Era Uma Vez na China

When most people thinks of martial arts movies, the immediate thought will be either a Bruce Lee film, or one of his countless imitations that filled the screen through the 70s and part of the 80s. And while it's true that some great films were made in those years, it's also sadly true that most were of average quality, due not only to their low-budget, but also to the fact that most were cut and awfully dubbed when shipped overseas. Being a patriot and a nostalgic, Hong Kong's legendary director Hark Tsui decided to resurrect the martial arts genre in the 90s, using one of the most respected Chinese national heroes: Wong Fei Hung. Hark's retelling of the life and times of the legendary healer and martial artist became one of the best epic stories ever filmed, the series of films known in America as "Once Upon a Time in China".

In this first chapter of the saga, we are introduced to Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) and his China, a land who by the late 19th Century is discovering the Western civilizations and is forced to open to the world. Made leader of a team of militia warriors, Wong Fei Hung discovers that a group of Americans are kidnapping women to send to America as prostitutes. To make things worse, another Kung-Fu master, "Iron Robe" Yim (Yee Kwan Yan), arrives to town and is decided to defeat Wong Fei Hung to prove his martial arts are better. Soon the skilled warrior Wong Fei hung will experience first hand the pros and the cons of the clash of cultures his people and the newly arrived Westerners.

Written by Hark himself and his usual team of collaborators, the movie is at first sight an overtly nationalistic story of patriotism and Chinese pride, however, "Wong Fei Hung" is not only about China, as it's more about changes and adaptation than about traditionalism. Through the character of Wong Fei Hung, we see a man that is at the same time intrigued and repulsed by changes, but that has to make up his mind about if he wants to be the leader and the hero his people needs. Sure, at its core it is a tale of the adventures of China's most representative hero, but the way the story is written make the story a more complex and interesting one. Literally, a story that transcends its own film genre.

"Wong Fei Hung" showcases Hark at his best, with his defined style (influenced by comic books and the cinema of his youth) reaching its full potential and enough creative freedom to make whatever he desired. Hark delivers a film that can not only be seen as another martial arts film, but also as the epic journey of a hero facing his most difficult challenge: an inner battle with himself. With amazingly choreographed scenes and a great vision for cinematography (by a great team lead by Arthur Wong and David Chung), Hark creates an epic film on the level of Sergio Leone or John Ford. "Wong Fei Hung" is a film that surely proves that Hark Tsui is more than a mere director of action films, and that the films he did in the U.S. ("Double Team" and "Knock Off") are not really a display of his talent.

Jet Li excels at playing Wong Fei Hung (one of the most portrayed character in movie history), in a performance that captures the essence of the film without making it over the top. While not exactly faithful to the real Wong Fei Hung's fighting style, Jet Li's skills showcase his enormous talent and ability as a fighter and choreographer and every move of his is perfect. Rosamund Kwan plays Siu Qun, a young woman who falls in love with Wong Fei Hung, but only creates more confusion as while not blood-related, she is technically her Aunt (he calls her Aunt 13th). She adds good humor to the film, and makes a great supporting actress to Jet Li.

Humor is indeed an important characteristic of the movie, and Biao Yuen (who surprisingly, has little chance to show his fighting skills), Jacky Cheung and Kent Cheng make great comedic performances. While not exactly a perfect cast, it's safe to say that overall they give a good job, although the dubbing for the Westerners is remarkably bad. "Wong Fei Hung" is probably one of Hark's best films, and it's hard to find a flaw in it, as it's also one of the best martial arts films ever made. Sure, it may feel overlong at times, but the film takes advantage of its runtime as almost every detail is of importance and very few scenes feel unnecessary.

"Once Upon a Time in China", or "Wong Fei Hung", is a must-see for every fan of martial arts films, and a very recommended movie to those who dislike them. The way it transcends its own genre has proved to be influential now after the releases of "Wo Hun Cang Long" ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and "Ying Xiong" ("Hero"), two films that reinvigorated the old Wu Xia genre in the same way this movie did for the martial arts genre. After this, Hark found a difficult time in the U.S. (and the flops of his two films done there), but what he did in this film (and its first sequel) remains an accomplishment rarely equaled. 8/10

The first of the new wave of Chinese movies is a masterpiece of action cinema, and looks gorgeous. Jet Lee plays Wong Fei Hung, a popular Chinese folk hero, although I gather he was doubled a fair bit due to an injury. Regardless, the set-piece fights are impressive and memorable, with imaginative wire work and use of scenery.

This is not to underplay the plot of the movie, which is a poignant view of China's cultural identity being chipped away by western invaders. As always, a lot appears to be lost for those like myself who don't speak Chinese, but the subtitles are clear and well produced. On DVD the option is there to play the movie dubbed, but please resist. Very few kung-fu movies aren't ruined by terrible dubbing, and this is no exception. The DVD I was watching had a very interesting commentary by man-in-the-know Bey Logan, a picture gallery and an interview with Jet. It's certainly worth updating your old VHS copy of this classic movie.

Once Upon a Time in China is quite simply one of the best films ever to come out of Hong Kong from almost every perspective.

Jet Li stars in the role he was born to play (in my opinion), real-life martial arts master, doctor and commander of the local militia, Wong Fei-Hung. Despite not even being able to speak Cantonese his acting in this just using facial expression, and body language is highly impressive, conveying a man of great dignity and command above the real age of Jet Li, answering the critics who considered him too young for the role. It must have been a difficult role for him to take on, with Kwan Tak-Hing (played Wong Fei Hung in around 100 films) and Jackie Chan (Drunken Master I and II) being his predecessors.

The story is very complex - possibly a little too complex - and transcends a good many martial arts films whose plots can easily be summed up in a single sentence. Wong Fei-Hung has to deal with American slavers, local gangs, a renegade martial arts master and even his own wayward (but well-intentioned students). On top of this he has to contend with his growing affection for Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) which is important as it is set around the end of the 19th century when there were great social changes in China. This is typified with his relationship with his aunt who is not related to him by blood, but with whom it would be taboo to marry. The fact that this is a series of films allows the relationship to develop also sets it apart from many Hong Kong films where any romances are usually very fast-moving and unrealistic.

The rest of the cast is extremely good, slightly more so than later episodes. The wonderfully athletic Yuen Biao plays Leung Foon, a trainee actor who wants to learn kung fu to protect himself - it is a shame he allegedly fell out with director Tsui Hark over screen time as his replacement in subsequent films is comic but has not got the martial arts skills. Kent Cheng is perfect for the role of the larger-than-life Lam Sai-Wing who is Wong Fei Hung's head student. His other students are played with vigour by Jacky Cheung and Yuen Kam-Fai.

The villains are suitably colourful, and the lead bad guy played by Yam Sai-Kun is interesting because he is not as two-dimensional as he could have been and is almost a double for Wong Fei-Hung and what he could have become had he gone down the wrong path.

The action is superb which is unsurprising considering it is choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, though critics will still fault the wire-work and use of doubles. The final showdown is a masterpiece of editing as Jet Li was injured and had to be doubled for many of the shots that weren't above the waist, but his fist techniques make up for this. The film has a long running time for a martial arts flick so for once there is plenty of time for story and action.

An honourable mention has to go the music written by James Wong, as it is one of the greatest and most memorable of all martial arts theme music.

In short they don't come much better than this. People who enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would probably love this and it should also be seen by anyone who has seen Cradle 2 the Grave and thinks Jet Li can't act. The first 2 sequels for this are also warmly recommended.

A traditional kung fu movie with elements of the Wuxia sub-genre, Once Upon A Time In China is considered by many to be one of the finest martial arts movies of all time; I don't rate it so highly, preferring my action to be a little more realistic and a tad more 'bone-crunching'.

Set in a troubled 19th century China, where centuries of tradition is being threatened by an influx of foreigners, this historical epic is directed by Tsui Hark and stars the incredible Jet Li, ably supported by Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung and Kent Cheng. With a pedigree like that, I was expecting something truly astounding, but what I got was an overlong, over-stylised and definitely over-rated film. Saddled with a dreadfully dull story and some particularly poor comedic moments, it does not entertain as much as I had hoped.

Li plays Wong Fei Hung, martial arts master and all round good guy, who, along with his students, battles the foreign invaders who are plundering China. Kwan plays his love interest, Aunt Yee, who has recently returned from America, and who tries to educate Hung about the wonders of the Western world. As the troubles mount, Aunt Yee becomes the target of unscrupulous traders who try to sell her into prostitution, leaving Hung and his men no option but to pit their fighting skill against guns in a daring rescue attempt.

Although the movie admittedly features some well choreographed fight scenes which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (as will the breath-taking cinematography), the action relies too much on clever wire-work and skillful editing for its impact, and the whole affair left this particular viewer rather disappointed.

This movie, directed by Tsui Hark, embodied some of the best Kong-fu fight sequences to be found anywhere in the entire genre. Not only were the fights choreographed with amazing skill and dexterity, there was also supreme creativity and use of forces at work here. The angle placement of the camera was always effective and the fight scenes between the hero and his enemies are set up with admirable presence and dignity. Furthermore, the editing was bold and crisp; for the most part everything flowed very well from one scene to the next. Jet Li was unparalleled in his martial arts glamour. His stern demeanor accentuated his role as a leader and a man of principle.

Jet Li played Wong Feihong, a doctor who also happened to be renowned for his skill in martial arts. Against his will, he became involved in combating the local gang, whose rivalry and antagonism was set up by a flimsy pretext. (Apparently gang violence usually are created over the most trifle of instances) On the one hand, Feihong, had to deal with the local thugs, on the other, he had to deal with government officials and foreign mercenaries.

Along for the ride were some touching characters playing Wong Feihong's students, the stuttering Western-educated nerd and the formidably huge pork merchant. The addition of Aunt 13 to the cast added shy romance, providing a nice contrast to all the fighting and constant strife and chaos.

The movie featured a convincing historical backdrop and captured the national Chinese character well, at least, the 19th century, pre-Communist era. The music score was very nicely done and complemented the film well. At times, the movie evoked as much emotion as the characters themselves.

The only problem with this film may be its overly ambitious goals of trying to tackle everything at once. There was the sentiment of saving China from "foreign devils" as well as the sentiment that China was rotting and corrupt at its core, with the Chinese betraying the Chinese. There was also the strong sense of there being too few good men like Wong Feihong, with a strong desire to do right by his country. Over all, the movie's message was multi-layered and complex and can be confusing to the unschooled audience.

Still, this movie, made in 1991, showed off Jet Li's lyrical martial arts grace in full glory and in its best moments, takes fighting to a transcendent level.