6 out of 10
 

Mild-mannered librarian is, in fact...the "Black Mask", an ex-member of an elite forces unit that the Government created by changing them genetically. Seen it all before, maybe, but of all the Superhero's I have ever encountered, this has to be one of the most believable. The hero has powers of an Olympic athlete, but no more, he has no wish to fight crime, only to protect his friends, and the criminal masterminds are NOT some branch of kinky-clad weirdo's with a plan for world domination, but merely others like himself with scheme to "get rich quick" to buy the medication to save themselves from the genetic disorders that are the side effects of the experimentation they suffered and the audience of 90 minutes of subtitles.

The brutality is unflinching, the pace never slackens and stunts are amazing, making Jackie Chan look poor by comparison, yet somehow you leave the theatre feeling there was something missing. It`s just as if they didn`t know what to do with it and it sadly descends into the rut of most other Superhero films with the hero taking on the baddies single handedly and finishing off the villain in his control room.