Review: This is an effective HK actioner held back from greatness by its emotional baggage. Despite starting off at a cracking pace and boasting some solid action scenes courtesy of Jet’s frequent action choreographer Corey Yuen, this film slows down for a torturous middle third which seems only to exist to give Anita Mui a chance to emote, sob, gurn and dribble her way through some painfully overplayed melodrama.

The problem is, at times My Father Is A Hero takes itself too seriously, and far too much time is spent dwelling on the ailing health of Jet Li’s wife. This is supposed to be a heart-wrenching tragic element to the story, but only slows things down. She starts off with nothing more than a cough, but for some reason Kung Ku thinks that ant soup is the cure and keeps forcing the stuff down her neck every night. There’s no wonder her condition gets worse. Try Benelin, woman!

Aside from all the crying, there is plenty to enjoy. Tze Mui in particular is a revelation, and can also be seen alongside Jet Li in ‘New Legend of Shaolin’. No annoying child actors here, this kid rocks. He’s an angry little bastard who comes across as a Kung Fu Eric Cartman, especially in the playground fight which could easily be stretched to a movie in its own right. At one point, Jet Li ties a bit of rope around the porky puncher and swings him around, using him as a weapon!

The fights are well choreographed, with some use of wires used to enhance them a little (albeit with mixed results), and the suspense scenes also work well. One scene in particular is edge of your seat stuff, if a little harrowing, as Mui’s character is kidnapped and his head brutally pushed through a glass table.