Jet Li (“Black Mask”, “Hero”) stars in “Hitman” (also known as “Contract Killer”), an action film that combines thrilling martial arts, energetic gunfights, a somewhat interesting plot and a dose of comedy. It’s a good film but the tone seems to shift quite a lot throughout the movie and I wish the action was more spread it out.

When a Japanese businessman is murdered by the ‘King of Killers’, hitmen are assembled to kill the culprit and earn themselves a fortune. Conman Ngok Lo (Eric Tsang “Infernal Affairs”) and novice hitman Fu (Li) band together to net themselves the reward. However, things get very complicated and it becomes clear that some competitors are not playing fair.

Jet Li is of course a terrific martial artist and he is very likeable as Fu. At times, the film seems reminiscent of a Jackie Chan (“Rush Hour”) film with Li having to show that he can be funny. Li’s moves are flawless, I just wish he got to do some more of them. Eric Tsang is good as Ngok Lo. Some of the comedy involving the two main characters is surprisingly good. Simon Yam (“Ip Man”) is fine as Officer Chan Kwan. The villains in the movie are good.

While it is not Li’s best work, I enjoyed “Hitman”. Some of the fight scenes are fairly creative and I like how one of the villains utilises lights on rings to blind Li’s character. The gun battles are impressive and the finale is quite explosive. Some may dislike the comedy in the film given that Li tends not to have as much humour in his films as some action stars but I think a lot of it actually works quite well. If you want a Hong Kong action flick that is going to pack a punch, “Hitman” is a good choice.