Men qian bao di

The old master of the martial arts academy is dying; he summons his best apprentice to fight with his son to determine who shall take over after him. The son, Shen An (Jacky Heung) loses and with his dying breath the old man passes the school to the apprentice, Qi Quan (Andy On). It seems the old man had wanted his son out of the martial arts world because they were looked down upon by respectable people and so he arranged a job for Shen An at a bank, but when the bank manager insists that Shen An fight for the amusement of himself and his family, Shen An quits and returns to the academy, determined to fight and beat Qi Quan to resume his rightful place in the martial arts world. But Qi Quan will not give up his new position so easily....

If you are a fan of almost non-stop martial arts action, this film is for you - there can't be more than a few minutes of dialogue between various bouts between various groups, including the two lead characters, their various followers, some street thugs (who use slingshots to great effect) and a number of other groups. There's a bit of romance thrown in, but that is very definitely secondary to the fighting. It's hard to keep track of who is the good guy and who the bad, but it doesn't really matter - it's the fights that shine and they are incredibly well done. I'm not a big fan of martial arts films, but this one is quite satisfying to watch, even if you *do* leave the cinema somewhat confused at the end; recommended!

100 YARDS (2024) Is A Spectacular Martial Arts Romp. 100 Yards (2024) is a 1920's Chinese period, martial arts action film starring Jacky Hueng and Andy On as two rival successors to the leadership of a martial arts clan. The conflict of the story is heightened by the fact that the hand picker successor to the school is not the son of the deceased Leader, but his top student. This snub sets the Leader's son on a mission to reclaim his birthright.

Andy On, star of Blind War (2024), is very good in the lead roll; as is Jacky Heung in the role of the embittered heir. The do a great job of captivating their relative times on screen and creating a bit off ambivalence for the viewer as to whom they should route for. The entire cast of animated characters is very watchable in this.

The film is well scripted and extremely well Directed by Xu Haofeng. The film takes place, as the title may suggest, in a relatively small corner of China; however, that is never a limiting factor to the unique and interesting dynamics that the location plays in the story.

The film's story execution tackles, subtly, issues of traditionalism in the martial arts and society, the impact of Westerners in China during the period, and the desire for autonomous governance of a small sect amidst the Society at large. I found the last theme to be unusual for a film whose industry is so deeply tied to the Chinese Government, and so often, not so subtly, presses themes of Nationalism and love of China. However, the filmmakers do this very well. These concepts are part of the fabric of the story, and not an awkward aside.

This film's strength rests in its terrifically well choreographed, and well filmed, martial arts fight scenes. There are many of them, and they are all good. The film not only uses bare handed techniques throughout the film, but some amazing and unusual weapons scenes that are unique and remarkably fun to watch. The fight choreography and execution here does not rely on high wire acts and fancy feats of acrobatics, which I am not, personally, a big fan of. The fights here are grittier, and more realistic in their execution. The use of weapons is masterful. Despite many weapons being used, the film's violence never rises to the level of making it unsuitable for most members of the viewing family.

I recommend 100YARDS highly. See it on the BIG SCREEN, if you have the chance. The fight scenes and cinematography lend themselves to added enjoyment in theater. Even if the film wasn't so good in all aspects, it would still be worthwhile for the fight scenes, alone.

Upon the death of a martial arts master the man's top student and son fight each other in order to lead the organization and school into the future.

100 Yards is stylish, whimsical, a little sexy in the women's wardrobe department, and surprising with its slingshot gangs, odd weapons, and strange romance. One other thing that is unusual about the film is the plot. It weaved around to such an extent that I was genuinely confused.

The film is set in 1920s Tianjin. It includes impressive and well choreographed fight scenes and stylish costumes.

Speaking of a dazzling wardrobe one of the main actors, Jacky Heung, appeared at the international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in a pink suit with a silver dragonfly and flowers on the back. According to the directors, musicians and dancers were used in the background of many of the scenes "because they have character."

What the hell did I just watch? The character motivations are incomprehensible. One moment they are begging to fight, and the next moment they are refusing to fight, and then they are fighting as if the previous conversation never happened. Who is the good guy? Have no idea. Who is the bad guy? Couldn't tell you. There doesn't appear to be any logical reason for anything to happen in the entire movie.

The fight scenes have no impact at all. The bathroom scene in particular was embarrassing to watch as they just increased the volume of the sound effects to compensate for the poor fight choreography. There's no buildup for the fight scenes at all since it's not even clear who we are supposed to be rooting for.

The outdoor sets are cheap looking. Way too clean styrofoam streets with weird colored backgrounds. The set design makes it feel more like a stage play than something you would see at a theater.

I really enjoyed the execution of martial arts in this. The dialog was a bit troublesome, so I was glad I was able to rewind it to play some parts back. The story is okay as it is not too heavy or complicated. It's not exemplary in any way but does have nice heart to it. What I was really enamored with was the level of respect they had for honor and decorum. Their way of handling matters and disputes was intriguing and respectful to all around them. The level of martial arts was excellent. No wire work or cgi but just plain skill and nice camera work. Their moves were efficient, smooth and not wasteful. I recommend this be watched by any martial arts movie lover.