European Premiere | In Competition
Hong Kong, 2024, 117’, Cantonese
Directed by: Donnie Yen
Screenplay: Edmond Wong, Cheung Chun-ho
Cinematography (color): Noah Wong
Editing: Li Ka-wing
Production Design: Renee Wong
Music: Choi Chul-ho
Producers: Donnie Yen, Raymond Wong
Cast: Donnie Yen (Fok), Michael Cheung (Lee King-wai), Julian Cheung (Au Pak-man), Francis Ng (Yeung Dit-lap), Keng Cheng (Uncle Ma), Ray Lui (Sang), Mark Cheng (Tung), Mason Fung (Ma Ka-kit), Locker Lam (Chan Kwok-wing), Chu Pak-hong (Cheng Ho-yin), Michael Hui (Judge George Hui)
Date of First Release in Territory: December 21st, 2024
The logline for The Prosecutor could easily describe a parody sketch in a comedy show like Saturday Night Live: A tough-as-nails cop-turned-lawyer uses his fists and his brain to help the wrongfully accused and dispense justice. However, credit to director and star Donnie Yen and his creative team for turning a seemingly absurd idea into a supremely entertaining blockbuster that never tips over into parody.
This is likely because the true case behind The Prosecutor provided the film with a solid foundation to build on: In 2016, a young man named Ma lent his address for his friend, Hung, to receive a package. However, it turned out that Hung was using the address to transport narcotics. Even though Ma didn’t claim the package, he was nevertheless charged for drug trafficking along with Hung. The legal executive for Hung’s lawyer – whose firm also conveniently represented Ma in court – then unilaterally negotiated a plea deal with Department of Justice prosecutors that saw Hung get off the hook in exchange for getting Ma to take the blame. Ma’s conviction was later overturned on appeal, and the appeal court’s judgment openly questioned the way the Department of Justice handled the case.
It’s no surprise that Yen’s character in The Prosecutor is the champion for the wrongly accused. However, what makes his character in the film, Fok, dramatically interesting is that he isn’t a defense lawyer, but rather a rookie prosecutor for the Department of Justice. For the sake of doing the right thing, Fok suffers embarrassment at the hands of a cocky senior judge (Michael Hui) in court and even goes against his own boss (Francis Ng), who seems more interested in clearing case load than going through due process. Playing an underdog whose unabashed idealism in justice is both his greatest strength and his flaw, Yen gives Fok just enough righteous naivete to make him relatable as an everyman.
Unsurprisingly, Yen is truly in his element when he raises his fists and punches very bad people in creative ways. Promoting his longtime stunt team member Ouchi Takahito to action director this time around, Yen chooses tough hand-to-hand combat over large-scale spectacle, including an opening shootout with first-person perspective shots, an intense foot chase, a rooftop fight featuring dozens of opponents (a Yen staple by now), and a climactic battle in a Hong Kong subway train. Even at the age of 61, Yen remains one of the best action performers and choreographers around, impressively balancing agility and intensity to create action sequences that are both vibrant and brutal.
There was little doubt that Yen would deliver a typically impressive action showcase, but the biggest surprise is how the filmmakers find just the right balance and tone to deliver an intriguing legal drama that shows the flawed complexities of the legal system and how even the “good guys” can create unfairness through complacency. It just happens in this film that fists can sometimes be a more efficient way to solve problems. The villains behind the conspiracy – led by Julian Cheung as the shady defense lawyer with nefarious motives – are a tad too over-the-top for a fact-based legal drama, but it’s a pleasant surprise that it’s Fok’s dramatic crusade for justice rather than Yen’s well-crafted action sequences that makes The Prosecutor easily Yen’s best directorial effort thus far.
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen entered the film industry after auditioning for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. Since landing his first starring role in 1984’s Drunken Tai Chi, Yen has become not only one of the world’s top action actors, but also one of the best action choreographers in the business, with four Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Action Choreography under his belt. In addition to his successful career in Hong Kong and Mainland China, Yen has also appeared in Hollywood films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and John Wick: Chapter 4. The Prosecutor is his sixth directorial effort.
FILMOGRAPHY
1997 – Legend of the Wolf
1998 – Ballistic Kiss
1998 – Shanghai Affairs
2004 – Protégé de la Rose Noire
(co-regia)
2023 – Sakra
2024 – The Prosecutor