Wake of Death

A 2004 American action film directed by Philippe Martínez. The story centers on Ben Archer (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a former mob enforcer who decides to leave his criminal past behind and start a new life in Los Angeles with his wife Cynthia (Lisa King) and son Nicholas (Pierre Marais). Cynthia works as a social worker for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), assisting illegal Chinese immigrants. One day, she encounters a young girl named Kim (Valerie Tian), who arrived on a ship with a group of immigrants from Hong Kong. Realizing that Kim is in danger, Cynthia decides to take her in, despite violating protocol. However, Kim turns out to be the daughter of Sun Quan (Simon Yam), a powerful Chinese Triad boss who brutally murdered her mother for attempting to leave him. Learning that his daughter is in Los Angeles, Sun Quan, with the help of corrupt INS agent Mac Hoggins (Danny Keogh), discovers her whereabouts. As a result, Sun Quan and his men orchestrate a massacre at a restaurant, killing Cynthia, her parents, and many staff members. Nicholas and Kim manage to escape, while Ben arrives at the scene to find his wife's body and vows revenge. He seeks assistance from Cynthia's uncle, Max (Anthony Fridjhon), a French mobster, along with Max's bodyguard Raymond (Claude Hernández) and friend Tony (Tony Schiena). Together, they begin hunting down the Triad members involved in the killings. Ben and Tony track one of them, Andy Wang (Tom Wu), to a brothel and engage in a shootout, killing Wang and several other criminals. Meanwhile, Detective Da Costa (Warrick Grier), investigating the murders, starts suspecting a connection between the events and the corrupt agent Hoggins. Ben and his team kidnap Hoggins and, after torturing him, uncover details about Sun Quan's heroin smuggling operation involving immigrants. In the climax, Ben and Tony storm Sun Quan's yacht, eliminating his men and engaging in a final confrontation with the Triad boss. Ben sustains serious injuries but manages to save his son and Kim, while Sun Quan is killed. The film explores themes of revenge, family values, and the struggle with inner demons, highlighting the complexity of moral choices within the brutal world of crime.