HK action flick SPL2 ready for mainland release

Action star Wu Jing plays the lead role in SPL2, which claims to be a film of "real kung fu fighting". [Photo/China Daily]

SPL2, or Sha Po Lang 2, about a Hong Kong undercover policeman's fight against a gangster who traffics in human organs, will be released in theaters on the mainland on June 18, promising to delight aficionados of martial arts.

Hong Kong director Pou-soi Cheang, whose Journey to the West became the country's highest-grossing movie during last year's Spring Festival holiday, is behind this one, too.

"In every action scene you see, the real kung fu fighting skills are on display," says Cheang. "The actors could easily have been injured, but all are incredibly professional."

"It puts you on a bit of a high when you are watching the stars in a real fight. There are no special effects, and no stunt artists and no wires to fall back on," Cheang adds.

The wires Cheang was referring to are steel cables and pulleys that give the illusion that actors have imaginary acrobatic skills, including being able to fly, a staple of many Hong Kong action flicks.

SPL2 stars three veteran athletes-turned-actors. Wu Jing, who plays the lead role, started martial arts training when he was 6 and won Chinese national championships in boxing and fencing in 1994. The 41-year-old actor from Beijing transformed from a sports star to a celebrity after an acting stint in kung fu comedy Tai Chi Boxer (1996). More recently, he grabbed the headlines with the action-packed Wolf Warriors, his directoral debut. It performed well at the box office.