Wing Chun (1994) - A Review

 

Another classic Michelle Yeoh movie.

Wing Chun (also known as The Beautiful Secret Agent and Bandit Queen) is a martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1994 and stars Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Catherine Hung Yan, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Chui A-Fai, and Cheng Pei-Pei. Wing Chun was directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, with action choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, Donnie Yen, and Yuen Shun-Yi.

Michelle Yeoh as Yim Wing Chun. Do not mess with her!

In Wing Chun, Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun, a master martial artist and owner of a tofu shop in a mountain village. Since Yim is a woman martial artist, she has given up hope of meeting a man and getting married. She even dresses like a man, with many people mistaking her for a man. One day a beautiful young woman, Charmy (played by Catherine Hung Yan) comes to town with her sick and dying husband, looking for a way to help him. After he dies, Charmy needs money for the funeral. Her only option is to sell herself to the highest bidder in town. Yim "buys" her, and hires her to work at the tofu shop.

A group of bandits want Charmy (and revenge on Yim Wing Chun for stopping them) for their own "personal pleasure". After Wing Chun defeats the brother (played by Chui A-Fai) of the leader, Flying Chimpanzee (played by Norman Tsui Siu-Keung), challenges her to a duel; if Wing Chun loses, she must become Flying Chimpanzee's woman.

During all this, Wing Chun's childhood friend, Leung Pok To (played by Donnie Yen), comes into town looking for her. He wants to marry her, but he mistakes Charmy for Wing Chun, and Wing Chun for a man! As you can imagine, a lot of mistaken identity shenanigans ensue. Can Yim Wing Chun defeat Flying Chimpanzee and avoid forcibly becoming his wife, and will she ever find love (particularly with  Leung Pok To)?

Donnie Yen is looking for the love of his life... and kicking butt.

I first watched Wing Chun in the late 90s on cable TV channel TNT late at night. I loved it back then, as it was the first time I watched a Michelle Yeoh movie where she was the top star, and it was the first movie I ever saw Donnie Yen in (I had heard of him before that, though). I recorded it on VHS off the TV so I could watch it whenever I wanted, but as you can imagine, when DVDs became the popular format, I wanted to buy the DVD version. Of course, I could never find it on sale anywhere (in-store or online) for years. The last time I watched Wing Chun was probably in the early 2000s. (There is a rumor that Miramax bought the rights for Wing Chun, just so nobody else could release it in America. Not sure how true that is, but it seems to be true in my experience.)

So how does Wing Chun hold up? I think it holds up great! Reading other reviews of this movie, it seems like everybody gives it negative points for not being about the creation of the Wing Chun style, or about the creator of the style, Ng Mui (who does appear in this movie, played by Cheng Pei-Pei), or a more truthful profile of Yim Wing Chun, who was Ng Mui's first student and who the style is named after. This movie is a silly comedy, basically. I hate to call it a romantic comedy, but there is a lot of comedy based on romantic situations. I actually enjoyed the comedy, for the most part (unlike a majority of the reviews I read), but as I always say: comedy is subjective. You may not find the movie funny, but maybe you will.

Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun as a stoic, martial arts master who kind of regrets not finding love, but does not regret becoming a martial artist. She has great chemistry with Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, who plays her aunt Abascus Fong, a very smelly and desperately amorous woman. Donnie Yen plays Leung Pok To as a heroic young man with honorable intentions. He is also kind of a goof in this movie (which impacted how I though of him as an actor for a little while... until I saw Legend Of The Wolf, 1997. I gained a whole new appreciation for him after that movie!) It was great to see Norman Tsui Siu-Keung as the main villain, Flying Chimpanzee. I can't believe I didn't recognize it was him until now. He plays Flying Chimpanzee as a cocky, chauvinist jerk. All the performances in this movie are great, as are the characters.

A lot of creative fights in Wing Chun, as expected in a Yuen Woo-Ping movie!

 The fight scenes in Wing Chun are really, really good. I will say, though Yim Wing Chun is a Wing Chun master, the way she fights in this movie is not totally Wing Chun-based. Still, there are some Wing Chun strikes in there, and the fights are entertaining. Donnie Yen gets in on the action, and he does some of his great kicks in this. Norman Tsui Siu-Keung is a formidable final boss, who is an expert with a spear and a master of the cotton belly. The most famous fight in this movie is when Yim Wing Chun challenges a bandit to hit a tray of tofu. Wing Chun blocks all of his strikes, uses the tofu as a weapon, and even does some fancy tofu dodging as well. Probably the most creative fight in the movie. Since this movie was made in the 90s, the fights have that really sped up look to it. Not as bad as other movies during that time period, but it's still noticeable. I don't like fight scenes that are sped up like that, but in Wing Chun it's tolerable.

So, should you watch Wing Chun? I say yes! It's a fun, funny, action-packed movie. Michelle Yeoh is great in this, playing the unselfish hero to perfection, and Donnie Yen is a goofy butt kicker. Though this movie may not be historically accurate, it's a fun way to find out about the originators of the Wing Chun kung fu style. Michelle Yeoh is just the best!

Reviewed by David Williams

Snake In The Eagle's Shadow (1978) - A Review

 

The beginning a of a legacy...

Snake In The Eagles Shadow (usually shortened to SITES online) is a martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, Hwang Jang-Lee, Dean Shek, Paul Chan, and Roy Horan. The movie was directed by Yuen Woo-ping, with Yuen Woo-ping and Hsu Hsia serving as Martial Arts directors (Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung, Yuen Shun-Yi, and Corey Yuen Kwai serve as Assistant Martial Arts directors). Snake In The Eagle's Shadow was the movie, along with Drunken Master later that year, that shot Jackie Chan up to superstardom in Hong Kong.

In Snake In The Eagle's Shadow, Jackie Chan plays Chien Fu, an orphan taken in by a kung fu school who does nothing but menial jobs there and is used as a punching bag by the assistant instructors (played by Dean Shek and Paul Chan) demonstrating kung fu moves for their students. The only friend Chien has at the school is the cook. One day, Chien finds an old beggar (played by Yuen Siu-tien) getting beat up by a rival kung fu school. He decides to help out, despite having no fighting skills. The old beggar guides Chien's movement in order to help him defeat the mob of attackers. A Christian missionary (played by Roy Horan) comes upon the scene and breaks the fight up.

Jackie Chan plays the ultimate underdog in this movie.

Chien takes the old beggar to his kung fu school to recover. They begin a friendship, and eventually the beggar teaches Chien how to avoid getting hit and how to defend himself. The old beggar teaches Chien snake style kung fu. When the assistant kung fu instructors use him to let a new student beat him up, Chien finally defends himself. Later, a champion from the rival kung fu school comes to Chien's school and demands respect from the assistant instructors. The champion beats them up and takes all of the school's students. The master of Chien's school returns to find the place deserted, with only Chien there cleaning. Chien tells him what happened, and the master confronts the champion martial artist. The master can't beat him, so Chien defeats him, to the shock of everyone.

Unfortunately, Sheng Kuan (played by Hwang Jang-Lee), an Eagle Claw master in search of a master of snake style kung fu named Pai Cheng-tien, sees Chien's skill and is intrigued. Sheng Kuan is on a mission to kill  Pai Cheng-tien, the last surviving master of snake style kung fu, and any other practitioners of the style. Sheng Kuan asks Chien who was his kung fu teacher, and Chien describes him, not knowing Sheng Kuan is a really bad guy (or the old beggar's true identity). This all leads to a final battle between the old beggar, Chien Fu, and Sheng Kuan. There are a lot of deaths, fights and betrayal on the way there!

The master and student relationship/friendship is portrayed so well!

Snake In The Eagle's Shadow was the movie that finally put Jackie Chan on the map in Hong Kong. Prior to this movie, Jackie was stuck in a film contract with Lo Wei's production company, with all of the movies made with Lo being complete failures. Jackie Chan was considered box office poison at this time! Lo, who directed The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury (Bruce Lee's break out hits) was trying to make Jackie into the next Bruce Lee. Ng See-Yuen, owner of Seasonal Films, wanted to use Jackie Chan for a two-picture deal. Lo, tired of losing money, agreed. Finally, Jackie Chan was able to work with people who wanted to try something new and different. This was also Yuen Woo-ping's directorial debut, and what do you know, Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping were a match made in heaven!

This is the movie that set the template for Jackie Chan's next few movies, and also most all martial arts comedies from then on. So many movies have the same type of format; from Magnificent Butcher to No Retreat, No Surrender. In this movie, the relationship between Chien Fu and the old beggar is warm and caring. You believe that they care about each other. The movie is funny, but it is not over the top like later Jackie Chan movies (not saying either is a bad thing). Jackie Chan plays the underdog so well in this movie! You root for him one hundred percent!

For some reason, I avoided this movie back in the day. It looked like a weaker version of Drunken Master to me. Yes, I believe Drunken Master blows this movie out of the water, but Snake In The Eagle's Shadow is still a really good movie. This movie is the genesis of the Jackie Chan we all know and love.

Jackie Chan and Hwang Jang-Lee kick butt in this!

With Yuen Woo-ping directing and choreographing the fight scenes, you know the fights are good in this. The intricate choreography Yuen Woo-ping is known for is there, but it is a bit more subdued. Hwang Jang-Lee gets to show his powerful kicks in his scenes, and even knocks out one of Jackie's teeth for real in the final fight. Yuen Siu-tien, as the old beggar, has quite a few fight scenes; and despite his advanced age, he shows he can still move with grace. Yuen Woo-ping choreographed around his father's limitations, I'm sure. Jackie Chan fights with such energy and enthusiasm in this. He gets to show off his acrobatic, martial arts, and comedic skills in his fights. Even when he's fighting 'untrained', it's great to see how awkward he is trying to fight a mob of bad guys. The style Chien Fu invents to defeat Sheng Kuan is interesting as well, very unique movements! The fights are fun, and there are plenty of them in this movie!

So, should you watch Snake In The Eagle's Shadow? I would say, yes! It's a fun movie with great action and comedy. It is cool to see Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping begin to develop their styles in this movie. You even see Jackie Chan with his front tooth knocked out! This movie even has some weird space-age type of musical soundtrack! Watch it and appreciate where Jackie Chan came from and where he has gone since then!

Reviewed by David Williams

Dreadnaught (Eureka Classics) Trailer

 Check out this new trailer for Eureka's upcoming Blu-Ray release of Dreadnaught, a classic martial arts movie! The movie is directed and choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, and stars Yuen Biao, Leung Kar-yan, Kwan Tak-hing, and Yuen Shun-yee. The movie is about a serial killer hiding among a Peking Opera troupe, and a cowardly laundry boy who gets the guts to stop him. The most famous scene in this movie, Yuen Biao drying wet clothes with martial arts techniques, was copied by Batman Forever! Me and my brother looked at each other in disbelief when we saw that scene in the movie theater. In that theater, only me and my brother knew where that Batman Forever scene originally came from. It's been years, more than a decade actually, since I've seen this movie! I really hope I am able to buy this release, and if not, that I can at least watch it in some way!

Man Of Tai Chi (2013) - A Review

 

Man Of Tai Chi rocks!

 

Man Of Tai Chi is a Chinese/American martial arts movie released in 2013. It stars Tiger Chen, Keanu Reeves, Karen Mok, Yu Hai, Ye Qing, and Simon Yam. The movie was directed by Keanu Reeves (in his directorial debut) and the the fight scenes were choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping.

Tiger Chen plays...Tiger, a delivery person who is also the last disciple of  Ling Kong Tai Chi. Tiger competes in martial arts competitions, which he is very successful at. His tai chi style is a popular topic with the commentators! Despite his success with tai chi, he wants to use more power and force in it. His master, Master Yang (played by Yu Hai) wants Tiger to control his chi and meditate, instead of letting his chi control him.

Donaka Mark (played by Reeves) is intrigued by Tiger after watching him fight. He contacts him with a job offer. Tiger is reluctant, but goes to meet him. After an intrusive look over, he gets attacked by a martial arts fighter! Tiger wins, and Donaka offers him a job: fight people for money. Tiger rejects his offer, as fighting for money is dishonorable. Coincidentally, the temple where he trains at suddenly gets hit with violations and is going to be torn down for real estate development. Needing money to repair the temple, Tiger accepts Donaka's offer. Tiger makes a lot of money, enough to fix the temple, but he begins to change. He becomes more aggressive, abandoning his tai chi training.

As you can guess, there is more to Donaka Mark than meets the eye. Sun-Jing Shi (played by Mok), a Hong Kong cop, is investigating Donaka. Despite her boss, Superintendent Wong (played by Yam) closing the case for lack of evidence, Sun-Jing Shi keeps pursuing the case. All of this leads up to a final showdown, with Tiger, Donaka, and Sun-Jing Shi crossing paths...

Tiger Chen is an amazing martial artist.

 

Man Of Tai Chi rocks! I was not expecting this movie to be so good! Of course, the fight scenes are top notch, but the story and the characterization is great as well. Tiger Chen is so good in this. You see him go from an honorable tai chi practitioner to an aggressive, do anything to win fighter. You see him conflicted about what he is doing. You root for him to win, but you hope he doesn't lose himself in the process. Also, Tiger Chen is a fighting dynamo in this. He's got skills (and that's an understatement)!

Keanu did a great job directing, and the character he plays is a bastard!

Keanu Reeves does a great job in his directorial debut. Every character is believable, their actions and reactions are right on point. He keeps the movie going at a good pace; there are actually no boring scenes in this! Now, Keanu as Donaka Mark... Keanu has never been so hate-able in a movie! Donaka is a ruthless, psychotic, manipulative jerk! Never have I wanted to see Keanu Reeves gets his butt kicked so much in my life before! Who knew Keanu had that evil in him?

So many good fights in this movie!

The fight scenes in this movie rule! For some reason, I wasn't expecting the fights to be this good. I had no idea Yuen Woo-ping did fight choreography for this movie! I actually don't have one favorite fight in this movie since every fight is awesome in this! You see tai chi, tae kwon do, Iron shirt kung fu, southern style kung fu, and even some lucha libre moves in there, among the many other styles in the fights. The fights are fast and hard-hitting. You can also see Tiger's fighting style evolve with each fight. Keanu Reeves holds his own against Tiger Chen as well. As an aside, it is great to see Yu Hai in this movie! He is a martial arts legend. It is great to see he's still got the skills. I love that guy!

So yeah, I recommend that you watch Man Of Tai Chi. It's got an interesting story, interesting characters, and amazing fight scenes. What more could you want in a movie? Much respect to Keanu Reeves for making this movie. Tiger Chen should be a bigger star, that guy is amazing!

Reviewed by David Williams