Érase una vez en China III

Once Upon a Time in China III, directed by Tsui Hark, brings back Jet Li as the legendary Wong Fei Hung in this exciting third chapter of the series. Li's performance as Fei Hung is as engaging as ever, infusing the character with both depth and charm.

The film shines with the return of Rosamund Kwan as Aunt Yee, Fei Hung's love interest. Kwan's portrayal adds a sweet touch of shyness and motivation to the plot, perfectly balancing Li's commanding presence. The introduction of Fei Hung's father, Wong Kei-Ying, played by Shun Lau, adds another layer to the story, enhancing the family dynamics.

However, the standout character is definitely Club Foot (or Iron Foot, depending on the subtitles), portrayed by Xin Xin Xiong. Xiong delivers a deeply emotional and complex performance that often overshadows the main villain, making Club Foot a more intriguing antagonist. Meanwhile, Jin Chiu's role as the wealthy martial artist Chiu Tin-Bai is impressive, bringing an extra layer of depth to his character.

While the main villain might not be as strong as others, the entire cast delivers solid performances that keep viewers hooked. Tsui Hark's direction is top-notch, skillfully mixing thrilling martial arts action with emotional storytelling and character growth.

Once Upon a Time in China III is a fantastic addition to the franchise, providing fans with an epic story that highlights the talents of its cast and the vision of its director. Despite a few shortcomings, it's definitely a must-watch for martial arts enthusiasts and anyone who appreciates the craft of this genre.

In order to unite the people of China and strengthen their spirit, the Qing government decides to hold a lion dance competition to promote the study of kung fu. This only leads to violence and conflict. Wong Fei Hung, who is visiting Beijing, sees this and is disgusted by the way it's being handled. However, his efforts to get through to the government are futile. He finds himself having to join the competition when he discovers a plot by the Russians to assassinate President Li Hung Chang.

This was the first movie in the OUATIC series that I saw. I was actually quite disappointed when I first saw it. I thought the fighting lacked intensity and the end seemed anti-climatic. It's not that the choreography is bad. Jet looks fit and is in great fighting shape for the film. However, there are no good one-on-one battles for him. His duel with Xiong Xin Xin in the street is short and disappointing, as is the finale against the head of the oil factory. The lion dance scenes are cool.

The story on the other hand, is really good. It has just the right amount of romance, humor, and historical background to sustain itself between the fight scenes. This would be the last of the truly historically relevant entries of the series, as the following films were either over-the-top or would not even focus on historical matters.

Overall, this is good watching. This is not one of Jet's greatest performances fighting-wise. The story makes up for it. Oh, and let me add that Rosamund Kwan is cuter than ever in this movie.

In the third film, Jet Li goes to Beijing to visit his father. Doesn't have as much good fighting as the other 3 OUATICs that Li is in, but Xiong Xin Xin plays a great Clubfoot Seven. Worth seeing only if you really like the OUATIC series (like me). 3/5 stars, I'd have to say the best part and most hilarious is Aunt Yee teaching Huang Fei Hong english, which is of course only funny if you understand and watch the cantonese/mandarin version, not the dubbed.

The Empress of China decides to hold a Lion King competition as a show of strength to foreigners; rather than uniting her people, the impending event causes fights to break out between rival martial arts schools across the country. Out to ensure that as many potential winners are quashed before the contest even takes place, the nasty Chiu Tim-ba and his men attack the other competitors, including the father of the legendary Wong Fei Hung.

Wong (Jet Li) steps in to protect his old man, gets in a few scraps, and eventually becomes involved in foiling an assassination attempt on a high ranking governor, whilst at the same time trying to make sure that the ex-boyfriend of his sweetheart stays his distance.

As a big fan of Jet Li, I really have tried my utmost to enjoy the OUATIC movies, but, even with the incredible cinematography, lavish sets and costumes, powerful score, and welcome appearances from industry greats such as Yuen Baio and Donnie Yen, the series has left me rather unimpressed.

And Part 3 does nothing to change that.

This chapter moves the action from Canton to Beijing, but almost everything else stays the same. We get more xenophobia, more silly wire-work enhanced fight scenes, more playful romance between Wong and his girl (the gorgeous Rosamund Kwan), more lame comedy, and not enough memorable martial arts action from Li. And this time round we also get lion dances. Lots and lots of lion dances.

If the sight of men dancing and leaping about in brightly coloured lion costumes doesn't sound like fun to you, then I strongly suggest you do not watch this film (lion dance fetishists, however, will have a field day!).

I had always found the traditional Chinese lion dance rather interesting to watch, but this film has dampened my enthusiasm for them more than just a tad. OUATIC 3 starts with lion dances, has a few lion dances throughout, and end with lots of... you guessed it.... lion dances!!! Sure, some of the lions have booby trapped mouths which fire arrows, and another has blades attached to it, and there's a humongous lion at the end to spice things up, but there's only so much wiggling of lion bodies, jiggling of lion heads, snapping of lion mouths and fluttering of big lion eyes that I can take.

In fact, only the presence of the delightful Miss Kwan as Aunt (or is it cousin?) Yee kept me sane. Once again, she is a joy to behold and makes the whole lion-infested film worth enduring.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

'Once Upon A Time In China III (1992)' may be considerably less epic, and arguably a lot more safe, than its predecessors, but it's still an entertaining martial arts movie. Although elements of traditionalism vs Western influence are still prevalent, primarily in the form of Wong Fei-Hung's apparent jealousy of a Russian official who studied abroad with 13th Aunt, and the motivation for the lion dance competition at the core of the story comes from a desire to prove China is superior while also somehow sewing seeds of discontent between other nations in the hope they'll destroy each other, there's a lot less thematic focus on the shifting landscape of China circa 1900. As such, the film seems to lack the keen sense identity of its predecessors, even if it isn't a million miles away from them in terms of intention and execution. Still, there's plenty of opportunity to showcase Eastern traditions (the lion dancing at the core of the story is the primary example) and to pull off several exciting set-pieces that balance wirework with grounded choreography in a free-flowing, almost poetic fashion.

There are several really entertaining set-pieces sprinkled throughout the picture, all of which make excellent use of their performers' impressive skills and director Tsui Hark's admirable disregard for things like physics. It's arguably less believable than its predecessors, at least in terms of choreography, but it's also really inventive and fun and that's what matters most. The finale is interesting because it adds some life-or-death stakes to an already dangerous lion dance royale rumble, pitting Jet Li's hero - along with his apprentice Ah Foon and his new friend Ghost Foot Seven - against a slew of opposing dancers more interested in harming their opposition than outmaneuvering them. An earlier set-piece puts the star at a disadvantage and forces him to think on his feet; it's perhaps the closest these films have ever come to showing him in real trouble, and you're not quite sure if he's going to be able to come out on top (at least not uninjured).

There's a lot of comedy to go along with the action, as Wong Fei-Hung meets up with his father and has to figure out how to tell him he's going to marry 13th Aunt. The protagonist's jealousy also causes a few chuckles, even if his suspicions of his romantic rival do turn out to have a ring of truth to them. It's never hilarious, but it keeps you in good spirits and puts a smile on your face on occasion. The drama elements of the piece are somewhat muted, but there are a couple of classic character arcs that are actually quite satisfying.

As usual, the period setting is beautifully evoked and the picture has a storybook quality to it that makes it rather appealing to watch even when its at its least exciting. There's an emphasis on outside locations rather than sets, something which has always set this series apart from quite a few of its predecessors. The feature does have several lulls in pacing and it also isn't as focused as it could have been. There are moments which make you wish for a tighter edit, which would surely have improved the end result by making it more consistently engaging. Still, its set-pieces are fantastic and its execution is admirable.

In the end, this is an enjoyable effort that may be less effective than its predecessors, but is just about as entertaining. Its action is great, its comedy is charming and its aesthetic is immersive. It's a solid martial arts movie.