# The Enforcer (给爸爸的信) (1995 film)
**The Enforcer**, released in Hong Kong as *My Father Is a Hero* (給爸爸的信, literally "A Letter to Dad"), is a 1995 Hong Kong action film directed by Corey Yuen (元奎), written by Wong Jing (王晶) and Sandy Shaw (邵丽琼), and starring [Jet Li](https://www.edgepedia.org/jet-li) (李連杰), [Anita Mui](https://www.edgepedia.org/anita-mui) (梅艷芳), Xie Miao (謝苗), and Yu Rongguang (于榮光). It was produced by the Hong Kong company Win's Movie Production (永盛電影公司) and opened in Hong Kong on 2 March 1995[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 給爸爸的信 ("A Letter to Dad"); English titles *My Father Is a Hero* and *Jet Li's The Enforcer*[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) • [2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/) |
| Director and writers | Corey Yuen; screenplay by Wong Jing and Sandy Shaw[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) • [2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/) |
| Cast | Jet Li, Anita Mui, Xie Miao, Yu Rongguang, Damian Lau, Blacky Ko, Collin Chou, Ken Lo[2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/) |
| Release | 2 March 1995 (Hong Kong); 18 February 1995 (South Korea)[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) |
| Runtime and languages | 104 minutes; Cantonese and Mandarin[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) |
| Hong Kong box office | HK$15,530,600[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) |
| Awards | Nominated for Best Action Choreography at the 15th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 32nd Golden Horse Awards (Yuen Kwai and Yuen Tak)[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Kung Wei (Jet Li) is a mainland Chinese police officer ordered to go undercover in Hong Kong and infiltrate the criminal organization of Po Kwong (Yu Rongguang), which is tied to corruption and other serious crimes on the mainland[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) • [3](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1). To make his criminal credentials convincing, he is publicly arrested outside his home in front of his sick wife and young son, then stages a phony escape alongside a Hong Kong gangster being held on the mainland[2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/).
To win Po Kwong's trust, Kung Wei joins a "black eats black" deal that erupts into a gun battle in a crowded district. When Hong Kong police arrive, he takes Inspector Fong Yat-Wah (Anita Mui) hostage, but protects her during the escape, leaving her convinced that the masked gangster is not a cold-blooded killer[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma). Fong travels to the mainland to investigate his identity, meets his son Kung Gu (Xie Miao), and grows close to the boy; after the boy's mother dies, she brings him to Hong Kong[3](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1). Her superior, Superintendent Cheng (Damian Lau), uses the child to flush out Kung Wei, destroying the boy's trust in her, while Po Kwong's planned robbery of an auction closes in and the family's cover is blown[3](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1) • [4](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/rtb4utmdw5pxh2h-%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1). The letters the son writes to a father whose address he does not know serve as the emotional thread binding the two storylines[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/985596715_411555).
## Production and context
**A Jet Li and Corey Yuen project.** The film continued a productive run of collaborations between Jet Li and Corey Yuen, who had directed Li in *[The Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-legend-1993-film)* and its sequel *The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk 2* (both 1993) and the contemporary thriller *The Defender* (1994)[6](https://www.framerated.co.uk/heroes-villains-jet-li/). Yuen also served as action director on the film, working with Yuen Tak, and made a brief on-screen cameo as a bartender, a common habit of Hong Kong directors of the period[2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/) • [7](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_6599160725_18957339500100lfvv.html). James Wong Jim composed the score and Angie Lam edited[2](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/).
The film was Li's third picture under his contract with Win's, and his move into contemporary, short-haired action roles after a run of period martial arts films[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/985596715_411555). Wong Jing wanted the film to have a more literary flavor and insisted on the title 給爸爸的信, with its epistolary connotation, over more commercial alternatives[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/985596715_411555). It reunited Li with the child actor Xie Miao, who had played his son in *The New Legend of Shaolin* (1994); here the two were again cast as father and son, though the characters are separated for most of the story[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/985596715_411555).
## Release and reception
The film earned HK$15,530,600 in Hong Kong, a result contemporary commentary describes as disappointing for a Jet Li vehicle[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) • [8](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a3mxe0nk/). Retitled 赤子威龙 for South Korea, it placed second among Chinese-language films there[8](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a3mxe0nk/). Its action choreography received nominations for Best Action Choreography at both the 15th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 32nd Golden Horse Awards[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma).
Reviewers have generally praised the combination of action and sentiment. The review site LoveHKFilm called it "one of the best Hong Kong films of 1995," crediting the action and the "surprisingly touching moments" from Anita Mui and Xie Miao[9](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/my_father_is_a_hero.htm). A Chinese-language assessment cited by Baike praises the film's blend of drama and action, the performances of Li and Xie Miao as father and son, and the fight scenes staged under Yuen's direction, especially the sequences in which the two fight side by side[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma). Aggregated ratings are more mixed: [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists 55 percent from 32 reviews and an IMDb score of 6.5 from about 5,900 user votes[10](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-enforcer).
**The Miramax version.** For English-speaking markets, Miramax redubbed, rescored, and rereleased the film as *Jet Li's The Enforcer*, a treatment LoveHKFilm notes with the wry remark that the film belonged to "the Miramax/Dimension coalition"[9](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/my_father_is_a_hero.htm). Home-video releases followed from Tai Seng Video Marketing and Mei Ah Laser Disc[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma).
## Legacy
The film marked the end of an era for its young co-star. It was the last collaboration between Jet Li and Xie Miao; after a solo starring vehicle failed at the box office later in 1995, Xie Miao left Hong Kong cinema and returned to school in the mainland[8](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a3mxe0nk/). The film remains available on streaming services such as WeTV[10](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-enforcer), and Vinegar Syndrome has issued a Blu-ray restored from a studio-supplied 4K master, presenting the original [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) 2.0 stereo soundtrack alongside the classic English dub, with interviews and a commentary by martial arts film historian Frank Djeng[11](https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/my-father-is-a-hero?variant=41949777920042).
## References
1. [给爸爸的信（1995年元奎执导的动作电影）, 百度百科](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1/116199?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma)
2. [My Father is a Hero, CinemAsie](https://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/myfatherisahero/)
3. [給爸爸的信, 求真百科](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1)
4. [给爸爸的信, WeTV](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/rtb4utmdw5pxh2h-%E7%BB%99%E7%88%B8%E7%88%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BF%A1)
5. [被低估的"最后打星"？在网大里磨刀的谢苗，这次终于"打回"大银幕, 搜狐](https://www.sohu.com/a/985596715_411555)
6. [Heroes & Villains: Three Films Starring Jet Li (1995-98), Frame Rated](https://www.framerated.co.uk/heroes-villains-jet-li/)
7. [24年后，《给爸爸的信》两演员离世, 新浪新闻](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_6599160725_18957339500100lfvv.html)
8. [〖影评专栏〗1995香港电影风云（四）, 什么值得买](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a3mxe0nk/)
9. [My Father is a Hero, LoveHKFilm](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/my_father_is_a_hero.htm)
10. [The Enforcer streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/the-enforcer)
11. [My Father is a Hero (aka The Enforcer), Vinegar Syndrome](https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/my-father-is-a-hero?variant=41949777920042)
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*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) › Martial arts films › Released 1986 to 2026*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license