Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)

A Disappointing Continuation

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I find this film much better than the original. In the original the fights were too weak and fake. Here the fights have more power, although the one in the Cyclone was weakened by not so good special effects. Still I must completely disagree with a reviewer who almost destroyed this movie with his comment about too many special effects. "Thanks" to him I was imagining something terrible and I am glad to have watched the film! I think who saw the "New Dragon Inn" will enjoy this film more, because he will know some of the story, and of the Characters. There are better films of course, but this is a good movie and absolutely deserves to be watched, if you like intrigue and martial arts. Characters are good, the plot is not great but IMO better than in the original, and the style of fights, even if not the best, is for me better than in the original, because more appropriate to what I started to like since when I watched Hero. I would give it 7.5 if I could.

The first of Tsui's wuxai epics I have seen. Has a very gripping plot with twists you can see happening and some that come out of nowhere leaving you thinking "I didn't see that coming." I personally loved how the plot came about and left the viewer surprised, a popular review mentions that the film failed to use it's best asset in Jet Li. I disagree mightily, Epics in general are about the grand story and not the over saturation of a single character.If anything (while I admit I have not seen others in the Dragon Inn series) I felt the story wasn't quite big enough. Especially with how the opening scene led you to believe it was going. It could have also done with a slight bit more character development.The action scenes were amazing, definitely no complaints there. I felt that one in particular near the ending was a bit over the top, but Tsui was lured into using 3D technology as much as possible.Xun Zhao gave the best acting performance and stood out for her strong delivery and dry persona that told the story of her character. She was also able to display other emotions well when the time was needed. Very solid performance from her.Kwan Lun-Mei was also very effective in her role as the Tatar leader and displayed a cool dark screen presence. Overall, I rated the movie very high as it was intelligent and had some suspenseful elements that spoke to the story telling which is saying quite a bit as it still had a bit of room for improvement.True Score: 8.1

Raymond Lee is credited as the director of one of my favourite Hong Kong Wuxia film NEW DRAGON GATE INN (1992, a 9/10), but the real puppeteer is the producer Hark Tsui, the godfather figure in the heyday of Hong Kong Kung Fu sensation during 80s and 90s. So nearly 20 years later, when he decided to make a sequel of the original film, with a pristine cast (top- billed by Jet Li, Xun Zhou, Kun Chen and an assemblage of domestic celebrities from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), my expectation was quite high (as I rarely watch any Chinese films now), also Tsui's previous detective-action big-budgeted vehicle DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (2010, a 7/10) has somewhat rescued him from his career ennui since the millennium, so god forgives me if I hadn't prepared for the worst, and this film is an utter disaster. The storyline has never been at least fluent enough to let the audience know what is happening and the reactions ignited by various plots are beyond any possible interrelations, so at most 45 minutes later, I cannot care less about the story and I believe I am not the only one. The cast is quite awful, Jet Li is too old to resurrect Tony Leung Ka Fai's original role and Li is literally only 5 years younger, so basically it's just a strategy for the sake of the action part, and every earth man knows Li is not a talented actor besides his Chinese Kung Fu. So as gifted as Xun Zhou, their emotional interaction is for naught. The only saving grace if one must pick is Kun Chen, who has two different roles (including the unexplained doppelgänger in the dramatis personae), at least leaves some vague impression in the shattered hotchpotch of direly fake CGI effects in the desert, a treasure-hunting chicanery and many other ridiculous and incoherent twists.Gosh, I have already dwindled my quota of Chinese films each year to the maximum of 5, and this megalomaniac film could have successfully grabbed tons of money in the box office during the Spring Festival season does baffle me so much, is the market really so parched that poor audience would simply take anything would quench their thirst no matter how illogically laughable the quality. I feel so worried and upset towards the future of Chinese film ground, the scale of cinemas is enlarging day by day but basically is where tasteless garbages consecutively reside.

Maybe I gave Seven Swords too high of a score after seeing this one.This one is leaning towards a smart sardonic thriller then a wuxai epic - is Tsui Hark going the more subtle route now? There are the obvious and not so obvious twists. The hidden agenda behind an hidden identity. The what you think they know and what you think they know you know kind of stuff. Sometimes each interlude and detail plays out more like a setup to a joke - most of the time dry, sometimes a bit overdone.So maybe the writing is deserving more applause. The 3D not so much a distraction then a tool. But yet it feels like Tsui Hark old school humour (that is kind of charming if done right).There are hidden back stories (good they don't try to explain everything). But some are hurried along like the initial setup of East wing vs West wing.The meat in the middle where all it's happening inside the hostel for me is the gem. Everyone is careful, waiting for the wrong move, a flaw, a signal, a sign. The tension is nice.The ending CG extravaganza is a formality to the bacon double cheese burger --> to fill you up so it "seems" it is worth the cost. But still I bought it.