Black Mask (1996) ***

Directed by Daniel Lee and Yuen Woo-Ping. With Jet Li, Karen Mok and Lau Ching-Wan. A masked avenger (Jet Li) defends Hong Kong from a squadron of ruthless assassins impervious to pain and suffering. Clearly inspired by the Superman legend, it's an exciting, futuristic action movie, with impressive sets, noir-ish atmosphere, non-stop action and razor-sharp editing. Never boring, pretentious or slow, the film offers an unbeatable mixture of Eastern exoticism, superb martial arts, high-tech surrealism and eye-popping stunts.