“Hunt the Wicked” Streaming Poster
Director: Suiqiang Huo
Cast: Xie Miao, Andy On, Andrew Lien, Shuang Hong, Sara Aliu, Jing Gu, Rui Han, Jane Wu
Running Time: 102 min.
By Paul Bramhall
The challenge of getting noticed in the Chinese web movie world of giant creature features, ropey sci-fi flicks, and kung-fu throwbacks is a real one, however in the 2020’s Xia Miao has arguably risen to the top of the latter. Titles like Eye for an Eye (and its sequel!), Fight Against Evil (and its sequel!), and multiple turns playing iconic characters like Sun Wukong have seen him keep consistently busy. So much so that he’s already made close to double the number of movies in the 2020’s than his entire filmography of the 2010’s. It’s telling of just how popular the action genre has become in the world of Chinese streaming that it’s fair to say Miao even has some competition – notably Fan Siu Wong (arguably the pioneer when it comes to HK kung-fu alumni turning to Chinese steaming content) and Ashton Chen (who, like Miao, was also a child star).
Hunt the Wicked is the latest dose of web movie action to star Miao (and I say that tentatively, since these productions come out so quickly that, by the time this review is published, there may already be another one), and in it he’s given co-star status alongside Andy On. An actor who’s similarly tapped into the action genre safe haven that platforms like iQIYI provide for HK action stalwarts, On is a rare case of a performer who continues to find success both on the big screen and in the world of streaming. Balancing roles in big budget productions like 100 Yards and Ride On alongside headlining streaming titles like Blind War and The Grey Men, it’s the latter that allows for 2 of Hong Kong action cinema’s most recognisable faces to share the screen together.
The plot involves Miao’s cop on the trail a drug manufacturing gang who are making a dangerous new drug called “spider ice”. While the higher ups are keen to paint a picture of the drug being made overseas and imported, Miao suspects it’s being manufactured closer to home, and all indications point to a sashimi loving criminal played by Andy On. Such is his love of sashimi, that his weapon of choice is a sashimi knife that he keeps on a rope, so when he’s not using it to feed himself slices of raw salmon, he uses it like a rope dart. There’s an idea for a franchise in there somewhere, in which the villain uses a utensil associated with their favorite food as their weapon of choice – pizza slicers, ice-cream scoops, crab crackers – the possibilities are endless.
In any case, crab crackers would be off the menu for Hunt the Wicked, since it’s explained that in the city the story unfolds in “no one’s eating the shrimp and fish because of the outdated sewage system.” Wait, doesn’t Andy On spend all of his time eating sashimi? Yes, but this is a web movie, you shouldn’t be paying that much attention! It’s also the city that makes for another of Hunt the Wicked’s curiosities, one that I always find to offer up some low-level intrigue. In short web movies can get away with much more than mainstream productions in the Chinese film industry, where any movie is subject to passing a strict censorship board before its approved for screening. Elements like bad guys who aren’t completely bad, and good guys who aren’t completely good, are strictly off the table, however web movies have seemingly found a loophole in the system.
Usually setting themselves in a fictional country, to see what they’ve come up with has become half the fun of watching them. Here it’s Wusuli, and it contains of all the expected oddness from a city found in these type of movies – everyone speaks in either Chinese or horrendously dubbed English, all signage and documentation is written in English, and there are references to other strangely named cities like Manula (presumably the same Manula mentioned in Blind War!). The result of course, is that when Miao’s suspicions prove to be correct and the drugs turn out to be made locally, it’s ok – because Wusuli isn’t China, a country where an activity like drug manufacturing could never happen! My favourite bizarre “only in a Chinese web movie” moment occurred though when one of Miao’s colleagues invites him to a movie, and upon presenting the ticket it turns out to be for 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn!
Directed by Huo Suiqiang, Hunt the Wicked marks the 3rd time for him to collaborate with Andy On, having first come together on 2022’s Blind War, and then again on 2023’s The Comeback (and with a 4th in the pipeline in the form of The Sixth Robber). Having made his directorial debut in 2017 with Twin Detective Suiqiang is already a veteran of the web movie scene with 14 titles under his belt, and when it comes to his collaborations with On it’s Long Zhao who’s become his action choreographer of choice. According to English language sources, the 3 collaborations between Suiqiang and On (along with the Yuen Qiu and Philip Ng starring Second Life from 2024, which was also directed by Suiqiang) are all the credits to Zhao’s name, however despite being a relative newcomer the action still delivers for the most part.
An early fight between Miao and On (which is really their only fight – worth mentioning to manage expectations of those waiting for a Miao versus On finale) is a highlight, with Miao wielding a sledgehammer attached to a chain up against On’s sashimi knife on a rope. There’s some welcome creativity in the choreography, with the CGI assistance given to the sledgehammer successfully conveying its impact. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for when there’s any exchange that becomes open handed, which is usually my favorite type of onscreen combat. The issue isn’t so much in the choreography itself, more so that it’s painfully obvious there isn’t much power behind the hits, and while this can often be compensated for by cranking up the sound effects, here Suiqiang has opted for the ‘soft’ sound design, which only exasperates the issue.
Thankfully most of the action is either done with weapons or relies on the good old car chase. A brief fight that sees Miao facing off against a group of electric trident wielding attackers reminded me of a similar scene from 1997’s Drive, which saw Mark Dacascos facing off against a similar group, just swap out the electric tridents for electric cattle prods. Similarly a raid that sees Miao and On teamed up against a small army of attackers is also effectively done, even though there are a few too many Shaw Brothers-esque moments, where lackeys are left busying themselves in the background by waving their weapon back and forth rather than actually attacking.
There is one fight that’s criminally mistreated, with Miao fending off an attacker while trying to save an injured colleague, which he does by telling his colleague to recite the team’s favorite meals so that they don’t lose consciousness. Watching a fight scene set to a soundtrack of a weak voice saying stuff like “spaghetti bolognese, beef curry, duck leg with rice….” in the background didn’t quite hit the intended dramatic note it was probably intended to, instead coming across as unintentionally amusing.
Overall though for anyone craving a simple and undemanding action fix, Hunt the Wicked should temporarily scratch the itch. For true web movie aficionados Suiqiang even throws in a cheeky nod to On’s character in Blind War, when he visits a police station where Miao is being held by pretending to be his blind lawyer. While not quite on the same level as the Xie Miao starring Eye for an Eye series, or web-movie action filmmaker extraordinaire Qin Ping Fei, there’s enough fists, feet, bullets, and car crashes to keep any fan of action cinema entertained. For everyone else, the question of if the residents of Wusuli will ever go back to eating the cities shrimp and fish should be one that keeps them watching to the end.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10
