When you peruse the synopsis of "Paradox," your eyes may roll as the first thought to enter your mind is: not another human trafficking movie?! Wrong all of the way around! Nothing is routine about this dark-themed, high-octane, adrenalin-laced action thriller. "IP Man" trilogy director Wilson Yip's "Paradox," a polished police procedural, charts the efforts of tenacious Hong Kong Detective Lee Chung-Chi (Louis Koo of "League of Gods") after he arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, to search for his missing 16-year-old daughter Lee Wing-chi (Hanna Chan of "G Saat") who had gone to Pattaya, Thailand, to visit her friend Jenny. After Lee has been missing without a trace for several days, Jenny (newcomer Iris Lam) contacts Lee and lets him know about Lee's absence. Indeed, backstory chronicles the separation of headstrong father and rebellious daughter. As we later learn, Lee lost his wife during a traffic collision while his daughter was riding in the same vehicle. More recently, father and daughter had clashed when she told him about her pregnancy and then introduced her boyfriend as the father to her dad. In no time flat, the detective has the boyfriend/father arrested. Furious about this whirlwind turn of events, Lee Wing-chi flees to Thailand to distance herself from her dad.
Meantime, on the eve of his bid to announce his run for re-election, the Mayor Aziz of Bangkok suffers a heart attack and requires a new one. Although the plot is not as spontaneous as "Furie" (2019), with which critics have recently compared it, Yip has more on his mind with multiple plots that intersect by the third act. Thailand martial arts sensation Tony Jaa has a supporting role as the friend of lead cop on the investigation, Inspector Chui Kit. Predictably, the first half-hour of this 97-minute actioneer with lots of martial arts mayhem sets up the complications surrounding the daughter's disappearance and then Lee Chung-Chi turns the city upside down as he plunges into the depths of the underworld with Inspector Kit shadowing him, until his own pregnant wife starts to bleed, fears that she may lose her baby, and goes to the hospital. Detective Lee Chung-Chi is indefatigable in his efforts to locate his daughter. Inspector Kit finds himself knee-deep in corruption, too. Legendary martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung staged the incredible action scenes. He mixes up mix of authentic Muay Thai talents, spectacular acrobatics, and razor-sharp meat cleaver and machete brawls that will keep you'll be flinching. These invigorating fights make John Wick look like a pussy. Writers Nick Cheuk ("Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight") and Lai-Yin Leung ("Kill Zone 2", "Ip Man 3") do an excellent job of setting the plot up and paying it off. Nevertheless, the final quarter hour teems with so many tragic revelations that you won't believe what you're seeing. You've got to see this one!
Meantime, on the eve of his bid to announce his run for re-election, the Mayor Aziz of Bangkok suffers a heart attack and requires a new one. Although the plot is not as spontaneous as "Furie" (2019), with which critics have recently compared it, Yip has more on his mind with multiple plots that intersect by the third act. Thailand martial arts sensation Tony Jaa has a supporting role as the friend of lead cop on the investigation, Inspector Chui Kit. Predictably, the first half-hour of this 97-minute actioneer with lots of martial arts mayhem sets up the complications surrounding the daughter's disappearance and then Lee Chung-Chi turns the city upside down as he plunges into the depths of the underworld with Inspector Kit shadowing him, until his own pregnant wife starts to bleed, fears that she may lose her baby, and goes to the hospital. Detective Lee Chung-Chi is indefatigable in his efforts to locate his daughter. Inspector Kit finds himself knee-deep in corruption, too. Legendary martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung staged the incredible action scenes. He mixes up mix of authentic Muay Thai talents, spectacular acrobatics, and razor-sharp meat cleaver and machete brawls that will keep you'll be flinching. These invigorating fights make John Wick look like a pussy. Writers Nick Cheuk ("Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight") and Lai-Yin Leung ("Kill Zone 2", "Ip Man 3") do an excellent job of setting the plot up and paying it off. Nevertheless, the final quarter hour teems with so many tragic revelations that you won't believe what you're seeing. You've got to see this one!