Kill Zone (2005)
SPL: Sha Po Lang (Chinese: æ®ºç ´ç‹¼, released in the United States as Kill Zone) is a 2005 Hong Kong action film directed by Wilson Yip, who also writer with Szeto Kam-Yuen and Ng Wai-lun. The film stars Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam. The film was released on 18 November 2005. Yam portrays a police detective who, suffering from cancer and about to retire, resorts to illegal means in order to catch a ruthless triad boss. The title Sha Po Lang refers to three words derived from Chinese astrology that each represent a different star capable of good or evil depending on their position in the heavens.
Plot.
The movie is set before 1997, prior to the return of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China. Chan Kwok-chung (Simon Yam), a Hong Kong police inspector, has dedicated his career to putting Wong Po (Sammo Hung), a notorious triad boss, behind bars. While escorting a witness with damning evidence of Wong’s wrongdoings to court, Chan’s car is rammed by another car driven by Jack (Wu Jing), a ruthless assassin. Jack then executes the witness, ensuring Wong Po would walk free. Chan survives with a piece of glass stuck in his head. After the glass is removed, the doctor informs Chan of a tumor in his brain that will soon kill him. Chan becomes even more determined to bring down Wong Po, using any means necessary. Three years later, Ma Kwun (Donnie Yen), a police officer from another precinct, is assigned to replace Chan, who is going to retire soon. Ma will lead Chan’s team, composed of Wah, Sum and Lok. The three men are very protective of Chan, who has since adopted the slain witness’ daughter, as her mother was killed in the earlier car crash.
An electronics shop owner brings to the police station a video tape of Wong Po torturing an undercover agent. In the video, Wong hits the agent repeatedly with a golf club, then one of his men finishes him off. Chan and his colleagues decide to alter the tape, intimidate the shop owner into accusing Wong Po of being the murderer, and eliminate the real killer. Ma, who once beat up a drug trafficker so badly that the latter became mentally handicapped, has vowed to abstain from using questionable means in his career. Ma notices that Chan’s team is acting suspiciously, but he still helps in the arrest of Wong Po. Ma then catches Chan’s team’s in the act of murdering the henchman that actually killed the undercover agent. Ma briefly fights the four of them.
The group receives a message warning them against leaving the police station that night. Ignoring the threat, Lok goes to buy a gun to serve as Wong Po’s “murder weapon”,
but is trapped in an enclosed area and ends up getting killed by a knife-wielding Jack. Meanwhile, a copy of the original video tape is given to Chan’s superior, Cheung Chun-fei. Seeing that Chan had tampered with evidence to frame Wong Po, Cheung releases Wong and tries to arrest Chan. An elderly policeman called Uncle Ba (who had received help from Chan earlier in the film) helps Chan avoid arrest. Later that night, Jack sneaks up on Wah and Sum and stabs them to death. Ma rushes to save them but arrives too late. Before dying, Wah confesses to Ma that he, Sum and Lok had stolen money from Wong Po (when they busted one of Wong’s drug operations earlier) to help Chan raise his adopted daughter, and were targeted for retaliation by Wong.
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Box office, Home media, Reception.
SPL: Sha Po Lang opened in Hong Kong on 18 November 2005. In its first three days it grossed HK$2,166,088. It stayed in the number one position at the Hong Kong box office until 6 December, and eventually grossed HK$7,425,473 in its entire run. DVD was released in Region 1 in the United States on 12 September 2006, it was distributed by Dragon Dynasty. On 8 March 2010, DVD was released by Cine Asia presents Dragon Dynasty in a two disc ultimate edition at the United Kingdom in Region 2. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an aggregate review score of 80% based on 5 critic reviews.