Bullet Points: The Fatal Raid

Well Go USA continues to release action movies from across the globe. On August 24th the tradition continues with the Hong Kong action flick, The Fatal Raid arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. 

• The Plot: Twenty years ago a police tactical mission went horribly wrong in many ways. Now in present day, the survivors of the mission reunite back in Macao. Will history repeat itself? The Fatal Raid stars Jade Leung, Patrick Tam, Min-Chen Lin, Jeana Ho, Michael Tong and Kristy Yeung. The Fatal Raid is directed by Jacky Lee.
• Girls with Guns: When I think of the “Girls with Guns” action sub-genre, I instantly think of the movies directed by Andy Sidaris. Hot babes. Hot action. Big guns! The genre is a “little bit” different in Hong Kong movies. Yes, the ladies are beautiful and badass, but they don’t undress like they would in a Sidaris flick. They will use big guns, but they probably do not use remote control exploding toy cars to kill bad guys… From the Blu-ray box art you would think The Fatal Raid is a sexy and seductive action movie. Yes, you have beautiful women using big guns to kick ass. You also have the ladies kicking and throwing haymakers like pros, and the top-billed star is Jade Leung, an actress known for her work in “Girls with Guns” movies.  However, The Fatal Raid is way more Heroic Bloodshed than anything else, and the main focus of the film is not any of the ladies, but Patrick Tam’s cop character. His arc has way more substance than anything else in the film. 

• The Action: The action is fast and furious in The Fatal Raid. There are ample amounts of bullets flying everywhere. The gunfights might remind you of a Johnnie To movie where you have so many bullets flying in every direction, that the bullets don’t have time to hit their intended marks. The fistfights are very well choreographed. The actors appear like they know what they are doing. A big thumbs up to the practical gun effects. I wish all action movies were this practical.  
• The Elephant in the Room: The subtitles in The Fatal Raid need some work. They move too fast at times and the English translation is as broken as broken glass. Translation confusion is very possible if you watch. The Blu-ray does feature an English language dub, and as much as I am not a fan of non-anime dubs, you might be better off watching the dub if you care about the plot that goes with the action. If The Fatal Raid streams on Hi-YAH!, may I suggest both versions are available to watch? 

• Final Thoughts: Far from perfect, but action fans should enjoy the action in The Fatal Raid. Just make sure you know exactly what kind of movie you are about to watch.
• Grade: B-