General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Invisible Target (男儿本色)

Invisible Target (男儿本色) is a 2007 Hong Kong action-crime film directed by Benny Chan (陈木胜) and starring Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Jaycee Chan, Wu Jing, and Andy On. It was released on 19 July 2007 in mainland China and Hong Kong and runs 129 minutes.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Director and writers	Benny Chan (陈木胜); written by Benny Chan, Ram Ling, and Melody Lui³
Release	19 July 2007, mainland China and Hong Kong; 129 minutes¹
Cast	Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Jaycee Chan, Wu Jing, Andy On, Lisa Lu, Elanne Kong¹^•³
Premise	Three police officers pursue the gang behind a US$100 million armored-car robbery in Central, Hong Kong⁴
Box office	First weekend in mainland China: 12 million RMB; Hong Kong cumulative: HK$4.6 million²
Awards	Two nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards: Best Supporting Actor and Best Action Design²
Ratings	Douban 7.1/10 (89,567 users, as of 19 September 2024); IMDb 6.7/10 (about 3,400 users)²^•³

Spoilers

Plot

The story begins with a robbery in which an armored truck carrying US$100 million in new banknotes is seized on a busy Central street by a gang led by Tien Yeng-seng (天养生, played by Wu Jing) and Tien Yeng-yee (天养义, Andy On). The robbers use powerful explosives, and among the bystanders killed is the fiancée of Criminal Investigation Department detective Chan Chun (陈晋, Nicholas Tse). The gang and the money then disappear.¹^•⁴

Six months later the gang reappears. Trainee Inspector Carson Fong Yik-wei (方奕威, Shawn Yue) is checking a suspicious vehicle with his squad when they are attacked and his men are seriously injured. Senior Superintendents Cheung Man-yiu (章文耀, Lam Ka Wah) and Mark Law Pui-keung (罗沛权, Mark Cheng) plan a chain of operations to arrest the gang. Meanwhile patrol officer Wai King-ho (卫景灏, Jaycee Chan) investigates the gang on his own: his brother was an undercover officer inside the organization, and Wai, suspended because of that connection, wants to clear his brother's name.¹^•⁵

The three officers, each with a different motive, join forces to hunt the gang. In their early confrontations they are repeatedly outmatched by Tien Yeng-seng, and they discover there is a mole inside the police force, with a hidden mastermind behind the case.¹^•⁴

Production

Chan prepared the film for nearly a year, starting in July of the year before release, and was in post-production in Beijing by April 2007.⁶^•⁷ The production team spent its three months of preparation scouting locations able to support the script's large-scale action sequences. The most difficult was the opening robbery: Chan insisted on shooting large-scale explosion scenes in Central, the commercial heart of Hong Kong. After lengthy negotiations with multiple government departments, including demonstration shoots and blast rehearsals for officials, the production received a permit described as unprecedented since Hong Kong opened as a port, and three main roads in Central were closed in daylight for the explosion sequence.⁸

The Thai effects company Oriental Post Co. Ltd. handled special effects; its technicians came to Hong Kong to supervise the work and filmed each individual explosion on set, and effects specialists continued working for three months after the shoot ended to blend practical and digital elements.²

Stunts and casting. Chan said he wanted the film to emphasize real fighting over the gunplay and explosions of his earlier work, and he cast Wu Jing as the villain to face the three idol actors in genuine combat. Before shooting, the actors underwent physical fitness tests to see whether they could handle the heavy action load.⁹ Nicholas Tse performed dangerous scenes himself, including a shot in which Wu Jing kicks him from a rooftop onto a tree and then to the ground; Wu Jing praised his willingness to repeat takes, and Hong Kong insurers reportedly refused to insure him. Tse said he did not tell his wife, Cecilia Cheung, about the dangerous stunts in advance to avoid worrying her.⁹ Chan called Tse a "martial-arts fanatic" (武痴) and named him as the actor he would cultivate as Jackie Chan's successor in action films, while saying that Jaycee Chan had some kung-fu potential but did not want to pursue an action-star career.⁷^•¹⁰

Reception

The film opened on 19 July 2007 in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking 12 million RMB in its first mainland weekend and HK$4.6 million cumulatively in Hong Kong.² It received two nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Action Design.²

Audience scores have stayed favorable: Douban users rated it 7.1/10 from 89,567 ratings as of 19 September 2024, and IMDb users 6.7/10 from about 3,400 ratings.²^•³ On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 69% Tomatometer from three critics; reviewers were divided, with Mark Pollard of Kung Fu Cinema calling it a "sluggish, overlong" misfire, while audience comments frequently praise the fight choreography and the performances of the three leads.¹¹ Chinese commentary credited the film with reviving Hong Kong action traditions through committed performances, refined action choreography, and sharp editing, while also noting that calling it a symbol of the genre's revival remained debatable.⁸^•²

Distribution

The film was produced by Universe Entertainment and related Hong Kong and Guangzhou companies. Universe Films Distribution handled Hong Kong and worldwide rights, Bona Film Group released it theatrically in mainland China, and other distributors included Grand Brilliance (Malaysia), Innoform Media and Shaw Organisation (Singapore), and The Weinstein Company (United States, Australia, and South Africa).⁸^•²

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2000s

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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