Black Mask (1996 film)

Did You Know?

• The film was followed by a 2002 sequel, Black Mask 2: City of Masks, starring Andy On and directed by Tsui Hark.
• Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called it 'long on flying bodies, bullets and blood and short on credibility'.
• Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote that the film is 'an exciting, lightning-fast introduction to one of Hong Kong's biggest and most charismatic stars.'

Plot

Tsui Chik, also called Simon in the American version, works as a librarian while hiding his past as a test subject of a secret supersoldier project and instructor of the 701 commando unit. After a 701 agent kills policemen in a rage, the government aborts the project and orders the subjects eliminated. Tsui Chik helps the surviving agents escape, then goes his own way to Hong Kong. Later he discovers the former team is committing violent crimes beyond police capability. Donning a mask and hat as the Black Mask, he sets out to stop them. Having lost the ability to feel pain from military surgery, he and his former team are nearly invulnerable.

Release

Black Mask was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 9 November 1996, grossing HK$13,286,788. In May 1999, Artisan Entertainment released a re-edited version in the United States, which grossed US$4,449,692 in its opening weekend and US$12,504,289 total. Lionsgate Home Entertainment released a Blu-ray version in the United States on 2 September 2008.

Alternate versions

The film exists in multiple versions: Hong Kong (Cantonese), Taiwanese (Mandarin), English export, United Kingdom (BMG), and United States (Artisan). The original Mei Ah Cantonese DVD is cut for gore, but the remastered DVD restores a blood-spurting scene. The French DVD has the Hong Kong version without English subtitles. Both Hong Kong and Taiwanese releases keep the green tint. The Artisan version replaces the original soundtrack with a new Hip Hop score and trims non-action scenes, yet includes some non-violent footage absent elsewhere: Tsui Chik looking for Inspector Shek, shots of Black Mask's hide-out, and Inspector Shek advising Yeuk Lan to seek Tsui Chik.