Ep. 31: SPL Kill Zone (2005)

Starting out by directing low budget horror and Category III exploitation films, Wilson Yip made a name for himself in '90s Hong Kong with breakout hits like Bio-Zombie, a Dawn of the Dead influenced zombie film taking place in a claustrophobic Hong Kong mall, and Bullets Over Summer, a buddy cop hangout film that earned him enough credibility to start directing for studios like Golden Harvest. In 2005, he teamed up with legendary martial artists Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung to produce Sha Po Lang - released overseas as SPL: Kill Zone. A thematic contemporary alongside the rest of 00s Hong Kong cinema, SPL is bleak and brutal, an uncompromising landscape of violence where everyone is ready to scrap and fight at a moment's notice and every character is laser focused on a revenge mission that leaves everyone around them bloodied, dead, or forgotten. Join Jack and Vaughn this week as they talk about Wilson Yip's career, Sammo Hung as a ruthless villain, Donnie Yen's blindingly fast martial arts, and whether or not this film stretches itself too thin on a flimsy narrative. Next week we’ll be back with Toyoo Ashida's legendary muscle fantasy anime Fist of the North Star. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet. Vaughn on Step Printed, Letterboxd and Twitter. Jack on The STACKS, Letterboxd, and Twitter. Looking for more shows? Check out Jack on The STACKS and Vaughn on I’m Thinking of Spoiling Things.