My Father Is A Hero (1995)

Jet Li plays a cop from the mainland who is sent undercover to infiltrate a gang in Hong Kong. Anita Mui plays a cop from Hong Kong who goes to the mainland to investigate him, finding the wife and son he left there. After the wife dies she travels back to Hong Kong with the son to search for his father.

MY FATHER IS A HERO was one of Jet's last Hong Kong films before the handover, and the uneasy relationship between cops from either side of the border who have to work together despite a trust gap and a lack of mutual understanding can certainly be read as a commentary on that situation.

It's pretty cheesy but it basically works thanks to a great performance from young Xie Miao, who gives his all to the part. Anita Mui helps land it, as she has done for quite a few films now that I think about it. She knows how to avoid the sentimental traps that the script lays out for her. Jet Li gives a strong performance, if not to be counted amongst his best.

The film features some fun action, though it's pretty exaggerated and cartoonish, and suffers from very visible wires on the recent Bluray release.

Overall it's a solid mid-tier Jet Li film, pretty lightweight and generic but entertaining and competently delivered. There isn't enough substance there to call it a classic, but as long as you're not expecting it to be one it is unlikely to disappoint.