Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Mike Garcia I didn't like it this movie at all..Very strange film based in a Chinese comic, in which Jet Li plays some kind of superhero who dresses as Kato from The green hornet... Shot in dark colors, the film looks like an experimental project, , the cinematography is simply awful, the plot is dumb, the characters are plain and simple(specially the annoying character played by Karen Mok) the action sequences are so bad (although that Yuen Woo Ping was behind them) the action of this movie reminds to the kind of action that modern Hollywood movies make nowadays, shaky camera movements that don't allow to see the action... There is a sequel made years later without Jet Li and co starred by a WWE dude who looked like Van Damme and a porn actress, that I have no intentions to watch...AWFUL MOVIE

Dan Gould I love this movie, simply put. The problem with martial arts and action movies is they're usually quite formulaic, they kinda need to be I suppose, but they're not always interesting. Black Mask is on times a little bit silly (the usual suspension of disbelief is required when the hero dons a strip of ribbed plastic that covers only his eyes, and suddenly nobody recognises him), but it is in my opinion a bold attempt.Jet Li plays a member of the 701 squad, a group of people with their nervous systems removed so they don't feel pain. He gets separated from the rest of his squad and assumes them dead, so goes about his own life trying to make himself feel human again. But when he hears from a policeman friend about big drug dealers being killed he suspects the 701 squad is behind it and goes against his former allies.It sounds standard but the fact none of them can feel pain makes it feel quite different, and the fight scenes involving full power crotch shots, falls from height, electric shocks, punches to the throat, and many other things that would end a fight immediately don't even faze our pain-free heroes and villains and makes the fights more bonecrunching and wince-inspiring than a lot of other martial arts movies. It helps that the two leading ladies are the cutesy girl-next-door Karen Mok and the mouthwateringly gorgeous Francoise Yip (of Rumble in the Bronx fame).The fights are excellently coordinated, the dubbing is sometimes laughable but adds to the campy feel of the film which I personally find highly enjoyable, the story is reasonably engaging, and the score has a cheesy spy-thriller classic sound to it.If you like your action movies to be a little bit silly and just a touch camp, while occasionally delving into dark subject matter, with brutal action scenes and top notch eye candy of both genders (there are some FINE looking people in this movie lol) then this film can't come more highly recommended by me.

zardoz-13 American audiences saw Asian martial arts superstar Jet Li kick around Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in director Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon IV." The success of the third "Lethal Weapon" sequel and Jet Li's performance as a resilient Oriental villain prompted Artisan Entertainment t dust off a 1996 cliffhanger that Li had made for executive producer Tsui Hark. Happily, Artisan has provided a new, surprisingly well-synchronized English language dub of the original Chinese dialogue. Of course, most of the voices still sound dubbed, but the words match the lips for the most part. Further, Artisan has saturated the high-octane action with a funky line-up of gangsta/techno rap rhymes that accentuate the rhythm of the movie. Connoisseurs of hyperkinetic Hong Kong actioneers should get a kick out of Jet Li's first starring role in the U.S. Altogether, "Black Mask" qualifies as a must-see melodrama that showcases Jet Li's skills and personality.Basically, "Black Mask" depicts the life and death struggle between a mysterious superhero and the forces of evil in a by-the-numbers, formulaic action thriller. As a member of an elite commando unit, Michael (Jet Li) is a top-secret, super-soldier from Project 701, a scheme designed to turn out biologically enhanced assassins virtually immune to pain. According to the introductory voice-over narration, the Red Chinese have injected these people with serum that triggers some unhappy side effects, such as psychotic rages and an abruptly abbreviated life span. Washing their hands of the ill-fated experiment, the government then tries to kill the warriors. Michael and many of his cohorts escape captivity on mainland China and flee to Hong Kong. At first, Michael believes that nobody, including his old girlfriend, Yuek-lan (Francoise Yip of "Rumble in the Bronx"), had survived the ordeal. Masquerading as Simon, a mousy Clark Kent type librarian, Michael resolves to re-educate himself about all things normal and hides out in the book stalls. Along the way, he befriends a stubborn police detective (Lau Ching Wan) with whom he plays chess.Unfortunately, Michael learns to his chagrin that several 701 survivors have embarked on a murderous killing spree, knocking off high profile Hong Kong drug lords and corrupt government officials. These project 701 ruffians are fortune cookies not easily cracked. They take a licking and keep on ticking. Bullets don't faze them. Their methods appear as unsavory as they are resourceful. One defiant drug dealer shows the authorities a box containing the severed legs of his daughter. Evidently, the hoodlums mailed the box to him to ensure his support. Another crime lord discovers that the villains have implanted a bomb in his chest near his heart. When surgeons try to defuse it, they cannot distinguish between the wires and the arteries. When they do cut the wires, half of the hospital vanishes in an explosion. These fiends plan to blackmail the government into supplying them with the antidote for their illness.Donning a cardboard mask, a fedora, and a chauffeur's suit, Michael retaliates in classic vigilante "Death Wish" style. He relies on his wits, his athletic grace, and his mini-discs which he spins through the air with the same effect as throwing stars. (Anybody remember the 1990 movie "I Come in Peace" where Dolph Lungren faced off with aliens who used compact discs as lethal killing devices?) The bad guys often refer to Michael as 'the compassionate one.' Along the way, Tracy (Karen Mok) finds herself drawn into a vortex of action when she survives a deadly massacre in the library. Michael takes her hostage, but the bizarre relationship takes a turn, and she becomes his girl Friday. Meantime, audiences get to sneer at the devilish Commander Hung, a long-haired psycho villain played to perfection by Patrick Lung Kang.A quartet of scribes has assembled an entertaining but formulaic script that bristles with more action than most Hollywood action franchises. Based on their work here, Tsui Hark, Koan Hui, Teddy Chen, and Joe Ma could have written a better "Batman" epic that the idiots that churned out "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin." Admittedly, "Black Mask" looks like a hodgepodge of B-movie protagonists. You can spot the plots of "Batman," "Universal Soldier," "Solo," "Bullitt," and "The Terminator" in the wildly fluctuating storyline. Ostensibly, this rapid-fire yarn look like an Asian version of any Alexander Dumas costume tale about mistaken identities. The scenarists refuse to restrict themselves to one genre. Instead, they shift gears, alternating between a horror chiller, an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, a comic book superhuman escapade, a screwball romance, and a 1940's neo film noir crime story. Sure, all of this is silly, shallow, and superficial when it isn't drenched in blood and gore. Nevertheless, "Black Mask" delivers these elements with such style and artistry that you cannot help but enjoy it.Martial arts champion Jet Li brings his boyish charm along with a dancer's fluid locomotion to create quite a hero. He combines Jackie Chan's agile athleticism with Chow Yun-Fat's dramatic talent. When he goes into action against the villains, look out! As Michael's pal, Lau Ching Wan turns in a solid performance as a stubborn HK cop named Rock who initially thinks that Michael has nothing to do with Simon. Sophomore HK helmer Daniel ("What Price Survival") Lee slackens the pace occasionally to accommodate a screwball romantic subplot between Karen Mok's ditzy librarian Tracy and Michael. Wisely, Lee never takes these supercharged, adrenaline-laced antics too seriously. The library scenes have a sitcom quality, which differ from other scenes. Several critics have observed the resemblance between Jet Li's Michael and the late Bruce Lee's Kato from the ABC-TV series "The Green Hornet." The filmmakers bring up the same point when Tracy admires Michael.Make no mistake, "Black Mask" is pretty gory stuff. Daniel Lee directs in much the same twister fashion as Michael Bay of "The Rock" and "Armageddon." Lee rarely lets his camera linger on shot. "Black Mask" is outrageously plotted, often campy, but exciting, ultra-violent pulp nonsense.

Conan_The_Barbarian While not Jet Li's best effort, Black Mask is a decent, fast paced action flick which has its merits.The incredible martial arts sequences are definitely the best part of the film. Lots of punches, kicks and spectacular aerial displays take up the bulk of the film and are a treat to look at. Combined this with the expected explosions, gunfire, non-stop bad guys and smashing glass, there is plenty of chaos for the action fans.Judging from the dubbed version, Jet Li gives a fairly decent performance. While not as memorable as some of his other films such as Once Upon A Time In China, he gives a decent performance. The supporting cast isn't spectacular but are adequate enough.Unfortunately, the dubbing is rather appalling. While you can get the gist of the storyline, it's pretty obvious that large chunks of crucial dialog related to the storyline are left out. While there's not too much storyline to follow in this action fare, it's still disappointing all the same.I was however, laughing non-stop at the dubbing of Commander Hung, played by Kong Lung. It is definitely the most (unintentionally) hilarious dubbed voice i have ever heard. It's worth renting this just to hear how funny it is.Overall, I recommend this to Jet-Li fans and most action fans. If you're not one or both of these then you would probably be best advised to steer clear. It sells for dirt cheap here in Australia ($5-$8 depending where you shop around) but it's probably worth getting the authentic version if you want the best experience.Be warned though, it is rather violent (expect to see limbs being taken off and crushed and a fair amount of blood) so beware if you're faint hearted.I give it 6.5 out of 10.