DVD Synopsis: In just 3 days, three cases of Smiling Murder shock Hong Kong. As he looks into the homicide, the young detective Wang Bu Er (Wen Zhang), the police station's reckless buffoon, makes a shocking statement that this is a serial murder. He and his buddy Huang Fei Hong (Jet Li) embarks on an investigation full of excitement and unexpected events. Huang may appear to be no less muddle-headed than Wang, but in reality, he is the real master of kung fu, and would, without fail,at the most crucial moments, help Wang get out of sticky situations. Wang initially believes that budding actress Liu Jin Shui (Liu Shishi) is the prime suspect, but later, she is found to be innocent. Next, he shifts his focus on her sister Dai Yiyi (Ada Liu), among others. Eventually, Wang decides to pose as Liu's boyfriend to lure out the murderer. The closer he gets to the truth, the greater the danger he is in... (98 Mins)

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Signature UK Blu-ray: When a spate of murders erupt across Hong Kong, two kick-ass martial-arts cops are assigned to the case. As the duo embark on their investigation, shocking and unexpected chaos escalates when the innocence of the prime suspect is revealed and the hunt for the serial killer turns personal. With the city plunged into fear, the detectives unveil their extraordinary fighting skills and play a deadly game to lure the killer out. (94 Mins)

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Views: With a spate of murders happening across the city that leaves every victim with a smile on their face, super-cops Wen Zhang and Jet Li set out to find who is behind them. Their only link is that all the victims were dating the same unfortunate girl, giving Zhang the idea (and chance) to date her in a bid to lure out the killer...

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Badges Of Fury sounds a lot more serious than it really is. The opening five minutes of the flick lets you know exactly what kind of film you are in for from its ridiculous death scenes to its nutty opening credits, not to mention the purposely dodgy CGI. The film yanks at its audience's legs like a classic Wong Jing version of a kung-fu Naked Gun movie. From the cute and hilarious Wen Zhang dressed in a kilt for a stake-out, to the legendary Jet Li poking fun at himself and his movies (with his character here named Huang Fei Hong for example) any fans and critics who have crushed this movie because of its misleading artwork, need to go back and have another go. The 10-minute mark gives us our first exciting bout of action, as the kilted Wen takes on the awesome Collin Chou with some crazy wire-fu during a roof-top party. The fight soon moves to a stairwell where (an extensively doubled) Jet Li takes over, leaping from floor to floor with some great moves and stunts that keep things exciting. As Li flies towards Chou with his leg extended for a final move, a door between them suddenly bursts open to reveal Zhang, in a cheeky (but welcoming) up-skirt shot as he whips out his gun – and at the same time, leaves poor Jet hanging in the frame as Chou escapes!

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While I can certainly see the flaws of director Wong Zi Ming's first feature, it's definitely not as bad as most people are making it out to be. I've seen worse from seasoned directors, and while it may seem insanely stupid, messy, and over-the-top at times, no one would have made the same remarks had this been a product of Hong Kong cinema's golden era. It would have been just another crazy Hong Kong movie that may have starred Chow Sing Chi and Sandra Ng respectively while exchanging Jet Li for Gordon Liu and most likely calling his character, San Te. The film is packed with so much outrageous and overly ambitious comic situations, scenes, and camera angles, it can only be best described as a live-action cartoon. And at the same time, maybe that's its problem?! For a first-time director, Badges Of Fury was a big project in terms of its execution and energy, proving to be an incredibly ambitious and innovative movie. Two first-time writers are joined by veteran Charcoal Cheung Tan (honestly), the very same man who penned classics such as Once Upon A Time In China 2 & 3, Iron Monkey, The Assassin, Wonder Seven, and The Sorcerer And The White Snake which starred Jet Li and Wen Zhang, in 2011. With having so many amazing films behind him, you would think that Badges Of Fury may have been a little bit better, but at the same time, it's clear that Charcoal has written this script in a relaxed state in knowing that it was something he didn't really have to take too seriously. I must also point out, that it's obvious that he took inspiration from his aforementioned titles in regards to the action scenes here, bringing the fantastical wire-fu style of combat into a modern-day setting.

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Apart from impressing with an incredible cast (alongside its main stars) with names such as Cecilia Liu, Wu Jing, Stephen Fung, Leung Kar Yan, Michael Yse, Alex Fong, Joe Cheung, Bruce Leung, Josie Ho, Fong Hak On, Lam Tze Chung, and Lam Suet to name-but-a-few, Badges Of Fury benefits from having the legendary Corey Yuen Kwai behind the action. With no shortage of fights, Yuen finds inspiration from his OTT wire-work in Romeo Must Die, blending it with more grounded works that provide some nice moments and crazy moves. And while his style may not appeal to everyone, it definitely works for the insane cartoon approach of the film and offers a lot of fun. Aside from the aforementioned opening fight scene, there are many highlights throughout including a great fight between Jet Li and Wu Jing in an apartment, with Zhang trying to help only to get hit at every move. There's a very fun battle between Zhang and the wonderful Leung Kar Yan which I just loved (Leung Kar Yan should definitely be doing more like this), a crazy bicycle chase through Hong Kong, and a one-on-one garage fight between Zhang and Stephen Fung that packs a punch. It all leads to an epic-end-fight between Jet Li and the awesome Bruce Leung (aka Liang) who returns to form in a role that resembles his character from the epic Kung Fu Hustle, with Yuen Kwai paying homage to Jet's final battle of Once Upon A Time In China to some degree. It all proves to be highly entertaining!

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I say kudos to the director for delivering a pretty entertaining film. While far from perfect, Badges Of Fury is, a murder mystery all wrapped up in some plain-crazy-fun, with a host of great fight-action and a fantastic cast list. It's most definitely not like the artwork and promo materials that most distributors seem to be putting out there, and should not be taken seriously by any means. I'll not give away the ending, but I do recommend a watch for anyone who is a fan of classic Chow Sing Chi or Wong Jing comedies. The post-credit bloopers let you see just how much fun the cast and crew had during production, which sums everything up perfectly...

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*Just to note – the UK release from Signature is 4 minutes shorter than its original version, and while cut, doesn't take away too much from the viewing experience!

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Overall: Playing like a live-action cartoon, Badges Of Fury does have its flaws, but proves to be harmless fun and very entertaining at the same time!

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DVD Extras: Trailer, Making of Documentary

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Buy your copy HERE