Movie review - The Prosecutor

The Prosecutor *** (out of 5) I’ve previously described Donnie Yen as a Chinese Gary Cooper, projecting a calm, unshakeable integrity that endures in the midst of chaos. His outings as Ip Man, and more recently as John’s blind, but still lethal, frenemy in John Wick 4 make the point solidly. In this vehicle, Yen stars as a tough cop who grows frustrated with a legal system that lets too many violent perps elude the consequences of their crimes, despite all the cops endure to get them arrested and indicted. After a particularly aggravating enforcement failure, he quits the force and spends seven years in school to join the ranks of the eponymous part of the system.

The premise cuts down on the usual amount of action in Yen’s movies, but still leaves room for a few particularly gratifying fight sequences. In his first case, Yen is so concerned about the possibly wrongful conviction of a young felon that his courtroom effortsduring the appeal seem more like those of defense counsel than prosecutor, incurring the enmity of the judge and his bosses. But, true to Yenian form, he just might be onto something, and starts convincing colleagues to help in the investigation.

The plot is somewhat more convoluted than necessary, and the courtroom scenes lack the tension and excitement levels one would hope for in any of those dramas. Yen has a few eloquent moments, but they almost seem out of place compared to the rest of that tepid side of the proceedings. Despite these flaws from Donnie the director, and the amount of time he’s stuck in a suit and tie rather than a uniform or fightin’ civvies, his fans should be satisfied with the Donnie the actor on display in this production.

(The Prosecutor, in Cantonese with subtitles, debuts on Digital formats, 4K and Blu-ray on 5/27/25 from Well Go USA)