Black Mask

A super-soldier programme is shut down, and one of its recruits, Tsui Chik, goes into hiding. He settles into a quiet routine as a librarian in Hong Kong and keeps close company with his friend Inspector Shek Wai-Ho. That calm is broken when a series of violent gangland killings points to Tsui's former comrades, surgically altered to feel no pain and now putting their abilities to use in the criminal underworld. With the police unable to stop them, Tsui takes the fight on himself, hiding his identity behind a black mask.

Black Mask is a 1996 Hong Kong action film directed by Daniel Lee, the first title in the directing career listed for him, followed by films including Moonlight Express, 14 Blades and Dragon Blade. Tsui Hark, Koan Hui and Teddy Chan wrote the screenplay, and Tsui Hark produced with Charles Heung. Jet Li leads as Tsui Chik and the masked vigilante he becomes, with Lau Ching-wan as Inspector Shek, Karen Mok as Tracy Lee, Françoise Yip as Yeuk Laan, Patrick Lung Kong as Commander Hung Guk and Anthony Wong as King Kau, among 38 credited cast members.

Made for a budget of about 8 million US dollars, it took roughly 60 million worldwide, a strong return for its cost. On IMDb it holds 6 out of 10 from around 13,000 votes and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from about 300, while a critics' rating of 5.3 out of 10 from 32 reviews sits below both audience scores.