True Legend

Wenzhuo Zhao has just reduced a rebel province, but he turns down the chance to be the new governor, so he can marry Xun Zhou and open a martial arts school. Some time later, his foster brother, Andy On decides to beat Zhao to a pulp and take his nephew so he can keep him safe. The happy couple wind up on a mountain with Doctor Michelle Yeoh, and while he heals, has training episodes with Jay Chou, the God of Wushu. Eventually, there's a big fight with On, and Miss Zhou winds up dead.

It's supposed to be about the founder of the 'Drunken Fist' form of martial arts. If that sounds familiar to western audiences, that's because DRUNKEN MASTER was a breakout hit for Jacky Chan. The director of this film, Woo-Ping Yuen, had a small role in that film, and decided to make an utterly serious drama about it, with evil foreigners beating the tar out of Chinese, and jazz bands playing "Sweet Georgia Brown" sixty years before it was written. Chou appears to be having some fun in his dual roles -- the second is "Drunken God". Otherwise it's seemingly endless fantasy fighting and unhappiness.

There also something that annoys me about the Chinese fantasy films I've seen over the past couple of years: you can see the fact it is computer generated. Reality has a roughness that lends it verisimilitude, and the fantasy sequences wind up looking like cutscenes from a computer game.

Beggar Su is a folkloric kung fu hero, and "True Legend" is Su's story told in epic form, from esteemed general to madman to drunkard to hero. Vincent Zhao is the titular hero, who after rescuing a kidnapped prince, returns home to his wife Ying (Zhou Xun) and young son, rather than becoming a governor as the prince offers in reward for his service. Instead, he hands the governorship over to his foster brother Yuan (Andy On), thinking to share his good fortune with the man he thinks of as a brother and who is in fact Ying's actual brother. He doesn't realize that Yuan is full of hatred and vengeful feelings for Su's family, because Su's father had killed Yuan's real father many years earlier, to prevent that rampaging man from killing more innocent people. Five years later, Yuan has control of an army, and he is seeking vengeance....

That is only the opening section of this film, directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, who is best known in the West for choreographing the fight scenes in "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." "True Legend" is full of fight scenes, some of the quite funny, some of them quite beautiful; and it is also full of cameos of kung fu superstars such as Gordon Liu, Michelle Yeoh and, in his last role, David Carradine. I find that a little kung fu fighting goes a long way, but if you're going to see a kung fu film, you couldn't find better than this.

TRUE LEGEND marks the first Chinese made film to take advantage of 3D technology as well as returning Yuen Woo-Ping to the director's chair for the first time in fourteen years. Unfortunately it seems that the legendary action choreographer has failed to utilise the new technology with any sense of skill and has also lost his way somewhat in the plot department.

The film follows Vincent Zhao as Beggar Su, a fabled folk hero in China and creator of the legendary Drunken Fist style. After his father is killed by his brother-in-law, Su goes into hiding where he is trained by an unconventional Wushu master. It's a bog standard kung fu murder/revenge plot that's been done a million times before but now with the novelty of teeth grindingly bad 3D. The new technology – only used in selected scenes - is jarring and in no way immersive, adding a strong argument to the negative effect 3D can have on a film.

However, as messy as the 3D is, it is not as detracting as the final third of the film. After concluding the revenge plot, it suddenly shifts into a completely new narrative regarding western imperialism's encroachment on Chinese culture. It's an untidy mixture of Jet Li's Fearless with Jackie Chan's Drunken Master with an all too brief cameo by the late David Carradine.

Ultimately TRUE LEGEND is a disorganised film that poorly uses every martial arts cliché in the book. A couple of decent action sequences aside, there is little to recommend, even to the most avid kung fu fan. 3 out of 5

Cambridge Film Festival Daily

"True Legend" ("Su Qu-Er") was actually a nice surprise. I had been putting watching it off for some time now, but that turned out to be a mistake on my side.

The story in "True Legend" is about Su Can (played by Wenzhuo Zhao) who serves as a general, but leaves his army life behind to open up a martial arts school. His adopted brother Yuan Lie (played by Andy On), envious and always standing in the shadow of Su Can, end up killing their father and taking Su Can's son captive. Su Can and his wife Yuan Ying (played by Xun Zhou) end up at a secluded mountain, where they live with Dr. Yu (played by Michelle Yeoh) while Su Can is struggling to regain his fighting abilities and battle for his mind. Tensions are high and the stakes even higher, as the two brothers end up face to face.

Actually the story was rather interesting, although the movie had a tendency of lingering on certain parts a bit too much, where it ended up being somewhat of a drag to watch; especially on the mountain training scenes and the tavern epiphany scene.

What really impressed me about this movie was the sword fighting scenes and the martial arts scenes. They were amazing to look at. Very well choreographed and executed. Given this being a Mandarin martial arts movie, expect a lot of wire action in the movie. Personally, I don't mind that, but of course that is a matter of preference.

And as with most other epic Chinese movies in the same genre, there is a lot of really breathtakingly beautiful scenery to be seen in this movie. Lots of nice details everywhere.

"True Legend" is a great epic movie that hold elements from movies such as "Hero", "Ong Bak" and the like. It works very well when combined, and there is a lot of action from start to end.

If you enjoy Asian movies, especially the epic ones with lots of sword fights and martial arts, then it is very likely that you will enjoy "True Legend" as much as I did.

This movie is a work of art in many ways.

The Martial Arts displayed are really one of the best I have seen in a long time, yes it relies on flying and jumping everywhere, yet the fight scenes feels visceral enough not to feel to much like a dance.

The actors are really awesome, and they managed to make one of the BEST antagonist of all times.

Now let's get to the part that almost ruins it : The Pacing.

The flow of the movie suffers greatly from a bad editing, and it is too bad because it had the potential to be a true masterpiece.

This movie should have started backwards, beginning at the end, and having Su telling his story.

Instead of that, the pacing can be hard to follow, and at the end I was left with a strange feeling of incompletion.

Otherwise, the movie is still one of the best martial art movies of the past years, and if you are a Martial Arts fan do not miss it !