- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Media Format : Subtitled
- Release date : June 8, 2021
- Actors : Andy On, Vanness Wu, Philip Ng
- Studio : Well Go Usa
If the plot was taken seriously, Undercover
Punch and Gun could easily be accused of derivative content. The sheer amount
of undercover cop narratives in the history of Asian action has made this the case,
and Undercover Punch and Gun throws us directly into this exact scenario. It is
with variation in tone, and where the film goes with the predictable premise
that promises some originality. First of all, despite an emphasis on martial
arts action in the storyline, the tone is comedic enough to consider the parodic
elements of the narrative. At least to some degree, the derivative elements
feed into the humor in this regard.
Though the movie
begins with an undercover cop premise, introducing us to Xiao Wu (Philip Ng) as
he works his cover in a meth drug ring run by Brother Bao (Suet Lam). First
Xiao has to use his skills to stop Brother Bao from killing one of his men, Xia
Qiankun (Andy On), who he mistakenly believes to be an undercover cop. Shortly
after that, a drug by is interrupted by a motorcycle bandit, which results in a
shootout that kills everyone but Xiao and Xia. While I expected the undercover
narrative to continue from here, it never really took much precedence in the narrative.
Instead, the movie becomes about a rival agency’s efforts to take down a former
law enforcement agent who has turned into a smuggler (Vanness Wu) looking to
break into the meth game.
There are
multiple different law enforcement agencies, undercover cops, and even several
criminal organizations, each with their own goals and motives for violence.
This can often be difficult to keep up with, and isn’t made much easier by the
flippant way the movie presents information. It is clear that the jokes and
fight scenes are all the audience is meant to care about. The humor doesn’t
always land as well as the punches, but all of it is extremely watchable.
The Blu-ray release
includes English-language dubbing for anyone unwilling to read subtitles. The
dubbing does not help to take the film seriously, but that may be preferential
for some viewers. The only other special feature is a trailer gallery.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 1/10
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