Why so much hype?

Very well executed

Simply A Masterpiece

good back-story, and good acting

Tsui Chik/Simon, a quiet librarian, is actually an ex-Special Forces super soldier. He is friends with Inspector Shek Wai-ho/Rock, a detective with Hong Kong Police, with whom Tsui Chik frequently shares conversation over chess. Tsui Chik learns his old commando unit, called 701, is still active, murdering gangsters and police in a grasp for power. Tsui Chik dons a black domino mask and bowler hat like Bruce Lee's Kato from The Green Hornet, becoming a masked vigilante to stop his old unit, inadvertently coming into conflict Shek Wai-ho/Rock and the police.Black Mask isn't something you watch for the story, there's a minimum of it. There's just enough to let you know who the good guys and the bad guys are. There's also a tiny amount of romantic subplot thrown with a co-worker and a former squad member of Tsui Chik's introduced to give him a more personal reason to fight the good fight. Jet Li is at his best, his jaw-dropping on screen fights are like no one else, including the legendary Bruce Lee and contemporary peer Jackie Chan.

This is probably the movie that made Jet Li well known in the States. The mask obviously reminds you of "Kato" in Green Hornet, and that homage alone was enough to secure this as one of the classics of Hong Kong martial arts movies.A genetic experiment to create super soldiers is deemed a failure. All are ordered to be destroyed. One of them survives, and finds a peaceful life as a librarian until the old acquaintances shows up to finish their job.The production of this movie is not its good part. It reminds you of the dingy atmosphere of '70s Hong Kong movies. But the idea is brilliant, and casting little known Jet Li at the time for the lead was a spectacular success. He really is believable as genetically enhanced super soldier. Very young Karen Mok plays an unwitting hostage to Li, and adds sideline to the story.This genetically enhanced soldier scheme continued with other movies such as Huk Mau (Black Cat), which is in the same vain as this movie, with also "Black" as part of its title.With fantastic moves like this, who wouldn't be a star ! Jet Li became the premier super star from this point on, which still is on going.

There are so many things that make this flick worth watching:(1)an exciting script,with large doses of humor and extravagant irony,and also some violence (Tsui Hark is one of the co-authors of this script);(2)the excellent directing and the visual beauty;the photography is exquisite and unusually beautiful;the movie is thrilling and suspenseful,and the pace is very ably kept;the attack of the 701 Squad assassins on the hospital where the inspector "Rock" was guarding the last Hong Kong drug boss ("King Kau") is especially amazing;a quite unconventional treatment of some standard plot;(3)a first-class cast (Jet Li,Ching Wan Lau,Françoise Yip,Karen Mok,Kong Lung);Jet Li ,who has the opportunity to kick some jaws and show his agility and test his Agonistical aptitudes,does indeed give a touch of charming humanity and candor and honesty to many of his significant roles,and this is part of what makes them so endearing (a few days ago,I was telling somebody that I like every movie that Jet Li is in;Hak hap (1996) is no exception);(4)it has Tsui Hark as producer.The visual tastiness of this spectacular and glorious movie is delightful.Hak hap (1996) has a pleasing comic-strips quality,and fun in plenty.The film is fanciful,tonic,intelligent and masterfully done.It is smart stuff.No combat is aimless.The government patronizes a medical experiment that turns soldiers into killing machines:the 701 Squad.The Neurotomy makes them loose their human feelings,by destroying their nervous centers;so takes birth an elite Squad,"elite assassins",designed not to feel the pain and die fighting,headed by an abhorrent,cynical,abominable, smirking villain.A man of this 701 Squad,the Teacher, proves to be not as inhuman as his pals;he does not agree with a life of killings,and leaves the military,refusing to follow the Squad on such paths.Although he lost his feelings by that Neurotomy,he tries to get as human as possible and have a new-life,as a cute,peaceful and tolerant librarian,Tsui;it matches his pacifist convictions.He is considered a helpless man by those who meet him in this new existence of his;they couldn't think that Tsui has the abilities of a killing machine.In his new,non-violent life, he is friends with an inspector,"Rock",that protects him,as Tsui hides his powers and refuses to resort to violence.The Hong Kong's drug lords get killed one after another.The police gets involved;Tsui's pugnacious friend,"Rock",fights the band of killers (i.e.,the 701 Squad,who tries to take over the Asian drug market).Tsui teams up with Tracy,a girl who works at the library and which he rescues from the Squad murderers' hands.The show is a super-hero story with a rather SF premise (the Neurotomy).The Teacher meets a former comrade of his:the comely but cold-hearted Françoise Yip.While each scene is well-crafted,some are exquisitely done.Daniel Lee made a few flicks,one with Sammo Hung Kam-Bo,but Jet Li and Françoise Yip are the best artists he worked with.

I have no idea why this flick is getting such a bad rap by so many IMDb users (Some are saying it's his 'worst movie ever.' What?? Haven't any of you seen Cradle 2 The Grave?) My favorite criticism is that the plot is totally stupid, and just an excuse to hang all of the action sequences on. Duh! What the crap were you expecting from a Jet Li movie? Did you honestly believe that someone thought up the story, then just loaded it up with action? Of course not! Black Mask is awesome, wall-to-wall action throughout nearly it's entire running time. It's also deliciously gruesome, and we get plenty of severed limbs, decapitations, and creative ways of watching the bad guys (and quite a few innocent people, too!) get slaughtered. Most of Li's other martial arts films are nursery-school when compared to Black Mask; there is no holding back on the gratuitous violence, bloodshed, or action sequences whatsoever! And that made me a happy camper. Again: if you go into a Jet Li movie expecting magnificent dialog and an intriguing plot, you are going for the wrong reasons. Black Mask is probably my favorite of his movies (though, beware of the horrendous dubbing).