Raging Fire wins big at Hong Kong Film Awards
Well deserved congratulations to the cast and crew of Raging Fire for their wins at the prestigious 40th Hong Kong Film Awards. Receiving eight total nominations, they secured awards for…
Best Film
Best Director
Best Film Editing
Best Action Choreography
This is very well deserved, especially in acknowledging incredibly proficient, career-best work from late, great director Benny Chan (Invisible Target, Call of Heroes), who was tragically diagnosed with cancer during production and bravely completed photography. He passed away shortly after. This shouldn’t really affect a view of the film, but does bring extra poignancy and a real sense that he threw everything he had into it during some particularly intense set pieces, knowing this was his last hurrah, and he very likely wouldn’t be around to see the finished film. The movie has become one of my favourite Hong Kong releases of recent years, undoubtedly a throwback to the hard boiled crime thrillers and meticulous, punishing action design which made us fall in love with these films in the first place, and established artists like Benny and Donnie as fan favourites.
In Raging Fire, during a raid to arrest a drug lord, police encounter a group of masked thugs. In a violent act of sabotage, the gang steals the drugs and murders the police officers on the scene. Arriving late, Inspector Cheung Shung-bong (Donnie Yen, Ip Man 1-4, Rogue One) is devastated to see the brutal aftermath, discovering the cop killers are led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse, New Police Story, Shaolin), his former protégé. Once a rising star in the police who was driven to a life of crime, he now bears a grudge. As their fates become entangled again, a score will be settled once and for all. In my view, the film boasts exhilarating action and plenty of emotional substance in this story of former brothers-in-arms, now on opposing sides.
I’m also proud and honoured to have worked on the UK release and contributed to the 4K Ultra HD steelbook from UK distributor, Trinity CineAsia. Apart from being a striking presentation of the film (and the company’s first foray into the 4K UHD market), the collectible booklet features writing from myself and Ben Johnson of Kung Fu Movie Guide, as well as the film's star and producer Donnie Yen, plus Benny Chan’s friends and collaborators, Daniel Wu (Into the Badlands, New Police Story), Andy On (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai, Special ID), Philip Ng (Birth of the Dragon, Invisible Target), Ken Law (Helios, Unbeatable) and producer and casting director, Mike Leeder (The Man with the Iron Fists, Fearless). Great company to be in.
RIP Benny Chan (1961-2020). His legacy lives on, not only in his most standout work but in the creative work and minds of everyone he has inspired.
Raging Fire is out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital