The Brink

Director- Jonathan Li

Cast- Max Zhang, Shawn Yue, Yue Wu

Country of Origin- Hong Kong/China

Distributor - Well Go

Number of discs –  2

Reviewed by - Tyler Miller

Date- 08/26/2019

THE BRINK (2017) is the directorial debut of Jonathan Li, who already shows purpose as one of the most exciting action films in years. He cut his teeth working as an assistant director on various films including DOG BITE DOG (2006), INFERNAL AFFAIRS 3 (2003), and OVERHEARD 3 (2014), with that experience under his belt he has crafted a hell of a spectacle with plenty of human emotion.

The story revolves around a cop named Sai Gau (Max Zhang) who has been released from prison after killing a suspect in a black market crime ring. He is now facing backlash from the police force and the media. To fix some of his crimes he adopted the teenage daughter of the man he killed (Cecilia So) and is now hunting for a head member of a gold smuggling crew, named Shing (Shawn Yue). As Sai gets closer to Shing, the stakes are getting higher and the body count adding up.

THE BRINK is boiling over with all the trademarks of an action classic. With this first film, Jonathan Li has already proven he can stand out in a climate of mediocre action thrillers. He has a surehand in mixing high tension action with visual spectacle and emotional depth.

The story is your basic journey for redemption, with the not so good heroes, and not completely evil villains. Everyone is shown to be taken over by fits of rage or the lust for gold. The character of Sai even finds himself being just an agent of obsession to solve the case by any means necessary. Shing by contrast is a shell of a man who is so lost in the code of honor, that he can’t even keep a relationship. Crafted around these characters, is some fast and intense action set pieces that are both wildly inventive and rough. Picture a mix of the style of Micheal Mann with some Jackie Chan and Takashi Miike.

The cinematography by Kenny Tse is filled with nods to the sea and the use of water. This is all building to a typhoon in the third act, which is a show stopping set piece in itself. Never feeling cheesy or too over blown. Every scene is spilling over with the calm of the deep end of an ocean with sizzling grit on top. Water can be seen everywhere from the docks, the dirty fish market and even in some of the scenes with dry ice bombs. Hong Kong is bathed in neon reaching Mario Bava levels of alien color, with blinding yellows and sharp blues.

Max Zhang (MASTER Z: IP MAN LEGACY) shows an impressive range as a leading man. After being in supporting roles, He is rightfully rising as a leading man. He has a natural charisma to his roles. His characters are human and yet he is able to show a superhero strength and speed in his fight scenes. The rest of the cast is balanced with some great performances. Shawn Yue (INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2) makes a complex villain in Singh who looks like an impressive double for aquaman. Wu Yue (Wilson Yip’s PARADOX) is likeable yet distant as the ex-partner with a gambling problem. Gordan Lam (TRIVISA) steals every scene he is in as Sai’s boss, with his comic timing and intense range. And Yasuaki Kurata (HEROES OF THE EAST, Etsuko Shihomi starring vehicle DRAGON PRINCESS) is sinister as ever as the crime boss with the hidden gold.

The Well Go USA Blu-ray is a handsome package with a razor sharp 1080p HD picture. The colors pop and the focus is spot on. There is no digital noise or motion blur. There are two Cantonese audio options. The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is near perfect and is a delight on my home theater system. The score is well defined with no sudden drop off in volume. The 2.0 Stereo mix is softer with less bam in the action sound effects. English Subtitles are included. Extras are limited to a making of featurette and a trailer gallery for other Well Go USA releases.

THE BRINK is one of the most visually impressive action films to come out of Hong Kong in some time. Hopefully this leads to a strong career for Jonathan Li and Max Zhang. Well Go USA gives the film a great looking release to has found a welcome home in my collection. Highly Recommended.