Tai Chi

Two friends, Junbao and Chin Bo, grow up in the isolated environment of the legendary Shaolin temple, studying to become monks. After being banished from the temple, they find adjusting to "normal" life to be difficult. Chin Bo, always the more ambitious one, agrees to join the oppressive army terrorizing the citizens. Junbao eventually joins forces with other concerned rebels in confronting the tyranny of the evil Governor (Jian Kui Sun) as well as Chin Bo, a newly minted general.

"Tai Chi Master", also known as "Twin Warriors" in North America, is an invigorating example of this genre. Most noteworthy about it is the way that it manages to contain an extremely healthy amount of comedy in addition to physical and acrobatic wizardry, all set against a very political backdrop. Directed with brio by the much celebrated Woo-Ping Yuen, the martial arts choreographer renowned for his work on the "Matrix" series, it has tremendous energy. The frequent fight scenes are so insane that they leave the viewers quite breathless. (Yes, you can sometimes see the wires holding performers in the air or pulling them along, but not often enough for it to really be a problem.) The comedy is frequently hilarious, and it's quite a joy to see action icon Michelle Yeoh bust out some comedy chops as her character Siu Lin turns to drink as a way of trying to forget about an unfaithful husband. Star attraction Jet Li (playing Junbao as a young adult) also served as the producer, and he's a delight, dazzling us with his moves but also showing off his flair for comedy and goofiness as Junbao seems to temporarily lose his mind. Siu-Ho Chin is excellent as the antagonistic Chin Bo, letting power go to his head, abusing his soldiers, and betraying his former friends.

The film gets fairly gory at times, and the English translations of the Asian dialogue do contain some profanity. But, despite the presence of a few very lovely ladies, there's no real sexuality as part of the package. It tells an adult story without ever getting too, too unpleasant.

"Tai Chi Master" has its over the top moments, but it does have some heart in addition to the action and humour, and the poignancy of a long friendship gone sour, so fans of the genre are sure to enjoy it.

Seven out of 10.

This movie is breathtaking!! If you like martial arts, and even a little comedy, watch this Yuen Woo Ping classic.

The opening Tai Chi training scene is so well done (see how everyone's movements are in sync) and sets the standard for the film. Yuen Woo's gift for choreography is evident throughout as weapons used include swords, spears, staffs, and tables too! The Shaolin "Luo Han Pole" formation scene must be watched in slo-mo to really appreciate it.

Jet does an awesome job as Junbao and his martial arts is amazing. More surprising is Michelle Yeoh who's incredible in every scene she's in. Her movements are so fluid, yet also graceful. From the spinning table scene fight to battling an army of soldiers, Yeoh really demonstrates her fighting prowess and acting ability as well.

Being that this was the first Jet Li film I've seen, it's one of my all-time favorites. It made me realize that incredible movies like this do exist!

One of my favorite Hong Kong actors, Jet Li, does what I call his best film in "Tai Chi Master." Starring alongside Michelle Yeoh and a dozen other folks whose name I forgot, Li plays Junbao, a monk whose best friend betrays him and becomes a ruthless whacko. This leaves him only one option: grab a pole and start clubbin' baddies. While some parts are just too cheesy to mention, i.e. people flying around and some ridiculously hokey-looking effects (you can see the cable attached to a guy's back at one point), the best fights take place with just good ol' Jet Li, a pole, and an army of bad guys, where there is no room to fly around or do the ultra-powerful Buddhist Palms. Give Tai Chi Master a try. It's a love-hate thing for most people, and in my case, it's a love thing. This movie is one of the five best kung-fu flicks ever made, in my opinion.

Twin Warriors succeeds as a martial arts film because it keeps us entertained with almost a constant stream of highflying action sequences. However, due in part to poor dubbing; the drama scenes between the fights are laughable.

The story follows that of two friends, Chin Bo and Juanbo (Siu-hou Chin and Jet Li), two monks that becomes friends at, and later get thrown out of a Shaolin Temple. After this, they meet up with the leader of a group of rebels (Michele Yeoh), and Juanbo joins them, while Chin Bo goes off to join the emperor's army. Naturally, they meet up again along the way and their friendship is basically the main plot point of the film. As I mentioned, though; the dubbing is awful, and the script is no better. The characters talk as if they're from an upmarket part of London, and when they're both of Asian origin; it makes it very hard to take seriously. It's hard to tell whether the script is bad, or if it's just that it has been lost in translation. Because some of the lines of dialogue are cringe worthy, but that could be due to English translation; I don't know. It's the same story with the acting; none of the cast excels in the drama sections of the film, but their performance is masked by awful dubbing. Everyone deserves credit for their martial arts, however. The action sequences are generally imaginative, well crafted and entertaining; although they do have a tendency to go over the top at times; the prime example of this being when two characters are fighting in a dining hall, and a table falls apart and somehow manages to become stilts for one of the characters to stand on while fighting. I admit that it's entertaining...but come on.

Credit to the cinematography department; this film does look very nice. And it does keep the audience entertained for it's duration, but that's all this film is; a crowd pleaser. It's just too silly to really be taken seriously.

"Twin Warriors" is one of the best martial arts films I have seen, there are at least 20 different fight scenes all of them spectacular. Jet Li does a good job of acting here, he isn't as serious as he usually is, Michelle Yeoh who proved she could kick ass in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" shows her skills here as well. The action scenes for the most part are believeable, a few of them go over the top but other than that I was totally into them, if you're looking for pure martial arts action with a decent story and acting, give Twin Warriors a look.