Bai An (Tony Jaa, Ong-Bak, Triple Threat, The Protector, Furious 7, The Expendables 4, ​Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy) is driving thorough Jiati with his family when his vehicle is smashed, and his wife and daughter are executed right in front of his eyes. The local news is reporting him as the main suspect for the shooting, turning him into a fugitive. Bai is now out for revenge, determined to kill those responsible for killing his family. He believes that businessman He Yinghao (Philip Keung, Shock Wave) is the one who ultimately ordered the hit, and so he starts making his way through the various levels of the local drug cartel, taking down bosses and foootmen with his Muay Thai skills, as he searches for answers. However, his quest for vengeance takes a turn when he witnesses an attempt to kidnap Chairman He’s daughter, He Ting (Chen Duo-Yi, Story Machine). He sees his own daughter in this young girl and steps in to help her. He Ting hasn’t had the best relationship with her father since her mother died years earlier, and she doesn’t know who was responsible for her kidnapping attempt, or who she can trust—even her stepmother Lu Ping (Peng Bo) and longtime bodyguard Wu Zheng (Hong Jun Jia, The Grey Men) could have had something to do with it. The only person she can trust is Bai, who becomes her protector, at least until he finds her father.

Striking Rescue is directed by Cheng Si-Yu (Desperado aka Thug in a Suit, The Paper Man Returns), and wastes no time immediately immersing the viewer in the non-stop action. We quickly discover that Bai An is no normal man, and possesses some really impressive fighting skills. His backstory, what exactly happened to his wife and daughter, and why is slowly revealed over the course of the film via flashbacks. Tony Jaa delivers an emotional and action-packed performance, as Bai takes on a seemingly-endless array of soldiers and crime bosses trying to kill him. Bai is seemingly-indestructible. He is able to clear out a room of attackers in second, and isn’t even phased as dozens of men with swords rapidly make their way towards him. The choreography is excellent with a wide array of kicks, punches, high-flying leaps, and all sorts of weapons. Once the action starts, it never seems to stop. Over the course of the film we see Bai face off with hordes of generic soldiers as well as over-the-top and sometimes campy crime bosses. One of the highlights is definitely the psychotic double axe wielding henchwoman (Wang Chenxin) who is dead-set on killing Bai. The film does a nice job of making these various crime lords a viable threat as they prove they are willing to execute anyone, including women and children, to get what they want.

At the same time, there is also a bit of heart to the film, with Bai grieving over the loss of his wife and daughter, and turning to saving Ting as a way to make up for not being able to save his own daughter. There’s a fun and sweet dynamic between these two characters, which begins with a Schwarzenegger-like “Follow me or die here”. Overall, I found the film to be quite entertaining, with some fun twists and turns, and over-the-top action and villains. Bai constantly finds himself completely outnumbered but continues his fight, despite sustaining some pretty bad wounds at times. There’s definitely some suspension of disbelief required at times, but once the action starts, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush until the end. The action sequences generally look great and are well choreographed, though for one scene when Bai is attacked by dozens of men in a hallway, the (likely) rubber swords seemed to bend ever-so-slightly.

Well Go USA has released Striking Rescue on Digital, and it will be on Blu-ray & DVD May 13. We were sent the Blu-ray version for review, which looks and sounds amazing. The picture looks crisp and clean, with a solid level of detail. There was only one moment when someone shoots off a rocket that I noticed a bit of pixelation. The film is offered in its original Mandarin audio (though there is some English spoken at times). Dialogue is clear and the English subtitles are well written. The surround sound is also well-utilized to provide a more immersive feel to the action sequences.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release does not include any bonus material besides the usual trailer and previews. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a glossy, embossed slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:50:48)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Mandarin Stereo
• Subtitles: English, French

Extras:

• Trailer (1:8)
• Previews
  • Eye For An Eye 2: Blind Vengeance (1:45)
  • Panda Plan (1:31)
  • 100 Yards (1:28)

Final Thoughts:

Striking Rescue is an entertaining revenge film that kicks off the non-stop action from the moment it begins. The film really showcases Tony Jaa’s fighting skills as his character takes on crime bosses and hordes of henchmen as he searches for justice for his murdered family. At the same time, the film also has a bit of heart as Jaa’s character finds himself trying to protect the daughter of the man he is hunting down. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great but doesn’t include any bonus material. That said, it still comes recommended based on the quality of the film itself.