Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

So much average

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I found this Chinese film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, the title did not suggest a particular plot to me, but critics rated this four out of five stars, so I hoped it would live up to that. Basically set in the late 19th Century in Canton, Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) is a legendary martial arts hero forced to take a stance against foreign forces (English, French and American) stealing the resources of China. Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) returns to the country from America, she seems to have become westernised, and Wong Fei Hung resumes his role as her protector, but a fierce battle is growing against foreign and local government, and this also affects his martial arts school and those enrolled in the military forces. The violence escalates and Wong Fei Hung is forced to fight more brutally against the oppressors, but it is a question as to whether he can fight without weapons like the other side seem to be using. Also starring Yuen Biao as Leung Fu and Jacky Cheung as Buck Teeth Soh. To be honest I could not follow everything political and complicated going on, including perhaps why violence was occurring, besides a battle between governments and military going on, but young Li proves to be an upcoming star, and the fight sequences and colourful locations and costumes more than make up for the confusion I had, five sequels and short lived television series followed this original, a watchable martial arts action drama. Good!

I think this is both troubling as a film and revealing of Chinese character. As a standalone, it is I suppose fairly enjoyable, the cinematography is nice, the story long but intimate in spots, the fights some of them amazing. But, this is not just a standalone, it has a rich context - the protagonist is a popular folk hero, the times of foreign oppression and inept administration it depicts were real and left punishing scars in the Chinese soul.Something else bothers though. As a student of the Chinese model, I encounter this elsewhere, I believe it does a lot of bad, and turns away as many people as it brings in. What they Chinese do usually has both hard and soft aspects, Confucius and Tao would be on opposite ends of this, kung fu and meditation. When Western people are exposed to it, say with a film like this, unwittingly we register it as one picture. It endears, it's a scented romance. What isn't so easy to appreciate though is that to get that single harmonious picture the Chinese obsessively flatten their multifaceted experience, this is evident in the continuous reinvention, passionately undertaken, of both their political and martial arts narratives, and of course their penchant for opera. Naturally, corners have to be cut in the name of a tidy narrative.And this carries over in (cinematically) packaging these things in ways that eliminate subtler levels in what they do. Because the harmonizing effort is forcible, it can't help but take out of these things their soft wind, which is their real power in both the Taoist and creative sense. If you accept as I do that wisdom is tolerance and capacity for cognitive dissonance, this artificial harmony wherever encountered dumbs us down.In the film, you have the good sifu vs evil sifu, the good-natured but bumbling disciples, the evil street gang, the cruel army bureaucrat and foreign officials - all of them 'hard' stereotypes from the Boxer era, acted in a hard (external) manner. And I believe the point at some stage was to contrast soft 'chi' based awareness in the Jet Li character with hard 'iron body' kung fu in the rival master as the difference in karmas they set in motion. This has been flattened in favor of more or less the same kung fu.So hard politics, hard acting (mirrored in the opera stage and two 'fake' actors), hard martial arts in the service of mythmaking. Is there anything soft here, internal? The woman. She has come back from the West, straddles both worlds. She has come back with a camera, which she uses to snap pictures.Her eye is 'soft', stills motion, caresses the shadow of the one she loves. Too bad they didn't make more room for this, using it to cultivate dissonance, reflection, innate capacities for clarity and beauty, which could then transfer over to the fights.The music is marvelous though. And the camera glides as though on wires of its own.

Once Upon A Time In China (directed by Tsui Hark) is often called a classic of the martial arts genre and a great action film. Both of these praises are true. The Cantonese title of the film is actually Wong Fei Hung. It's also the name of the film's protagonist. The story is set at the end of the 19th century in the city of Foshan in China. It's a time when there was great concern about the growing presence of Westerners from America, Britain and France. Wong Fei Hung (a doctor and martial arts master) is approached by the general of the Black Flag Army who tells him that he should train a militia to help protect the coastal town. But things go badly for Wong when he begins to speak out against Western military presence. The local government official becomes angry with Wong. On top of that a local gang called Sha Ho Bang becomes a major nuisance for Wong. They terrorize local businesses and deal with the Americans. The Americans, Jackson and his henchman Tiger are working for the Sino-Pacific company, exporting Chinese people to America for slave labor. Another antagonist in the film is "Iron Robe" Yim, a martial arts master who has come to the town to start a martial arts school of his own. To be known as the best in town he challenges Wong Fei Hung to a fight.What makes the film stand out is that it contains lessons in history and morality. Jet Li is charismatic in the role of master Wong. Not only is he righteous and brave, but he also possesses great skills in martial arts and medicine. Master Yim on the other hand is almost the exact opposite of Wong; he's overconfident, corrupt and is not concerned about the well-being of other people to achieve his goals. The fights between Yim and Wong are truly spectacular. They have the right balance between realism and fantasy to make them memorable. In addition, the fights are very well choreographed. Wire-work was used, but I didn't care since there's no way to show such fights without it. The film's action scenes influenced many other martial arts films afterward. In contrast to Wong's good practices the film also shows some of the worst of human nature. But in the context of the film it isn't unnecessary violence. We're shown how righteousness and dedication can overcome what's bad. At the heart of the film is a yearning for the old China, a China that has withered away because of Western influence. People are blinded by opportunity and the promise of wealth while failing to see the good that's in front of them.Once Upon A Time In China is one of my favourite films. I watch it for entertainment, and when I feel uncertain. It's an inspirational film. Since it's one of the most well known Hong Kong releases in the West you've probably already seen it, but if you haven't then you should. It's the sort of film that will get you interested in Hong Kong and Chinese cinema.

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.