Long hang tian xia

this is tsui hark's tribute to the 'golden age' of hong Kong chop-socky kung-fu films. although set in los Angeles, tsui makes sure he has most of the better known clichés at work here - the 'school-against-school' clash, the reluctant fighter who wants to avoid violence, the training sequence, questions of loyalty between masters and students, etc.

the film, to be properly appreciated, has to be seen in this light. it is not intended to be a typical jet Li film or typical tsui hark film; it's intended to be a Bruce-lee-clone-film of the later '70s.

in fact in some ways this reminds one of 'Ta e kou' aka 'the godfather from hong Kong' aka 'the godfather squad' starring Bruce Liang, a little known - but surprisingly effective - chop-socky effort to cash in on lee's 'return of the dragon'.

given that, the Li-tsui movie has to be given credit as both amusing and entertaining for fight fans - the kung-fu here is really top-notch.

one word of caution - the violence here goes over the top once or twice, and the film really needs to be seen by mature audiences, especially those familiar with the genre it pays tribute to.

This is Jet Li's last film of the 80's. That means it's his last film before directors and producers started putting him on wires way, way too much. Of course, the acting is horrible. This is a straightforward martial arts movie of the 80's.

The plot is simple enough. Jet comes to America to find his old teacher, and gets involved in the conflict between the master and another student. Nothing special there. What is special is the fight scenes. Jet Li is awesome in this movie. He shows off his acrobatic talent and agility w/o wires. His abilities are simply amazing. Jerry Trimble is impressive as the American student, and Yuen Wah does well as the master. The choreography is pretty good overall, and the final fight between Jet and Jerry is one of Jet's finest in my opinion.

Jet's career in the early-mid 90's largely involved wire-fu, which is why this film is worth seeing. You can watch a young Jet Li w/o wires in his prime. I give it a 7/10.

Although Jet Li is in it and as a viewer you are aware that you are watching an action (Eastern) movie, it doesn't mean that the movie doesn't have to meet a standard! Unfortunately it doesn't reach the heights of the Li flicks.

I'd even say that Jet Li is the best thing in it. And I don't mean it in any way as a disrespect to Tsui Hark (director). The thing is though, that if you're not a Li fan, than there is high possibility that you won't enjoy the movie at all.

I am a fan and can say for certain, that Li has done better pictures than this. Though this is not a complete stinker, you might want to watch other Li flicks for your viewing pleasure ...

I checked this out because I wanted to see Jet Li and Jerry Trimble go at it. And for the first hour of the movie, I was disappointed with a slow-moving, mediocre action film. But, man, was I in for a treat that last half hour or so - specifically the final fight scene (where Li and Trimble REALLY square off) which delivered all the goods I was expecting, and then more. Viewed on one of the old "Jet Li Collection" DVDs that Dimension released in the early 2000s, so poor video quality and an awful dub were expected and didn't detract from, what turned out to be, an overall above average martial-arts films, solidified by the engaging final act and a powerhouse fight scene.

Also, Trimble's mullet must be noted. That thing was mighty.

I noticed there wasn't a lot of information on this movie, along with some low rating and negative reviews. Nonetheless, I vowed to own every Jet Li movie, so I had to buy this and watch it. And I must say, I was positively surprised!

Jet Li plays the student of Uncle Tak (Yuen Wah), who is a kung fu master and has established a shop for traditional Chinese medical treatment in America. Meanwhile there is an "evil" martial arts club that causes trouble, challenging and beating up kung fu masters all over town. Only with the help of Jet can these hooligans be stopped.

You can't enjoy this movie if you over-analyze every detail and point out the goofs, which are rather numerous. "The Master" is probably one of Jet's goofier movies, with a lot of miscommunication jokes and silly sidekicks. If this isn't your deal, try focusing on the great non-wired action scenes with Jet Li and Yuen Wah, who are both excellent fighters. All in all, this movie isn't for everyone, and it's definitely not Jet Li's best by far. HOWEVER, if you consider yourself a true Jet Li fan and can withstand some silly humor, then you should definitely see this movie. The fights were surprisingly good, which made me enjoy "The Master".