he does best, you couldn’t ask more of him. Also, someone who should be a major star by now is JuJu Chan. Her character is by far the most riveting and has several scene-stealing moments. Invincible Dragon has one brilliant action sequence set aboard a derailing train. As for the WTF, I’m not going to ruin it, you’ll have to see it for yourself.
Invincible Dragon will sadly do nothing to further the careers of its stars, but it shouldn’t hurt them, either. It’s just a very odd and uneven picture filled with brilliance, confusion, and several head-scratchers. Zhang and Chan are dynamic throughout, even though the material isn’t quite befitting of their talents. Director Fruit Chan tried too hard to set it apart from other action/thrillers, making one too many mistakes along the way.
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