THE SHADOW'S EDGE (捕风追影) (2025)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Larry Yang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Zhang Zifeng, Ci Sha, Jun, Zhou Zhenjie, Wang Ziyi, Lang Yueting, Lin Qiunan, Zac Wang, Li Zhekun
Runtime: 2 hrs 22 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 August 2025

Synopsis: A crew of criminal prodigies disappears with billions, evading capture by outsmarting the formidable “Sky Eye” surveillance system. Desperate and outmaneuvered, the Macau police enlist the help of a legend - Wong Tak-Chung (Jackie Chan), a retired tracking expert. He mentors rookie officer Ho Qiuguo (Zhang Zifeng) and rebuilds an elite surveillance unit. Their mission: to track down the elusive “Wolf King,” Fu Longsheng (Leung Ka-Fai Tony), the mastermind behind the heist. As the police close in, the thieves spring a trap of their own. Brains clash, loyalties are tested, and the ultimate cat-and-mouse game is about to begin… 

Movie Review:

Jackie Chan is 71 this year, and you’d do well to let that fact sink in before you judge just what he does or doesn’t do in this latest action thriller. With that in mind, we’re glad – and in fact, extremely proud – to say that ‘The Shadow’s Edge’ is by far the best Jackie Chan movie in years: it has a role well suited for an older Jackie; it has an equally captivating villain played by Hong Kong veteran Tony Leung Kar-Fai; and it is cleverly plotted, brilliantly layered and thrillingly executed.

To say that ‘The Shadow’s Edge’ exceeded our expectations is an understatement. Neither from writer/director Larry Yang’s filmography nor Yang and Jackie’s previous collaboration ‘Ride On’ did we expect their sophomore outing to be such a gripping caper; that, and the fact that the movie boasted a runtime of close to two-and-a half hours gave us pause just how Yang would be able to sustain an almost ‘Mission: Impossible’ marathon. Though it does feel its length, it is an impressive achievement that the movie never has a dull moment, and in fact manages to sustain your attention throughout and leave you hungry for a sequel its mid-credits sequence sets it up for.

Right from the beginning, Yang establishes his tall ambition with a daring heist orchestrated by elusive master thief Fu Longsheng (Leung), otherwise known as ‘The Shadow’, and executed by a band of four criminal prodigies, or five, if you count the bespectacled hacker Simon (Ci Sha) assisting them from behind the scenes. From the lobby of an office skyscraper, to the elevator to the top of the Macau Tower, to parachuting off the Macau Tower to Wynn Macau, and then a cat-and-mouse chase within the Wynn itself, it is a pulse-pounding kickoff that Yang thankfully knows not to try to top later on.

Humiliated by their inability to apprehend the thieves despite being assisted by cutting-edge AI technology, the Macau police decide to enlist the help of former officer Wong Tak-chung (Chan), a top-notch surveillance expert who in a matter of hours proves to rookie officers He Qiuguo (Zhang Zifeng) and Liu Jinxiao (Zhou Zhengjie) that he has lost none of his prowess. Surprised that the force no longer has a surveillance squad, Wong goes about assembling his own from amongst the most nondescript officers in the force, including for that matter Qiuguo and Jinxiao.

Rather than rush through the proceedings, Yang takes care to detail the patient, meticulous nature of surveillance work, as each of Wong’s proteges take up various everyday personas within Macau’s Old Town to try and spot The Shadow. That time is also spent building up a parent-guardian dynamic between Wong and Qiuguo, as the former confesses his guilt over inadvertently causing the death of Qiuguo’s father (Yu Rongguang in an uncredited cameo) years ago. To Yang’s credit too, he carefully choreographs how Wong and Qiuguo pretend to be father and daughter in the same sprawling apartment building as The Shadow, in order to track his movements up close.

Instead of relentless big, blockbuster spectacle, Yang settles in for more intimate scenes of close-quarter tension, allowing both his movie and his characters to breathe and grow. Some of the best scenes in the middle section include a stakeout at the local fish and vegetable market where The Shadow is first spotted, a tense exchange in the elevator of the apartment building where Qiuquo tails The Shadow to, and a meal that Wong offers to host for The Shadow in their make-believe flat within the same apartment complex. Not only does Jackie get to do some of his most nuanced acting in years, his chemistry with Leung, whom he reunites two decades after ‘The Myth’, is priceless.

Besides setting up the game of wits between Wong and The Shadow, Yang also develops further the relationship between The Shadow and his prodigies, in particular with the twins Xiwang and Simon (both played by Ci Sha). Between them, it is Xiwang whom The Shadow both favours and fears more, given the similarities in their proclivities and impulses. Without giving too much away, let’s just say the trust and distrust amongst them unravels in unexpected ways, setting up a third act that is surprisingly audacious and riveting.

Oh yes, from a bold assault on the very Macau Judiciary Police HQ, to another cat-and-mouse game on various fronts within and around Wynn Palace, and ultimately to a more somber but no less satisfying finale around the narrow alleyways of Coloane Village, the third act ratchets the tension, action and exhilaration in extremely rewarding fashion. Yang also deserves credit for maximising the cultural and modern sights of Macau to enliven the scenery in his movie, and we must say we particularly love the juxtaposition of the quaint parts of Macao Old Town with the urban Cotai Strip where the giant Wynn integrated resorts lie.

Still, Yang’s greatest achievement here is in crafting an action vehicle well suited for Jackie at this age. Instead of going solo, Jackie’s role here allows him not just to shine as lead but also to lead an ensemble of younger actors and characters. Yang has also constructed a terrific villain in The Shadow, and found a perfect complement for Jackie in Leung. It is pure cinematic joy seeing both veterans go head to head with each other, including a vicious mano-a-mano near the end that is just about as ferocious as we have seen from either actor. Leung thoroughly chews the scenery as a wily old fox with a brutal streak, and reminds you once again why he is probably one of the most underrated Hong Kong actors of his generation.

If it isn’t yet obvious, ‘The Shadow’s Edge’ exceeded every and any expectation we had for it, and in an absolutely fantastic way. It is not just a relief but an utter joy to see Jackie find something worth his while at his age, instead of coming to the same sad conclusion that he deserves better. Like we said earlier, there is a mid-credits sequence that sets the movie up for a sequel, and we await with eager anticipation how Yang intends to advance the story with a team-up between Jackie and Leung. This is for every Jackie Chan fan out there, and we can say wholeheartedly it is his best in years, and one of the best modern-day action thrillers you’ll see this year.

Movie Rating:

(Intense, intriguing and even exhilarating, this Macao-set action thriller is easily Jackie Chan's best film in years)

Review by Gabriel Chong