Donnie Yen falls into the same category. If you want somebody to play a hard-ass cop who isn't above going beyond the rule book to take down criminals and using some incredible martial arts skills in order to do it, Donnie's your man. From movies like "In The Line of Duty 4", to the "Tiger Cage" movies, up to and including "SPL", Donnie has the pugnacious, angry, intense, physical, and rebellious cop role down pat.

"Flash Point" isn't so much a movie about two cops taking down a trio of brothers who are up to their necks in crime and violence, it's a giant setup for the last 20 minutes of this movie so we can watch Donnie strut his stuff. When Donnie's eyes get wide and his mouth screws up like he's about to spit something out, watch out, it means he's about to lay some serious hurt on someone. Case in point: in the middle of the film, he's chased the bad guy to an outdoor eating area when the bad guy grabs a kid and tells Donnie to drop his gun or he'll kill the kid. Donnie complies, at which point the bad guy throws the kid aside, letting the kid land on her head and is either dead, or in a coma. Donnie looks at the kid, his face contorts, the camera zooms out, and Donnie proceeds to work the bad guy over.

That scene was just a taste for what happens near the end when he goes toe-to-toe with Collin Chou. This fight scene hurts just to watch it. In this movie and in "SPL," Donnie has stated that he wants to bring Mixed Martial Arts to the screen so as to make martial arts movies look more realistic and at the same time, more exciting. He feels that CGI and wire-fu have had their day and that it's time to get back to basics. It looks like he's succeeded. Like Spencer Tracy, what Donnie Yen does, he does well. I hope he keeps on doing it.

The plots for these books was,with some variation, pretty much the same: mad scientist/evil genius would get a hold of one hero and con him into fighting another hero. The heroes would fight and then, realizing it was all a misunderstanding, would team up and go after the real bad guy.

Chen Kuan Tai and Alexander Fu Sheng star in this cinematic version of a Marvel comic book. The plot is pretty much like I described those team-up books. Chen plays a Shaolin man who escapes being killed during the burning of the Shaolin temple and is on the run from the Manchus. In to this picture stumbles Fu Sheng, another Shaolin man and totally clueless as to what has happened. The Manchus convince Fu Sheng that Chen is an evil robber and that he should go capture him-which he does. Later on, realizing his mistake, he goes after Chen to free him and team up with him to stop the Manchus.

As I said, this plot reminds me of those old comics. But they were fun to read, and this was fun to watch. This movie is supposed to have set a precedent by showing more realistic fighting onscreen utilizing more authentic styles. It does that, and does it well. I've stated that this movie is like a comic book. It isn't humorous or over the top like a comic. It's deadly serious. Nothing funny or goofy about this movie. It's bloody, violent and has an engaging story.

As always Fu Sheng is a pleasure to watch with his easygoing manner, and Chen Kuan Tai is a treat with his ferocious mannerisms and savage fighting skills. Get this movie for your collection, you'll be glad you did.