Action star returns to 'fight' as film director, producer and lead actor

As one of the country's most famous action stars, Donnie Yen returns to the silver screen in his latest film The Prosecutor during the competitive New Year box-office season.

Yen not only stars in the film but also serves as its director and producer. The movie is based on a real-life case in Hong Kong, revolving around a young man wrongly sentenced to 27 years in prison for drug trafficking after being tricked into providing his home address to receive an unknown package.

The prosecutor and former police officer played by Yen begins to suspect discrepancies during the court proceedings, which lead him to embark on an investigation to uncover the truth, putting himself in jeopardy as he confronts a ruthless gang.

Featuring a stellar cast that includes Hong Kong actors Julian Cheung Chi-lam, Michael Hui Koon-man and Francis Ng Chun-yu, the movie marks Yen's latest collaboration with veteran filmmaker Raymond Wong Pak-ming, with whom he first worked on the 1985 action comedy Mismatched Couples.

At the movie's premiere in Beijing on Dec 15, Wong shared that his research revealed many fraud cases similar to the one depicted in the film, with over 1,000 reported cases annually.

While discussing the challenges of producing a film centered on court proceedings and action sequences, Wong mentioned, "I spent two months persuading Yen to come on board for the project."

Initially hesitant, Yen, the 61-year-old star who has played in over 80 movies over four decades, ultimately decided to lead and star in the film, aiming to break away from traditional action movie conventions.

He said he hopes the film will reignite audiences' appreciation for Hong Kong cinema, which has been criticized for lacking innovation and creativity in recent years.

The film will be released domestically on Dec 27.