Paradox (2017) - directed by Wilson Yip; action by Sammo Hung

[goldenarm]

For those of you wondering this is the official third SPL movie, and there's even a 4k UHD disc of it out.  Great picture and audio quality.

[laagi]

I'm still confused so is this SPL III : War Needs Lord  that was rumored since 2015 or as mentioned earlier just SPL 2.5?

I was browsing Max Zhang's Filmography and SPL III is listed as an upcoming project. Also it's listed as a 2021 release here:

http://chinesemov.com/2021/SPL-3-War-Needs-Lord.html

Somebody able to fill me in? Maybe @One Armed Boxer

[Asmo]

On 1/16/2021 at 3:40 PM, goldenarm said:

For those of you wondering this is the official third SPL movie, and there's even a 4k UHD disc of it out.  Great picture and audio quality.

There's also a combo pack available in HK with all three films together.

However, Wilson Yip doesn't (or didn't) consider Paradox to be SPL 3. Says here that he added it to the title to give audiences an idea of the tone of the film. https://maactioncinema.com/archives/3626

11 hours ago, laagi said:

I'm still confused so is this SPL III : War Needs Lord  that was rumored since 2015 or as mentioned earlier just SPL 2.5?

I was browsing Max Zhang's Filmography and SPL III is listed as an upcoming project. Also it's listed as a 2021 release here:

http://chinesemov.com/2021/SPL-3-War-Needs-Lord.html

Somebody able to fill me in? Maybe @One Armed Boxer

Until we get something a bit more concrete, I do wonder if that site you linked just updates the years of films that have yet to be released until they do get released?

It does seem like it and Paradox have always been separate projects.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

I recently watch it and had a few comments:

殺破狼．貪狼 (2017: Wilson Yip):

I did not like it as much as the second which I did not like as much as the third. Unrelated except for thematic reasons: 殺破狼 refers to three stars symbolizing power/destruction/lust. 

Interesting that he first and third in this series are directed by Wilson Yip. With Donnie Yen doing the choreography in the first, it has some of the better fight scenes of the 21st century. Sammo Hung choreographs the third, but the fighting is limited with what the actors can do. 

The second has a weird mix-match of aesthetics which turned off some MA fans, but I ended up liking it a lot (incongruous to the whole film though). Here the direction has to cut a lot more since so many non-MA actors. 

The first has overall the best and most cohesive plot. The second and third both deal with organ stealing. The story is probably better in the third with Louis Koo's character a HK cop (he was a bad guy in the second film) looking for his kidnapped daughter.  He will do anything to get her back. Tony Jaa has a small role in this one (especially compared to the second film), but has some nice fight scenes as a Thai cop. 

The acting is worse in the third especially with Chris Collins (who is a good athlete, but needs some work on his acting and vocals). The film also felt like it overdone the ordeal as well. This was OK, Kill Zone (aka SPL) still remains a must watch in HK cinema. 

One of my favorite stills which I use all the time:

[DrNgor]

On 10/18/2021 at 5:25 PM, laagi said:

I'm still confused so is this SPL III : War Needs Lord  that was rumored since 2015 or as mentioned earlier just SPL 2.5?

 

Does anyone know anything about this film?

[Drunken Monk]

2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Does anyone know anything about this film?

It looks like Cheang Pou-soi was meant to direct two films in 2021 that never came to fruition: SPL III: War Needs Lord and The Monkey King 4.

[One Armed Boxer]

3 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

It looks like Cheang Pou-soi was meant to direct two films in 2021 that never came to fruition: SPL III: War Needs Lord and The Monkey King 4.

My take on it - 

SPL III: War Needs Lord - Never going to get made with the new security laws that have been introduced (I'd say its debatable if 'SPL II - A Time for Consequences' and 'Paradox' would be able to be made in 2021).

Monkey King 4 - One of the big budget fantasies that was being discussed around the time Fan Bingbing's 'Yin-Yang Contract' scandal came out, and saw all of the Chinese studios scrambling to ensure their finances would hold up to an audit by the authorities. This led to the sudden absence of the mega budget fantasy blockbusters that China had been cranking out in the years prior, but recently they seem to have been making a comeback.  The momentum that the Aaron Kwok-starring sequels had built up though has now dissipated, so it's debatable if audience interest is still there.