Bleeding Steel
Bleeding Steel (Chinese: 机器之血; pinyin: Jīqì zhī xuè) is a 2017 Chinese science fiction action film written and directed by Leo Zhang.[1][2] The film stars Jackie Chan as Lin Dong, a Hong Kong police inspector who uncovers a biochemical invention implanted in his long-missing daughter, prompting him to ally with a hacker to unravel a conspiracy tied to a sinister criminal organization and genetically enhanced adversaries.[3] With a runtime of 109 minutes, it blends cyberpunk elements, high-octane stunts, and futuristic thriller tropes in a narrative spanning modern Hong Kong and experimental technologies.[1] The supporting cast includes Show Lo as the hacker Leeson, Ouyang Nana in dual roles as Nancy and Chi Chi, Erica Xia-Hou as Susan, Callan Mulvey as the antagonist Andre, and Tess Haubrich as the Woman in Black.[1] Produced on a budget of $65 million, Bleeding Steel was a co-production between China's Heyi Pictures and Australia's Village Roadshow Pictures, marking the largest-budget Chinese film shot in Australia at the time, with principal photography occurring in Sydney and featuring landmarks like the Sydney Opera House.[2][4] It premiered in China on December 22, 2017, before a limited U.S. theatrical release on July 6, 2018.[5] Critically, the film received mixed to negative reviews, praised for Chan's charismatic performance and action sequences but criticized for its convoluted plot and uneven pacing.[3] It holds a 24% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews.[3] On IMDb, it scores 5.2 out of 10 from over 11,700 user ratings.[2] Commercially, Bleeding Steel grossed $48.8 million worldwide, with the majority ($47.6 million) from the Chinese market, falling short of its substantial budget.[6] Despite its box office underperformance, the film exemplifies Chan's efforts to explore science fiction genres later in his career, incorporating innovative visual effects and themes of biotechnology and identity.[2]Synopsis
Plot
In 2007, special forces agent Lin Dong races to a Beijing hospital where his young daughter Nancy is undergoing experimental surgery for terminal leukemia. En route, he is urgently diverted to safeguard Dr. James, a brilliant scientist who has pioneered "Bleeding Steel," a groundbreaking nanotechnology implant designed to achieve human immortality by fusing organic biology with advanced machinery, enabling rapid cellular regeneration and indefinite lifespan extension.[7] During a fierce assault by armored mercenaries seeking to seize the technology, Dr. James and his team implant the device into Nancy as a desperate measure to save her life; however, the procedure triggers a catastrophic reaction, halting her vital signs and simulating death, while Lin Dong is compelled to eliminate witnesses and assume a covert protection role.[8] Thirteen years later, in Sydney—a sprawling cyberpunk metropolis of neon-lit skyscrapers and hidden tech undercurrents—Lin Dong, now undercover as a cafeteria worker at Nancy's school to secretly protect her, continues to watch over his daughter, who has amnesia induced by the implant's side effects, including severe identity fragmentation that erases personal memories to prevent psychological overload from the human-machine integration.[9] Nancy, unaware of her origins and believing herself an orphan, befriends Leeson, a resourceful hacker and thief augmented with cybernetic implants for enhanced neural processing and data manipulation. As assassins in high-tech exosuits—loyal to rogue agents like the cybernetically enhanced enforcer Andre exploiting Bleeding Steel for profit—hunt Nancy to harvest the implant's core sample, Lin Dong shadows and defends her, gradually piecing together the antagonists' plan to reverse-engineer it for creating enhanced soldiers capable of withstanding extreme damage.[10] The pursuit escalates through Sydney's underbelly, from crowded markets to elevated rail lines, as Lin allies uneasily with Leeson to evade the killers, including Andre and his lethal operative known as the Woman in Black. Revelations unfold about the implant's dual nature as both lifesaver and curse—its nanites "bleeding" metallic reinforcements into the bloodstream for self-repair but risking total neural dissolution—and the antagonists' scheme for global domination. In the climax atop the Sydney Opera House's skeletal struts amid a thunderstorm, Lin Dong confronts Andre in a brutal melee, protects Nancy from extraction attempts, and sabotages the Bleeding Steel prototypes, ensuring the technology's destruction while forging a fragile reconciliation with his long-lost daughter.[7][8] Jackie Chan's portrayal of Lin Dong embodies the transformation of a devoted father into a relentless action hero driven by paternal redemption.[9]Cast
The cast of Bleeding Steel features an international ensemble, blending prominent Chinese actors with Australian performers to enhance the film's global scope and cross-cultural appeal.[8] Jackie Chan leads as Lin Dong, a Hong Kong-based special forces agent and devoted father tasked with safeguarding his daughter amid a conspiracy involving experimental biotechnology. Chan's portrayal emphasizes his signature action-hero prowess alongside a more vulnerable paternal dimension, marking a departure toward emotional depth in his later roles.[8][9][11] Show Lo plays Leeson (also known as Li Sen or Sen Li), a clever street hacker and thief augmented with cybernetic implants that enable him to engage in digital and physical tech-based skirmishes.[9][1] Nana Ouyang portrays Nancy, Lin Dong's daughter who received the Bleeding Steel implant as a child to save her life from leukemia, now suffering from amnesia and fragmented memories as a side effect, anchoring the narrative's exploration of identity and legacy.[8][9] In key supporting roles, Erica Xia-Hou appears as Susan, a fellow special forces operative and Lin Dong's reliable partner in the high-stakes protection detail.[9] Callan Mulvey embodies Andre, a brutal cybernetically enhanced mercenary enforcing the interests of a shadowy organization.[8][9] Tess Haubrich is cast as the Woman in Black, a determined military figure spearheading the hunt for the film's groundbreaking implant technology. Kim Gyngell rounds out the principal antagonists as Dr. James, the innovative yet controversial scientist responsible for developing the life-extending implants at the story's core.[8][9][11]| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jackie Chan | Lin Dong | Special agent protecting his daughter from biotech threats. |
| Show Lo | Leeson/Li Sen | Hacker/thief with cybernetic aids for tech confrontations. |
| Nana Ouyang | Nancy | Lin Dong's daughter with the life-saving implant and amnesia. |
| Erica Xia-Hou | Susan | Lin's special forces partner in the mission. |
| Callan Mulvey | Andre | Ruthless mercenary enforcer with enhancements. |
| Tess Haubrich | Woman in Black | Military leader chasing the technology. |
| Kim Gyngell | Dr. James | Scientist behind the implant innovations. |