HIDDEN STRIKE (2023)

HIDDEN STRIKE (2023)

Tagline: There is a plan. They just don't know what it is.

(Action, Comedy, Highway of Death) [PG-13]

Note: This movie was not given an MPA rating, but is designated TV-14 which is essentially the same rating as PG-13 only for TV. 

In this one a private security firm is summoned by Professor Cheng to escort 498 oil workers and their children out of a Chinese oil refinery, Yutime Oil, that has been under attack by mercenaries in the middle east. Meanwhile, Chris Van Horne finds out his brother wants him to go on a job that will make them 5 times the usual money to obtain a criminal on the notorious highway of death. It doesn’t take long before Chris determines his brother’s “business partners” are being less than honest about the real intent of the mission and what they are willing to do to see it accomplished. Lou Feng leads the security firm, with precision and a particular set of skills, but when the extradition goes badly, he finds an unlikely ally. 

First off, if you don’t like reading subtitles or you don’t understand Mandarin, this might not be your favorite movie. A lot of it is in English, but overall about 35% is subtitled. I have gotten more and more used to Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian films, but I don’t know any of those languages so I’ve started embracing reading subtitles more. I know it’s not for everyone, so this is just a heads-up. 

Acting wise Dr. Mei Feng is played by Chunrui Ma a solid young actress that hasn’t been in a ton of productions yet, but is probably best known for THE FATE OF SWORDSMAN. Pilou Asbæk (SAMARITAN) plays Owen Paddock and is particularly impressive in this one. I remember at one point there was something about Jackie Chan (IRON MASK) not doing action flicks anymore but he seems to be making a lot of exceptions if that was ever the case. Chan was 67 when this was filmed and he is still flipping around with no problem. I am sure there were stunt guys for some parts, but in the credits, they show him rolling around like a 20-year-old. John Cena (F9: THE FAST SAGA) is pretty good as Chris Van Horne, but I did find myself wondering the entire time how Sylvester Stallone would have done in the role since it was originally written for him. It is possible it would have changed the potential romance aspects of the movie though given that Stallone is 31 years older than Cena. The rest of the cast is good, but these 4 really carry the film.

As far as the stunts go, Chris is just throwing bad guys around like rag dolls. Lou Feng can climb two stories in like 4 seconds. He’s also kicking several dudes' teeth in. It’s all just a lot of fun over-the-top action. The stakes are actually pretty serious, but this is still a comedy, so they manage to inject just the right amount of humor to make it all work. I have read a few reviews with people complaining about the CGI, but I have no idea what these people are expecting. This movie didn’t even get a theatrical release in the United States. We have freakin semi-flipping in the air, cool desert dust storms, great fight scenes, and a lot more heart than I expected. It just seems like a bunch of complaining about not much.

I love a lot of stuff other people don’t, but I had a blast with this one. I think it was possibly even more fun than the wildly insane BLEEDING STEEL and I gave that one a 6 out of 7. This is right on that level. A word of advice, do not overanalyze the plot or the physics. This movie is not meant to be your physics class or some sort of “how to write the perfect script” lesson. It is an awesome, turn-off-your-brain popcorn flick. I would love to have seen it in theaters. 

HIDDEN STRIKE gets a 6 out of 7. 

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