Simply put, the legal system in Donnie Yen’s The Prosecutor is not a fair one. After we see a guilty man go free on a technicality, the audience, like Yen’s character, Fok Zi Hou, knows that changes need to be made. Yes, this is a martial arts movie but it is also a courtroom drama that shows how the legal system favors those in power and not the people that need it. In The Prosecutor, which is inspired by a true story, we see how the system fails Ma Ka-kit (Mason Fung) and how Fok tries to correct it.
Looking for a way to help out his grandfather (Lau Kong), Ma rents out his address to receive packages for his employer. Unbeknownst to Ma, the packages contain illegal drugs which leads him to be arrested. Ma and his grandfather can not afford lawyers to represent them and rely on Li Sze-man (Shirley Chan) and Au Pak-man (Julian Cheung) for their representation. They are told that a plea deal would be the best option for Ma and it turns out that it is not.
After serving on the police force and witnessing the injustices, Fok retires from the force to become a prosecutor. He feels that he can do more being part of the legal system and quickly learns that things are not what they seem. It is interesting to see the court drama that plays out with Fok and his associate, Bao Ding (Kent Cheng). He is shown the proper way to carry himself in the courtroom and who is in charge. In his first case, he sees the errors and tries to assist the defendant. This does not go well with his office and causes a series of events that show the corruption in the legal system.
Yes, The Prosecutor is a courtroom drama but does have some incredible action sequences. From the opening of the movie, we see the style that Donnie Yen is going for with the action scenes. From switching camera angles, going in close to the fights, and even using drones, the fight scenes are amazing! I will say that the fight on the train and the club rooftop are pretty amazing and the fight choreography is over the top.
The courtroom scenes feel a little rushed at times. Within these scenes, we see how Fok’s character slowly unravels who the real villains are. Fok is shown to be an asset to the legal system since he was a police officer and now a prosecutor. Using his skills he can see things objectively and help Ma and his grandfather.
Final Thoughts: The Prosecutor is a courtroom drama mixed with a martial arts action movie. Unlike another courtroom drama that came out last year, The Prosecutor makes you care for the characters and is inspired by a true story. Donnie Yen does a fantastic job of keeping the story moving and using innovative camera techniques to highlight the action sequences.
Kid-Friendly: The theme of being taken advantage of by those in power makes for great conversation. There is drug use in the movie that is alluded to and never directly shown. The movie is subtitled and the translation might move a little fast for younger readers.
Violence: Multiple action sequences in the movie are pretty intense. Yen uses multiple cameras to pull the viewer into the action as much as possible.
A young man is charged with drug trafficking. He pleads guilty under undue influence from his defense lawyer, in exchange for a reduced sentence. Hard-edged former cop Fok (Donnie Yen) is the unconventional prosecutor assigned to the case. He becomes convinced that the conviction is unusual and decides to conduct his own investigation. Fok is forced to risk his own life and career to uncover the truth and bring the real villains to justice.