Once Upon a Time in China II

Two of the finest martial artists still working in action cinema (Jackie Chan in my opinion lost skill in favor of gimmick in the late 1980's) the always incredible Jet Li and the fantastic Donnie Yen (New Big Boss, Iron Monkey, New Dragon Inn) combine with the director who almost single handedly re-invented the genre Tsui Hark and arguably the greatest action choreographer of all time Yuen Woo Ping (crouching tiger, iron monkey, the matrix)to create a powerhouse of a martial arts movie. What it lacks overall in action it more than makes up for in the fight sequences that do take place. Jet and Donnie is a mouth watering prospect and they do not dissapoint. I dont care if wires were used, it takes someone extremely special to perform like these two guys do and you can do little but watch in awe.

The plot is pretty thin so I wont waste time going into it. I will merely say, see this movie, just to experience and appreciate what Jet Li can really do, before hollywood softens him up even more. The fight with the leader of the White Lotus Cult is almost forgotten between the two showdowns with donnie, but wow, just incredible

This is arguably the best of the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series (which now runs to 6). It stars Jet Li as martial arts master & doctor Wong Fei-Hong, a historical figure/legend popular in Hong Kong period pieces, much like Robin Hood or King Arthur in Western culture. It features some of the most exquisitely choreographed and executed fight scenes in any movie I've ever seen, utilizing two truly excellent martial artists/actors, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. And, almost as importantly, the level of absurdness and ridiculousness, so high in many HK movies, in the fights, humor, and story are kept to a reasonable level so western viewers won't be totally put off. In general, production quality is high, story is good/tolerable, and the fights are truly incredible showcases of the actors' abilities. It would be an excellent choice for the western movie-watcher trying to find more Jet Li films after seeing Lethal Weapon 4. It is also an excellent example of how in 20 years the 70's kung-fu chop-socky has evolved after it and Bruce Lee disappeared from the west.

--ken

I have to disagree with a lot of the comments. This is a great martial arts movie !! The fight scenes are few and far between, and the plot a bit convoluted -- but the quality of fighting is absolutely superb. Tsui Hark has managed to restrain himself and just get some really kick-ass moves out of Jet Li and Donnie Yen (the later movies in this series are just way too fantastical for a classic kungfu movie). I have seen almost all of Jet Li's movies (and several of Donnie Yen's) and I will have to say that the two fight sequences between Li and Yen are the best ever filmed. I found myself skipping over the rest of the movie just to see these two scenes over and over again. Their techniques were simply marvelous...(It was refreshing to see David Chiang, an old favorite of mine back in the 70s, though). How they ever filmed it boggles the mind. "Fist of Legend" and "Tai Chi Master" may have more colorful fighting, and the latter may be a better overall movie, but the true afficionado (and I have been watching these kungfu flicks for about 30 years) will really appreciate the quality of fighting here. Tsui Hark has distilled the essence of HK kungfu movies into these two scenes.

When we last saw Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li), he emerged as a hero to his people in fighting against the invading foreign forces that were wreaking havoc in his hometown. By part 1's conclusion, he has also come to realize that his country is going through inevitable changes and that acceptance to western cultures is the best possible answer to the dilemmas.

Like Wong's change in view, part II shifts from its predecessor's themes of nationalism and self-strengthening to an exploration of cultural and ideological tolerance. With all that said, Once upon a time in China II is one of those rare sequels that manages to cast a shadow over its original and brings the franchise to a new height.

Li once again delivers a towering performance reprising his role as Wong. Although there's very little development to the character since the last time we met him, we are immediately won over the second he raises his first kick to the sound of the beautifully familiar score. Accompanied by Aunt 13 (Rosamund Kwan) and his mischievous student Leung Foon (Max Mok replacing Yuen Biu of the original), the trio travels to Canton only to find a town ravaged by chaos and violence. Instead of foreigners being the chief baddie this time, the White Lotus Sect and its zealous leader priest Kung (played wonderfully by Xiong Xin Xin) takes over as the story's primary antagonists. First introduced by a breathtaking prologue, they are portrayed as a fanatical cult bent on eradicating all foreigners and those that follow foreign ways, even going as far as murdering little children.

One of the film's most refreshing features, however, was the inclusion of a complex villain in the form of Donnie Yen's Charismatic Manchu military commander/imperial guard General Lan. Despite being pitted against our heroes, he is a man that is hard for the audience to despise when he's telling his men not to hurt civilians or having a brief heart to heart with Wong on their country's chaotic state.

Once upon a Time in China II is without a doubt the pinnacle of the series and quite possibly the career peak of everyone involved especially for one Tsui Hark. After this, it is the slow decline for the former new wave auteur who would attempt to dip his hands into mainstream Hollywood (only to stink up his CV with Double Team and Knock Off) before taking a stab at the recent trend of big budget wuxia epic only to come up with the woeful Seven Swords. If any of you were unfortunate enough to have seen those movies I've just mentioned, I can guarantee that Once upon a Time in China 2 is the perfect antidote for you.

This is as good as a sequel can get, fantastic stuff and almost as good as the 1st, if that's possible!. All the characters were fantastic again, and the fight choreography was simply incredible, plus i really dug the awesome character development again. The Story is is really awesome, and the fight scenes really blew me out of my seat, and the setting was really awesome, plus the finale is simply amazing!. It started off pretty slowly,but it was never boring, and The opening was very funny, plus Jet Li was simply amazing in this!. i really loved the added humor in this, as it had me chuckling, and while the story is not quite as powerful, it still packs quite a wallop and there are lots of great emotional moments, plus Jet and Rosamund Kwan had great chemistry once again!. This is as good as a sequel can get, fantastic stuff and almost as good as the 1st, and i say it's a must see at all costs!. The Direction is fantastic!. Hark Tsui does a fantastic job here, with some incredible camera work, amazing shots during the fight scenes, great angles, and lots of other amazing shots, plus he kept the film at an incredibly fast pace!. There is a bit of blood and violence. We get gory arrow hits,bloody corpses,knife in the leg, impaling in the neck, and lots of other gory impaling's. The Acting is excellent!. jet Li is AMAZING as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, excellent in the acting department, had very good chemistry with Rosamund Kwan, kicked that ass, and added some great humor as well! (Jet Rules!). Rosamund Kwan is great here as the Aunt once again, although she has a lot less to do, she still was great. Xin Xin Xiongis great here and was pretty menacing. Siu Chung Mok is great as Foon and was very funny.Donnie Yen is AMAZING as General Lan, he was extremely menacing, is a brilliant martial artist, and had one of the best fight scenes ever with Jet! (Donnie Rules!). Ka-Kui Ho is good as Mak and added class Rest of the cast, are great. Overall a must see at all costs!. ***** out of 5