Opening with a barnstorming scene of fight action straight out of a 90s Hong Kong flick, it’s soon revealed we are in fact in the 90s on the set of renowned action choreographer Sam Li’s latest film. Known for pushing his stuntmen to their absolute limits he does so here, seriously injuring one in the process. Flash forward to present day and Sam (now played by real-life renowned action choreographer Stephen Tung-Wai) has since left the movie business due to said on-set accident and is living a lonely life running a little medical clinic. Estranged from his about-to-be-married daughter, fortune favours Sam when a movie director friend offers him the chance to be the action choreographer on his final feature film. Bringing along eager to be a stuntman Lung (Terrance Lau), Sam’s fierce nature soon rears his ugly head again, as he clashes with the film’s star (Philip Ng), strains his already fraught relationship with his daughter even further, and begins to derail his comeback before it’s even started.

A fantastic mix of drama and action, ‘Stuntman’ is at once an ode to the action giants of yesteryear and how the modern movie-making world has changed drastically since their heyday, and a touching family drama about redemption. Directors Albert and Herbert Leung craft a classy drama that while tugs at the mawkish heartstrings on occasion never descends into melodrama as Sam battles himself and those around him. Sam is not always the easiest character to like but Tung-Wai is incredible as the combative stunt specialist: a man so indebted to the old (and dangerous) ways of making Hong Kong action films he’s pushed all those around him away. His journey, as he takes on making a movie the modern way, is not an easy one and every time we think Sam is making headway his bullish nature rears and begins to cost him everything once again.

Tung-Wai’s performance is the heart of the film and while we may not always like Sam, Tung-Wai does infuse him with enough good nature that we want to see him succeed. The film is also a fascinating look at the way action films are now made in Hong Kong with safety now the main priority. It’s a great coup that Tung-Wai (himself acting here for the first time in a while) is from the old school approach to making Hong Kong action films (having been involved in everything from ‘A Better Tomorrow’ to ‘Twin Dragons’ to ‘Hero’) deftly portraying a man stuck in the past while trying to put his mark on a modern film. There’s also great support from Terrance Lau (‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’) as the ever-enthusiastic stunt wannabe (his I Love Stunts t-shirt is class!) and Philip Ng (‘Birth of a Dragon’) as the likeable cool movie star.

The flick perhaps hits one too many highs and lows of Sam becoming a better person only to throw it all away as proceedings become a little repetitive, and patience for Sam is pushed to breaking point. However, the filmmakers never take the easy route as Sam is a difficult human being and the directors Leung really do manage a great balance between the human drama and the insight into making action movies. They even give us the classic style end credits of behind the scenes showing this film’s stuntmen performing the action.