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Once Upon a Time in China
Hong Kong 1991
produced by Tsui Hark for Film Workshop/Golden Harvest
directed by Tsui Hark
starring Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Jacky Cheung, Steve Tartalia, Kent Cheng, Jonathan Isgar, Yen Shi-Kwan, Mark King, Yuen Kam-Fai, Shih Kien, Wu Ma, Bruce Fontaine, Wong Chi Yeung, Lau Shun, Yuen Shun-Yee, Sham Tsim Po, Simon Yam, Yuen Cheung-Yan, Tony Yuen, Mike Leeder
written by Tsui Hark, Leung Yiu Ming, Tang Pik-yin, Yuen Gai Chi, music by Romeo Diaz, James Wong, martial arts choreography by Yuen Woo-ping, Liu Chia Yung
Once Upon a Time in China, Wong Fei Hung, Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li)
review by Mike Haberfelner
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China, late 19th century: After the Black Flag Army has been disbanded, its former commander Wong
Fei Hung (Jet Li) organizes its former soldiers into a militia to counter
the threat of foreign imperialistic forces. The militia has its
headquarters in Wong's own clinic. Wannabe martial artist and actor Foon
(Yuen Biao) comes to Wong's army to learn kung fu, but doesn't get far
since the master is out. Anyways, he makes friends with Porky (Kent
Cheng), one of Wong's right-hand man, and when Foon later falls foul of
the gangsters of the Shaho clan, Porky organizes the militia to defend him
- which eventually leads to most of the militia being arrested, the Shaho
clan declaring war on Wong Fei Hung, and Wong's clinic being shut down, he
being put under house arrest. For whatever reason, Foon hooks up with
master Iron Robe Yim (Yen Shi-kwan) and organizes a duel between Yim and
Wong, in which Wong is defeated (not quite fairly though). And while Wong
and his men are arrested in the process, Foon and Yim hook up with the
Shaho Clan - but when Foon finds out the clan holds Wong's auntie Yee
(Rosamund Kwan) prisoner to sell her into slavery or prostitution in
America, he switches allegiances - even if that means that he gets
brutally beaten up by Master Yim and the Shaho Clan. In the meantime and
rather unexpectedly, the local police has expressed its sympathy with Wong
and his militia and they let them go free. Soon enough, Wong and the
militia attack the Shaho Clans headquarters to free auntie Yee, give
Master Yim what he was asking for and let Foon redeem himself ... and need
I say all ends happily?
A tremendous hit in Hong Kong and subsequently all
over the world, this film does feature exciting visuals and great martial
arts sequences (especially the finale between Jet Li and Yen Shi-kwan
fought mainly on letters is breathtaking) - but on the whole, it simply
isn't a very good film. The main problem of Once Upon a Time in China
is its script, which seems to be moving nowhere in particular and takes
forever to set up surprisingly little. Likewise, subplots are thrown into
the story at the least appropriate times, and all characters uniformly
seem to lack motivation. Add to this lead Jet Li who might be a great
martial artist but isn't much of an actor, and Tsui Hark's direction that
seems to be uncertain whether it should turn the whole film into a comedy,
and you are left with - well, a few ingenious setpieces, but very little
to tie them together.
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