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Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Fox Hunt Review: Tony Leung's financial fraudster takes on Chinese police in Europe
Fox Hunt (NC16) 106 minutes, opens on May 8 ★★★☆☆ The story: Financial fraudster Dai Yichen (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) has swindled the life savings of many across China, yet lives the high life in Europe, having cultivated powerful friends who shield him from justice. To nab the wily Dai, China sends the Fox Hunt Team, its cross-border commercial crimes specialists. Detective Ye Jun (Duan Yihong) leads the group as they comb France, with the help of French law enforcement officials. Their mission: to apprehend Dai and recover assets that will ease the suffering of the working-class folk taken in by his schemes. The screenplay is based on a true crime story. As with most Chinese police thrillers, the patriotic messaging is everywhere here, in ways that are both subtle and unsubtle. A Chinese flag fills the screen towards the end of the story, for example, telling viewers that the Chinese police will always protect the people. Mind you, pro-police and pro-military propaganda is baked into nearly every Hollywood thriller involving cops, Navy Seals and jet fighters, so this more overt method could be said to be less deceptive – it is the equivalent of a YouTube full disclosure stating that the video is sponsored. It also suffers from the usual trope seen in films from China, which tend to depict the police as one-dimensional paragons of virtue. On the other hand, it avoids an even worse screenwriting sin, which is to make the criminals so thuggish and brutal, they seem almost bestial. Aside from that, the rest of Fox Hunt is fairly decent, with a good balance of international financial intrigue and action. The plot also keeps the action grounded in reality, with neither the villain nor the good guys possessing convenient hacking skills. Dai and Ye are depicted as sworn enemies, each being familiar with the other and bearing a mutual grudge. They are, of course, opposites in character. Ye is down-to-earth and selfless, while the fraudster is a sophisticate with a penchant for throwing luxurious garden parties at his French mansion. Director Leo Zhang (Bleeding Steel, 2017) is fully aware that one cannot make a movie about a high-living swindler without spending on locations, wardrobe and expensive vehicles, which this movie showcases admirably as the action moves from the fine apartments in Paris to the millionaire ghettos in the south of the country. The story delves into the mechanics of cross-border cooperation as it follows the Chinese cops doing their jobs under the watchful eye of their hosts, the French police. That detail is a nice touch and handled well, delivering the right amount of information that explains the delicate politics of such investigations. Leung is in fine, smirky form as the urbane criminal embedded within French high society, a class of people who serves to validate and protect him. Fox Hunt makes it clear that they are to be despised, a message that it reinforces with the way that it celebrates the cops, both Chinese and French, who devote themselves to their duties. Class, not ethnicity, unites people across the East and West, a fact underpinned by the juxtaposition of scenes that contrast Dai's easy living with the people whose lives were destroyed by his actions. While Dai is far from antiheroic – he is without argument a scumbag in an expensive suit – Leung's understated manner makes him watchable onscreen, far more so than if he had been portrayed by a less restrained actor. Hot take: Despite its overt nationalism, Fox Hunt delivers a decent balance of cross-border intrigue and action. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Digital Trends
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
3 sci-fi movies on Peacock you need to watch in May 2025
Table of Contents Table of Contents Turbo Kid (2015) Bleeding Steel (2017) Judge Dredd (1995) This month, go back a decade to check out some great 2010s sci-fi movies, now available to stream. There's a Sylvester Stallone flick that might not be counted among his best, but it's corny-good fun if you're in the mood for that. These three sci-fi movies on Peacock to watch in May 2025 are dark, ominous, and thrilling. Two of them, in fact, depict a post-apocalyptic world, one from the past and another from well into the future. Recommended Videos Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Turbo Kid (2015) Combining post-apocalyptic drama with superheroes and sci-fi, Turbo Kid has it all. The 1997-set film follows The Kid (Munro Chambers), a comic book fan navigating an alternate post-apocalyptic world known as The Wasteland, which is ruled by the evil overlord Zeus (Michael Ironside). He meets Apple (Laurence Leboeuf), a quirky and aggressive young woman who he eventually befriends and develops a crush on. Finding the remains of a character from his favorite comic book, the Kid becomes a superhero himself and sets out to save his crush when she is kidnapped. The story in Turbo Kid shares similarities with others, like the series Fallout, making it a great next watch after you binge that series. Earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, Turbo Kid is nostalgic fun. Stream Turbo Kid on Peacock. Bleeding Steel (2017) If you love Jackie Chan, you'll want to watch Bleeding Steel. The sci-fi cyberpunk action movie didn't perform well at the box office, but if you want never-ending action and cool fight sequences, it will hit the spot. The story follows Special Agent Lin Dong (Chan), who sets out to save Dr. James (Kym Gyngell), an important witness whose life is in danger. The plot thickens from there as the story travels to 13 years in the future, where Dong learns a truth about his ill daughter. Bleeding Steel might not be Chan's best movie, but if you're a fan of his work, it's worth adding another one of his films to your watch list. He'll next appear in Karate Kid: Legends opposite Ralph Macchio. Stream Bleeding Steel on Peacock. Judge Dredd (1995) Head two decades into the past with Judge Dredd, the Sylvester Stallone sci-fi action movie that is admittedly considered one of the actor's worst movies. However, isn't it nice to curl up and watch something corny and fun? Set in 2139, Earth has become a deadly wasteland, and Judges rule in every way, acting as police, jury, and executioner. Judge Joseph Dredd (Stallone) is one of the most feared, and he is tasked with stopping a war in Mega-City One. There are some cool visual effects for its time, including animatronics, hydraulics-powered effects, and impressive prosthetic makeup. A delicate balance between action movie and parody, Judge Dredd was remade in 2012 with Dredd, which has since attracted a cult following and reinvigorated interest in the original. Stream Judge Dredd on Peacock.
