Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Jet Li plays the legendary Chinese martial arts hero, Wong Fei Hung. Set in ancient China, the cinematography catches the sceneries and atmosphere beautifully and sets the stage for all the awesome action sequences.Jet Li's impressive martial arts moves are definitely the highlight of the film, battling bad guys left and right. Him doing the lion dances is also a very impressive treat to watch.The acting was pretty good and the cast of characters were in the spot. The music score is also well played, especially the toe tapping and theme sung by George LamA pretty fast paced plot for a pretty entertaining film.Grade B

A traditional kung fu movie with elements of the Wuxia sub-genre, Once Upon A Time In China is considered by many to be one of the finest martial arts movies of all time; I don't rate it so highly, preferring my action to be a little more realistic and a tad more 'bone-crunching'.Set in a troubled 19th century China, where centuries of tradition is being threatened by an influx of foreigners, this historical epic is directed by Tsui Hark and stars the incredible Jet Li, ably supported by Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung and Kent Cheng. With a pedigree like that, I was expecting something truly astounding, but what I got was an overlong, over-stylised and definitely over-rated film. Saddled with a dreadfully dull story and some particularly poor comedic moments, it does not entertain as much as I had hoped.Li plays Wong Fei Hung, martial arts master and all round good guy, who, along with his students, battles the foreign invaders who are plundering China. Kwan plays his love interest, Aunt Yee, who has recently returned from America, and who tries to educate Hung about the wonders of the Western world. As the troubles mount, Aunt Yee becomes the target of unscrupulous traders who try to sell her into prostitution, leaving Hung and his men no option but to pit their fighting skill against guns in a daring rescue attempt.Although the movie admittedly features some well choreographed fight scenes which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (as will the breath-taking cinematography), the action relies too much on clever wire-work and skillful editing for its impact, and the whole affair left this particular viewer rather disappointed.

Two of my favorite films are "One Upon a Time in America" and Once Upon a Time in the West." So naturally, I would be attracted to this film just to see if it matches the others. It does.Jet Li stars as the legendary Chinese hero Wong Fei-Hong. He is fighting against intruders from the West. Yep, invading armies like us. The people of China are not going to give in. He is asked to train the locals in kung fu. Things get complicated with the arrival of Wong's "Aunt" Yee (Rosamund Kwan), just back from a two-year stay in the West. She is not really his Aunt, so romance simmers between the two.There are plenty of evildoers in this film. Gangs looking for protection money, corrupt government officials (no surprise there!), and those nasty foreigners. You will want to watch this film more than once. Jet Li's performance, coupled with his kung fu wizardry, carries the viewer through any shaky patches. The fight scenes are the main attraction, of course, and the film delivers the goods again and again.

When most people thinks of martial arts movies, the immediate thought will be either a Bruce Lee film, or one of his countless imitations that filled the screen through the 70s and part of the 80s. And while it's true that some great films were made in those years, it's also sadly true that most were of average quality, due not only to their low-budget, but also to the fact that most were cut and awfully dubbed when shipped overseas. Being a patriot and a nostalgic, Hong Kong's legendary director Hark Tsui decided to resurrect the martial arts genre in the 90s, using one of the most respected Chinese national heroes: Wong Fei Hung. Hark's retelling of the life and times of the legendary healer and martial artist became one of the best epic stories ever filmed, the series of films known in America as "Once Upon a Time in China".In this first chapter of the saga, we are introduced to Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) and his China, a land who by the late 19th Century is discovering the Western civilizations and is forced to open to the world. Made leader of a team of militia warriors, Wong Fei Hung discovers that a group of Americans are kidnapping women to send to America as prostitutes. To make things worse, another Kung-Fu master, "Iron Robe" Yim (Yee Kwan Yan), arrives to town and is decided to defeat Wong Fei Hung to prove his martial arts are better. Soon the skilled warrior Wong Fei hung will experience first hand the pros and the cons of the clash of cultures his people and the newly arrived Westerners.Written by Hark himself and his usual team of collaborators, the movie is at first sight an overtly nationalistic story of patriotism and Chinese pride, however, "Wong Fei Hung" is not only about China, as it's more about changes and adaptation than about traditionalism. Through the character of Wong Fei Hung, we see a man that is at the same time intrigued and repulsed by changes, but that has to make up his mind about if he wants to be the leader and the hero his people needs. Sure, at its core it is a tale of the adventures of China's most representative hero, but the way the story is written make the story a more complex and interesting one. Literally, a story that transcends its own film genre."Wong Fei Hung" showcases Hark at his best, with his defined style (influenced by comic books and the cinema of his youth) reaching its full potential and enough creative freedom to make whatever he desired. Hark delivers a film that can not only be seen as another martial arts film, but also as the epic journey of a hero facing his most difficult challenge: an inner battle with himself. With amazingly choreographed scenes and a great vision for cinematography (by a great team lead by Arthur Wong and David Chung), Hark creates an epic film on the level of Sergio Leone or John Ford. "Wong Fei Hung" is a film that surely proves that Hark Tsui is more than a mere director of action films, and that the films he did in the U.S. ("Double Team" and "Knock Off") are not really a display of his talent.Jet Li excels at playing Wong Fei Hung (one of the most portrayed character in movie history), in a performance that captures the essence of the film without making it over the top. While not exactly faithful to the real Wong Fei Hung's fighting style, Jet Li's skills showcase his enormous talent and ability as a fighter and choreographer and every move of his is perfect. Rosamund Kwan plays Siu Qun, a young woman who falls in love with Wong Fei Hung, but only creates more confusion as while not blood-related, she is technically her Aunt (he calls her Aunt 13th). She adds good humor to the film, and makes a great supporting actress to Jet Li.Humor is indeed an important characteristic of the movie, and Biao Yuen (who surprisingly, has little chance to show his fighting skills), Jacky Cheung and Kent Cheng make great comedic performances. While not exactly a perfect cast, it's safe to say that overall they give a good job, although the dubbing for the Westerners is remarkably bad. "Wong Fei Hung" is probably one of Hark's best films, and it's hard to find a flaw in it, as it's also one of the best martial arts films ever made. Sure, it may feel overlong at times, but the film takes advantage of its runtime as almost every detail is of importance and very few scenes feel unnecessary."Once Upon a Time in China", or "Wong Fei Hung", is a must-see for every fan of martial arts films, and a very recommended movie to those who dislike them. The way it transcends its own genre has proved to be influential now after the releases of "Wo Hun Cang Long" ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and "Ying Xiong" ("Hero"), two films that reinvigorated the old Wu Xia genre in the same way this movie did for the martial arts genre. After this, Hark found a difficult time in the U.S. (and the flops of his two films done there), but what he did in this film (and its first sequel) remains an accomplishment rarely equaled. 8/10