Who doesn’t know Donnie Yen? The legendary Hong Kong action star, known for his breathtaking fight choreography, has graced everything from the Ip Man series to blockbuster hits like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and John Wick: Chapter 4. The Prosecutor marks Yen’s second directorial effort after the success of Sakra last year. Teaming up with legendary producer Raymond Wong, Yen not only stars in the film but also serves as a producer. He’s joined by a stellar local cast, including Julian Cheung, Michael Hui, Francis Ng, and MC Cheung Tin-fu. But can Yen replicate the success of his previous films?
The story revolves around Fok Chi-ho (played by Yen), a former cop disillusioned by his city’s justice system, who decides to become a prosecutor under the Ministry of Justice. However, he quickly discovers that corruption runs rampant even there—worse than he could have imagined—entangling high-profile lawyers and leaving ordinary citizens as victims of injustice. Teaming up with his former colleagues in the police force, Fok investigates a peculiar case that leads him to a drug syndicate in cahoots with a powerful legal firm. Determined to expose the truth, Fok realizes that the rule of law alone isn’t enough to fix everything, inevitably leading to physical confrontations.
The plot doesn’t stray too far from the classic Hong Kong crime thrillers, with their fast-paced storytelling and rapid shifts between scenes and characters. The film opens with a bombastic action sequence before diving into courtroom drama, all presented in quick, montage-like cuts. Even after that, the story rarely slows down, making it easy to miss key moments or information due to the rapid-fire dialogue. Ironically, the action sequences provide much-needed breathing room to process the story.
As expected, the action scenes showcase Yen’s signature choreography, where he’s once again taking on a dozen opponents at once in thrilling, crowd-pleasing fashion. To add variety, the film incorporates drone shots offering expansive aerial perspectives, as well as impressive video game-style POV shots, particularly in the opening sequence. Among all the action, though, the climactic metro fight stands out as an absolute showstopper. Arguably, it’s one of the best action sequences of Yen’s illustrious career—simply breathtaking. You can watch a clip from it at the video link below.
So, what’s wrong with The Prosecutor? Donnie Yen falls into the trap of playing his typical role without fully utilizing his greatest strength: action. The unforgettable metro sequence makes me wonder why the film didn’t focus entirely on its action elements, using the plot and themes merely as a setup. After all, the film’s noble message would still come across. Instead, 70% of the film gets bogged down in dialogue-heavy scenes about investigations, courtroom antics, and Fok’s moral lectures on justice and human values. Yen’s talent for crafting spectacular action scenes is undeniable. He just needs to create a full-blown action film with a strong moral backbone—not the other way around, where drama dominates with bits of action sprinkled in.
