5 comments about Hero (2002) (Sub).

1. First off, it is important to note that this version is the shorter, American version. While some of the changes were subtle, they do take away from what I consider to be a flawless film. For instance, the translation of Huang Di in this version is 'Our Land'. And while that seems nice, the true translation is 'All Under Heaven'. Just has so much more poetry to it. If you enjoyed this film in the US, seek out the original version.
   
   Hero is fantastic because it is not a pure martial arts movie. With Zhang Yimou at the helm, there was something else to be expected of this film- and it delivered.
   
   What Hero represents is martial arts filmmaking as an art form. While watching the movie the thought that kept popping into my head was 'visual poetry'. The amount of nuance and subtlety that Hero contains is hard to even begin to explain. But the more you watch, the more you see the little details that add so much to the film, mostly on a subconcious level.
   
   See the colors change. Notice when all the sound is pulled out in favor of silence, or of just the musical score. The power of a scream where there is no sound is overwhelming. The interplay between regular and slo-motion is used, not just for visual style, but to jar ones senses or to convey an emotion that words cannot evoke. See th focus change as the direcotr leads your eye around the screen. Notice the arrangement of people and objects in the frame. Nothing is an accident. Nothing is left to chance. It is obvious that Yimou has control over even the slightest detail, a gift reserved for a handful of only the most talented like Hitchcock or Scorsese or Wong Kar-Wai.
   
   The fight scenes in Hero are amazing because they have a life of their own. They weren't designed to "one-up" every other fight scene ever committed to film. The much touted Jet v. Donnie fight is extraordinary. Not because it is the most technically complicated or the most mind-blowing, but because it is designed for these two legends to be in perfect sync with one another. It is flawless. Even more so, it tells a story.
   
   In the fight we see the essence of these two characters. And the fight scenes just get better from there. The scene over the lake still gives me chills when I watch it. That may well be the most poetic choreography I've ever seen.
   
   What else excited me about this film is that Tan Dun returned from doing his excellent Crouching Tiger score to do this one. Except this time, he traded in master cellist Yo-Yo Ma for legend violinst Itzhak Perlman. This score is more accessible than the CTHD one was. And the music is like its own character in this film, sometimes being the only thing one hears. It complements the picture and the story brilliantly and lends much to the viewing experience.
   
   I was disheartened to see negative reviews on the internet where people felt it was a film that was a propaganda piece for China and its rule. I understand that the real Huang Di was not as beneficent as he was portrayed in this film, and that his rule was violent and short. But what I saw wasn't propaganda for a communist/socialist government. What I saw was the beauty of a culture that evolved over hundreds of years of bloodshed and hardship. And regardless of the official party line, I was moved by "All under heaven". At no point was I ready to throw a Che or Chairman Mao poster on my wall. I don't think this is the movie that people need to worry about "sending the wrong message" to the kids.
   
   This film was not meant to be any type of historical record (that's why we have history books and why movies aren't valid sources to cite in research papers). What this movie represents is filmmaking at its greatest height. The film as a true art form, combining on-screen and off-screen talent with visuals and audio that can stand alone, yet when combined, equal more than the sum of their parts. Asian film fans, martial arts fans, the average Joe, and film snobs alike should be able to appreciate this on many, many different levels.



2. Not going to ruin the ending for people, but even with the sad ending, this is one of the best movies with Jet Li. It reminds me a lot of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince. From the philosophy of how to become a good king and betrayals thereof. Everything about this movie is pure aesthetic, and art for arts sake. The backdrop is so illuminating and dreamlike. How in one moment, the scenery is very green, then very red, that it gets really fun to guess what the next color will be. Overall, an awesome movie you don't want to miss.



3. Red version: Hero is the story of one man's quest (Nameless, played by Jet Li) to destroy the three assassins (lovers Broken Sword played by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Flying Snow played by Maggie Cheung, and Sky played by Donnie Yen) who tried to kill the King of Qin (Chen Daoming). Nameless bests Sky in combat, and Broken Sword and Flying Snow betray each other, all the while fighting off the King's entire army, until Nameless finally kills Snow. At least, that's the story Nameless tells the King, who is privileged with advancing within ten paces of him.
   
   Blue version: The King disagrees. He knows the assassin lovers and doesn't believe the story. He instead believes that the three assassins sacrificed their own lives to allow Nameless the audience with the King, and thus a chance to commit regicide himself. He has developed a special move, the King theorizes, that can kill a man at ten paces.
   
   White version: Now the truth comes out. Nameless explains who he is, where he came from, and why he is in the King's palace. Nameless has a technique that can skewer a person while missing all their vital organs, making the blow look fatal. He used it on Sky and he uses it again on Flying Snow. Surprisingly, Broken Sword is against the entire notion of assassinating the King at all, a decision that harkens back to the duo's first assassination attempt. It failed only because Broken Sword chose not to kill the King.
   
   Throughout the movie parallels are made between calligraphy and martial arts, and specifically the symbol for the word "sword." There are deeper meanings within the brush strokes, a form of enlightenment that Broken Sword achieved and that the King discovers in his conversation with his would-be assassin. Nameless' decision and the effect it has on the other assassins provides the twist to the tale.
   
   Hero is a breathtaking movie, filled with balletic martial arts, lovely scenes in vivid colors, and natural settings reflecting China's ancient history and beauty. It's entertaining and moving, and the relationship between Broken Sword and Flying Snow anchors the piece. The three different tales, each depicted by a particular color scheme, provides different backdrops for heroics, drama, and warfare.
   
   On the other hand, Hero is a Chinese cinematic version of "Who Moved My Cheese" - it reinforces the status quo with a sinister charm. Killing kings is foolish, says Hero, because it only leads to more war. Nameless' decision is one of sacrifice, one for the many. Were this only a fable, the story wouldn't be politically charged. But the King of Qin went on to become the Emperor of China, who did a lot of great things. So, you know, killing him would be bad because China wouldn't be nearly as great without him.
   
   The question becomes whether or not that matters on a greater moral scale. Hero clearly makes the point that we should feel sympathy for the poor King in his enlightened state. Revenge never gets anyone anywhere. And yet by reducing the course of history to the assassination of one man, Hero makes many assumptions: about the importance of said man, about the progress of China, about our own human failings. It's a very Chinese movie, which makes it either more authentic or less palatable to American audiences. It all depends on your definition of the term "hero."



4. Hero genuinely impressed me, much to my surprise - I'm not a fan of the humourlessly one-note Jet Li, who has always struck me as a character from Mystery Men who didn't make the final cut (useless `super' power - the ability to wave a flagpole around very, very fast) and after all the fuss made over the tedious, overlong and undernourished Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was expecting the Western critical praise to translate into another tired and overfamiliar movie that appealed mainly to people who hadn't seen much Eastern cinema. Boy, was I wrong. A gorgeous looking epic with a real sense of scale and amazing visuals allied to a complex plot, I was kicking myself for not seeing this one on the big screen. Not everything is successful (the duel on the lake never quite works), but more than enough is to guarantee repeat viewings. Li's limitations are used well for once and while Ziyi Zhang's petulant acting still doesn't entirely convince me, it's surprising to find the weakest performance coming from the film's best actor, Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Never at his most convincing in fantasy swordplay movies (the introspective Ashes of Time excepted), he seems a little underpowered for such an iconic role. But these are minor quibbles with a major delight.
   
   Be aware that there is an extended director's cut available in China (the disc has English subtitles though there is a curious intermittent trademark watermark in the top of the screen), although Miramax seem in no hurry to release it here.



5. As I read the others reviews - very accurated - and do not dare to say more about this " another-masterpiece " from the master Zhang Yimou.
   I will just say that I saw it at the movie. That I had one copy, that some friend borrowed and I could not ' not-have ' - one copy to review and review.
   No. I am using this chance to say that thanks to the cybernetics I can buy from the most serious and correct seller of this planet: I bought the dvd with an estimated delivery time of october 1st - and received it today, sept 18th !!! Perfect! Brand new! Hot! Crisp! That's Amazon !

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China and America.

1. Although they managed to drag Jet Li back to the series for this installment, I personally wish they'd left the saga on the more respectable note that was the fourth sequel. Though the production values are high, with the American locations and actors being considerably better than in most HK films, the movie's plot is the weakest of the lot.
   While Sammo Hung's direction makes the best visual use of the settings, it's suprisingly the action sequences that are the biggest let-down. The number of them is fairly frequent and the choreography is reasonable, but they are just too short to hold the attention. The failure to have a strong villian for Wong Fei-Hung to battle is also a major minus point.
   There is also no attempt made to develop the characters and their relationships, as it seems the filmmakers think that dumping WFH and the gang in the middle of a Western is enough to justify making the film. It isn't.
   It's a shame such a great series of movies signs off with such a weak parting shot. One for OUATIC completists only.



2. who cares about what the indians look like, or the main bad guys overuse of an eyebrow pencil?
   This had everything you look for in a kung fu movie: action, humor and NO PLOT!!
   All the people watching this who are taking it seriously, are watching the wrong movie.

   This is the first movie i saw out of the "once upon..." series. I tried watching the first 3 after this one, and they paled in comparison.

   So if you want to watch a first rate, cheesey kung fu movie, this is for you. If you want a documentary on Native American wardrobe, go watch the Discovery Channel.

   ...




3. Well, on the outside, it would appear that Jet Li had made a triumphant return to the series that made his career. In reality, this sequel falls short of the glory of the past titles. You should know that Jet Li was replaced for Once Upon a Time in China 4 and 5. (This being the sixth) Those movies were also very much below the quality of the first two. I suppose this movie does a better job than the Vincent Zhao vehicles that are OUATIC 4 and 5, but not by much. I must say these movies are very similar. I can tell you this, the storyline deals with the whole fish out of water ordeal. The big twist in this movie is that Jet Li bangs his head on a rock and thinks he is a native american indian. Then with some coaxing from his friend, Clubfoot, (read: fighting) he goes back to normal. In my opinion the romance between Jet Li and Roseamund Kwan has never been a strong point in the series. Much like Shanghai Noon, this movie goes out with a whimper, not a bang when Jet Li fights some evil looking goth cowboyesque character on top of a platform. I have to say, the fina fight scene is sub par for any Kung Fu Film and especially Jet Li. So in the end, go enjoy Once Upon a Time in China one and two. Go enjoy the gangster masterpiece Once Upon a Time in America, but be weary of the sub-par Kung Fu/Westerner that is Once Upon a Time in China and America. I recommend "Rikki-Oh" cause as far as Kung Fu movies, it's the poorest produced flick i have ever seen, but it's also the funniest. Check it out now.



4. So Sammo Hung decided to put his name into the history books by making the last Wong Fei-Hung movie starring Jet Li. The movie starts off with Wong, Clubfoot, and Aunt 13 travelling across America to go visit Bucktooth at his new Po Chi Lam school. Wong befriends a man named Billy and they become good friends even though they can't speak eachother's language. Billy loves everything abouth the Chinese once he meets them especially their fighting skills. During an attack the group gets split up and Wong hits his head on a rock and loses his memory. He knows how to do everything he did before but he just doesn't know who he is or remember anythign liek that. So Wong lives with Indians for a while before Clubfoot finally reminds Master Wong who he is. As an injected subplot there are robbers who Master Wong, Clubfoot, and Billy have to take on in the final fight.
   
   Overall I was pretty dissapointed in this movie but it still had enough good moments to recommend it to people who have seen the other 4 Wong Fei-Hung films with Jet Li. The movie just really doesn't know what it wants to be. Some parts are over violent and while that wouldn't be so bad, Jet Li and everybody else can't make a single movement without it being wire assisted. This does become bothersome but luckily Sammo slows down on it as the movie moves along. As expected in a Sammo movie, it is hilarious at times but they should have made it just a comedy or a very serious movie and not tried to have a perfect blend of everything becasue they do anythign but. The final fight is good but still below standards of other movies in this series, even the hard to watch #3.
   
   Also this movie has to be the best showcase for Xin Xin Xiong ever right up there with 'Hero of Heroes'. Sadly he doesn't do much in the final fight but it is still a rare showcase for him. Truly one of the best, or would have been if he could have gotten more of a chance.
   
   The version I have of this movie is from China Star Entertainment Group and also has the name of Win's Entertainment group on it. The DVD is somewhat dissapointing with slightly below average picture quality and subtitles that constantly show up 5 seconds after the person has spoken making the dialogue very hard to follow. There is a 30 minute making of on the DVD and even though most of it is is Chinese, about 7 minutes are interviews with Americans and overall it is very fun to watch.



5. Okay, I have to admit that this movie is just for fun, nothing more. I think my wife and I laughed more in this Western than any Western since Cat Ballou. It is King Fu meets the Wild West! I think this must be the only movie made where there had to be more stunt men than film crew! Forget about a good story or drama - just watch the most unusual Western ever made and laugh out loud. It'll do you good!

2 comments about Born to Defend.

1. This is an entertaining Jet Li movie, but the Passion Production DVD is worthless. The picture is so dark a lot of times that you can't see what's going on. Try another version.



2. The movie is not bad, it's this particular production by Passion that sucks. So cheap!

5 comments about Legend of Swordsman.

1. I hate the fact that I have to review this movie AND the dubbing. I saw this on spike a year or so ago and thought the dubbing was the worst. I guess that I have been seasoned in watching this stupid Jet Li collection because after watching 10 or so of the american dubs of jet, I watched this again and whoever that guy is who always dubs Jet, puts on one of the better performances of his career.
   
   Now that I got that out of the way I can talk about the movie. I watched this without seeing the first swordsman. But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like Jet more than bucktooth from OUATIC. Even if the fole doesn't fit him very well, jet shows that he really is an actor in this movie. Good battle scenes. Also a good movie to watch with guys so that you can make comments about the always fabulous Bridgitte lin. She is so freaking hot I actually went on a major binge and bough ALL of her movies. So go ahead and check ou Fire Dragon, Bride With White Hairm and my fav. Deadful Melody. I haven't seen the 1st or 3rd movies, but after seeing this, I will seek them out nomatter what it takes.
   
   Truly one of the greatest movies ever and it really makes you think.
   
   EDITED
   
   
   I got the Meieh version and it is the uncut version(108 minutes). If you are going to get this movie, make sure you buy the Mei-Eh/Tai Seng version under the title of Swordsman II.



2. Hey Kiddo. Loyalty, and friendship. Swordsmanship and magic. I enjoyed the scenery. Interesting how a woman hides the fact she is a woman and her class mates do not know. Very much like the original Swordsman. La La la la la la, la la la la la. Listen to the singing of the Sun Sect. How two old men unite after many years and sing this song. Jet Li and Kiddo sing as well. How one takes possesion of a stringed instrument. Watch the movie. Makes you want to la la la.



3. I had fond, but vague memories of this movie from years back... then watched it again in this dubbed version and was apalled. Even beyond the dubbing, the movie itself is just so cheesily directed and cut that even the martial arts don't play well. It just doesn't hold up to the best of the genre, especially now that it's been taken to such a higher level with recent films like House of the Flying Daggers.



4. Fans of Hong Kong cinema will definitely want this famous martial arts epic in their personal library. This was Jet Li's highest grossing HK film and it made Brigitte Lin a star. The martial arts are entirely of the supernatural wuxia variety here so don't expect something realistic like Li's "Fist of Legend". The visuals are eye-popping and you won't believe your eyes as you watch ninjas ride supersized airborne shurikans as though they were magic carpets, sexy Blue Phoenix shoot snakes out of her shirt sleeves, and Master Wu's "Essence Absorbing Stance".
   
   In addition to the frenetic action, the plot and character development is interesting, although significantly hampered by the terrible subtitles. Rather than using the subs in the theatrical and laserdisc versions, new, incomprehensible subtitles have been added. A lot of the subtlety has been lost and I particularly was frustrated that villian "Asia the Invincible" was referred to simply as "Dawn" in the new subtitles. The whole point of the movie is that Asia has become seduced by his/her newfound power to the point that she starts referring to herself as "Invincible". "Dawn" just doesn't convey that sense of overconfidence.
   
   Each character wrestles with their own conflicts. Jet Li wants to retreat from the world of martial arts with his "brothers" and do nothing more than drink wine, yet he gets pulled into an epic conflict. Kiddo can't decide whether she wants to be treated like a lady or one of the guys. The tribal leader wants to tell Jet Li that she loves him but feels her first duty is to protect her troupe and find her father. Blue Phoenix wants to be a loyal second-in-command but can't help but mouth off one too many times. And Asia the Invincible makes an incredible personal sacrifice to bring power to the oppressed Sun Moon Sect, but is ultimately seduced by the incredible power without realizing it.
   
   This is one of my favorite HK films, but the awful subtitles kept me from granting it the full five stars it deserves. I have no idea why they got rid of the original theatrical subtitles, but that was clearly a mistake. Still, if you're a fan of over-the-top action and films where characters are trapped between their desires and their duties, this is a must-have movie.



5. Well al was as aspected although I was disapointed regarding
   the spoken language in this version of the film, While it sais when you look at the fetures of this movie the spoken language is "Japanese" a slight misstake i thought as this is an chinese movie and asumed that it should have said Cantonese but when i recived it the only language that I could select was Dubbed English. And I do belive that this kind of film loses some of its potency when not viewed in its original lanuage.

5 comments about My Father is a Hero.

1. This movie was ok, but da dubbing ..., and thanx alot to "Dimension Home Video" they re did da sound effects of da movie and it was capital B "BAD". Trust me, if u wanna get dis movie on VHS or DVD, get da orginal one "My Father Is A Hero", itz in itz original language (since I never saw da original, I think da original language is Cantonese, either dat or Mandarin) and da sound effects have gotta be better. I saw da dubbed version of "Once Apon A Time In China" and compared to da original version (Cantonese) I saw da original is WAY better



2. does anyone know if this dvd is in chinese with english subtitles, or is it dubbed in english?



3. This is a terrible release of a terrible movie!

   For those fans who have watched Jet's movie career go from the sensational Shaolin Temple and Once Upon a Time in China series, it was this movie (along with the Defender) that marked the beginning in Jet's dramatic decline.

   This movie is actually called My Father is a Hero, it has been dubbed and cut for American audiences. It is no wonder that many martial arts films are considered plotless and characterless when the US distributors cut them so only action is left!!

   The martial arts action is way below par, the kid is more annoying than Macauley Kulkin, and the bad guy's include Ngai Sing, Ken Lo and Yu Rong Guang! These are some great martial artists and the encounter with Jet should have been breath-taking, but there are too many wires and it's a limp finale overall.

   buy the asian import of My Father is a Hero, rather than support these butchered US releases. Or even better buy Jet's classic movies (most things pre-1994) + and the Hong kong edition of Fist of Legend




4. I remember when the dubbed voices were somewhat enjoyable, now video game companies do a better job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   With that being said, this movie is really bad, very little fight scenes early on, and too many stupid things that happen in what should be life and death situations. Still you can't go wrong with iron monkey vs. jet li. The whole coat fighting with jet just blew me away. I didn't like thwe little kids fight scenes, but it wasn't his fault, the wire work was just way overdone. So overall a pretty stupid movie with outstanding fightscenes, even if they are limited. This movie definitely needs to be viewed in the chinese version though.



5. The original title of this film "My Father is a Hero" describes it best. The movie is about Jet Li playing a father, who is sent undercover on a top secret mission to infiltrate a mob boss - who is one very cold & cynical guy. The mission is so secret, not even his wife and son are informed, and it breaks the heart of his son (who is obviously very close to his father in this film). His wife dies of illness while away, and he fears his son is in just as much danger, when he comes to H.K. looking for his father and also becomes entangled with the mob boss. There are plenty of touching scenes in the film, mostly about family and loss, but leave it to poor English dubbing to ruin the moments.
   
   As with most Jet Li films, you can expect a good deal of action with this one. And unlike his American films, you can expect even more action and longer fights. The only scene that really amazed me was the finale, lasting 7 minutes where Jet Li takes on the boss and his men on the inside of a large boat. The action kind of gets ruined once his son comes in and father uses him as a yo-yo on a rope to take out the guys. Its quite funny looking and obviously totally unrealistic.
   
   The movie didn't flow too well for me, as it proceeds from action to tender moments, back and forth. Just didn't feel right in this film. I might have enjoyed it a little more if the dubbing wasn't so poor. Not a very exciting movie oveall except for some decent action from Li.

1 comments about Hero (Extended Edition) DVD + Booklet Package.

1. Hero genuinely impressed me, much to my surprise - I'm not a fan of the humourlessly one-note Jet Li, who has always struck me as a character from Mystery Men who didn't make the final cut (useless `super' power - the ability to wave a flagpole around very, very fast) and after all the fuss made over the tedious, overlong and undernourished Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was expecting the Western critical praise to translate into another tired and overfamiliar movie that appealed mainly to people who hadn't seen much Eastern cinema. Boy, was I wrong. A gorgeous looking epic with a real sense of scale and amazing visuals allied to a complex plot, I was kicking myself for not seeing this one on the big screen. Not everything is successful (the duel on the lake never quite works), but more than enough is to guarantee repeat viewings. Li's limitations are used well for once and while Ziyi Zhang's petulant acting still doesn't entirely convince me, it's surprising to find the weakest performance coming from the film's best actor, Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Never at his most convincing in fantasy swordplay movies (the introspective Ashes of Time excepted), he seems a little underpowered for such an iconic role. But these are minor quibbles with a major delight.
   
   There is one irritating problem with the directors cut disc, however - a watermarked logo that periodically appears in the upper corner of the frame that can only be gotrid of by skipping the disc back a second or two when it appears. The behind the scenes documentary isnn't subtitled into English, but the feature is.

No comments about Bullet in the Head Two Dvd Collector's Edition.

5 comments about Deadly China Hero/Killer.

1. I'm not sure what movie Amazon thinks this is, but it's actually a Wong Fei Hong pic starring Jet Li. And it's not his best, either. Yuen Woo-Ping did do the action choreography so it does have great fight scenes. Story was lacking though. Please, Amazon, try to get the titles and stars on these Chinese movies correct for once.



2. Not widely regarded as an extension of the "Once Upon A Time In China" series, "Last Hero In China" tends to go unmentioned as far as guilty-pleasure entertainments go. I believe that the film's quality (though the Wong Jing humor is debatable) is right on par with the series, as once again Jet Li braids his hair to assume the identity of Wong Fei-Hung and rip some naughty miscreants a new one. Yes, Jet Li is in the role NOT Jackie Chan, as Amazon's blurb mistakenly implies. Though both actors have personified the role, it is in this film's final fight that I finally got to see Jet Li's bout at Drunken Boxing for my first time ever (thus the review's title). If he does it in older movies, I haven't seen it yet. But he demonstrates the stance with all the effortless acrobatic ability his legions of fans have grown accustomed to. Plus, Yuen "you only wish you could choreograph action like me" Woo-Ping offers us a shot at Fei-Hung delving into Chicken Style against a ten-man centipede, plus numerous other wire-fu goodies that'll put a stoned grin onto any viewers face.
   No real special features on the disc to even mention save the inherent but ever-necessary widescreen, but then again I own the HK version. The only drawback...? Where's Auntie 13 (Rosamund Kwan)? She writes Fei-Hung a letter in the movie, but that's all we get. Sigh... But enjoy -- this is as ridiculously fun a movie as you could want from Sir Jet.



3. This was such an awesome movie.
   
   Remove everything you ever knew about the Once upon a time in china series from your head, except for Jet Li playing the serious Wong fei-hung. Then make this movie one of the craziest and funniest movies ever and stick Wong fei-hung in the middle of it. What you have is a very enjoyable movie. And as much as I did like it, the music was the best part for me. For those of you that know the OUATIC series, you know Tsui Hark was the first ones to put lyrics in a movie to the Wong fei-hung theme song. Well then Jing Wong was the second. Great Soundtrack.
   
   All you people trying to stick through it all the way, please wait until the end fight.



4. But if you are a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of Jet Li playign wong fei-hung, like I am, then this will be a VERY funny movie for you.
   
   The story starts out with a some outlaws being chased by the government, and these guys are pretty tough. One of the guys took a guard by the head and threw his body onto like a shelf or something and the guys body cripples in half like he was holding a pillow.
   
   You are going to get a lot of that type of action. I am a HUGE fan of the old school peking style that Lau Kar Leung used, I love the hand to hand. And while you don't get too much of that, you get enough and the stunt are really cool.
   
   Now my favorite part of this movie are the ones where he has this CRAZY general talking to Wong, I can't even explain the way the guy was acting, it was sow eird and it was also kinda cool. So Jet is sitting in a chair and the general is asking to see his kung fu skills and the general is so close to the face(on purpose of course) to Jet's face you can just see how great of an actor for making it this whole scene without busting out laughing. CAUSE THE GENERAL WAS THE MAN, HE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES THIS MOVIE FUNNY, JUST TRY TO TELL ME THAT THIS IS NOT THE GREATEST VOICE ACTING JOB IN THE HISTORY OF DUBBING, but I will get back to this when I tell you the dvd that you should seek out.
   
   So I don't want to give the story away cause it's not that great but very very funny.
   
   So like I said in another review of this, remove everything you knew about the OUATIC series except leave wong as a serious guy. Then make everything that happens around him just a strait up slap stick comedy and see how wong react, it is absolutely hilarious.
   
   Now I wanna go over some of the reasons you should see this movie.
   
   WONG FEI-HUNG VS. MASTER KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   Beardy and bucktooth reunited, to know about this you have to go 11 years before this film was made and watch legend of a fighter. It is my favorite MA movie EVER, and I have a review on this on the vhs side under secret master. The chemistry was absolutely beautiful in that movie.
   
   IF YOU ARE A FAN OF JET LI, THEN I SHOULD GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU THIS IS MY 2ND FAV JET LI AS WONG MOVIE EVER. so in other words I rate it #2 out of the 5 he was in.
   
   BUT I ALSO RATE THIS MOVIE ABOVE LEGEND 1 AND 2, ENFORCER, EVIL CULT, KISS OF THE DRAGON, OK I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE LISTED THE ONES I LIKE MORE INSTEAD CAUSE THIS IS LIKE A TOP 3 JET MOVIE FOR ME.
   
   I'm not a fan of most of of Jing Wong's stuff, but this one I feel is one of his better efforts, ALSO JET'S ACTING PERFORMANCE IN THIS RIVALS THE 1ST OUATIC MOVIE. SO DEFINITELY ONE OF HIS BEST ACTING JOBS.
   
   
   Now the dvd that I have is 105 MINUTES LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   i mean it wass almost too freaking long for me, now how often does that happen in kung fu. How many people said in secret rivals like oh I wish they would have cut out some of the training sequences or that funny part could have gone or the final fight could have been a bit shorter? The version that I have is from Red Sun. It is full screened but the movie has a very good picture and the full screened seriously does not even affect anything!
   
   SO OVERALL A VERY WEIRD MOVIE AND YEAH JUST VERY WEIRD. BUT DEFINITELY FOR ANY JET LI FAN, SO PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME TO SEEK THIS OUT AND DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION, CAUSE IT SI NOTHING BUT BAD REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   
   Also the sountrack to this is the freaking shiznit.



5. I am writing this review without having even seen the movie itself, for the shock I got as I received this product was enough. I got the dvd, and the first thing that hit me was that the cover did not fit on the box well.. why? because it was printed on a home printer, and when I opened it, the product itself apparently was burned at home as well. Basically, I paid for an original movie and got a bootleg.

5 comments about The Martial Arts of Shaolin.

1. It's surprising that more people like Shaolin Temple than Martial Arts of Shaolin, aka The North and South Shaolin. But from my point of view, this movie reflects the young Jet Li's best characteristics. Everyone acts so naturally and beautifully in the movie. There is no other Jet Li's movie which is of such a high spirit--intrinsically funny yet simple!!



2. This is the best one out of all them, in the series. I'd give this 5 stars but the reason is that you can barely see the subtitles. But its a must see movie, i sorta understood anyway even though i could barely see the subtitles.



3. Now Amazon has reviews for the movie that I am reviewing-'North and South Shaolin' and a Jet Li Shaolin Temple movie. Now I can guarantee you that the 3 Jet Li 'Shaolin Temple' movies are great but this one is kind of a dud. I don't know why Amazon thinks these are the same movies but they ARE NOT.
   
   Cassanova Wong stars as a young monk who has to take down the majorly underused kung fu superstar Eagle Han. Sadly Eagle is in Godfrey Ho form and the action director does not know how to use him properly. Cassanova on the other hand looks superb but does not get in near enough fighting. While the choreography is average at best, they speed up the film so much we can hardly see what the hell is going on in the fights.
   
   The story is not really worth going over. Eagle Han(Han Ying) plays your standard government bad guy.
   
   2 things that really stood out to me was the great training sequence with bamboo that Cassanova has and in the final fight you will see a couple of short action scenes that Donnie Yen ripped off for 'Legend of the Wolf'. Then this movie rips off that sweet kick that Cassanova does in the finale of 'Warriors Two'. Sadly the final fight is not great but the last 12 minutes are still worth a watch for any kung fu fan.
   
   Picture quality from Video Asia is not very good but it is LETTERBOXED!!!!



4. I was greatly disappointed, because the movie that I got recorded on the DVD was completely different then "The Martial Arts of Shaolin" although title printed on the box and disk itself was correct. I returned first DVD and got another one. But again it was wrong movie. This way I haven't finally got the movie that I wanted to buy at all :(



5. This is for true Jet Li fans. Excellent Shaolin Action. And forms, speed just the exquisite style Jet Li is known for. Good story line, Only thing is the picture quality could have been better. I don't think there is a remastered version out there. If so let me know. Until then this is a must see Jet Li Film.
   
   Truly Good Shaolin Action.

5 comments about Fist of Legend.

1. This movie contains two of my favorite fights of all time: Jet Li vs. Chin Siu Ho, and Chin Siu Ho and company vs. a buttload of Japanese fighters. Just astonishing. The film is a remake of Bruce Lee's "Chinese Connection" about Chen Zhen, the fictitious student of the real Huo Yuan Jia, who Jet Li would later portray in "Fearless". This movie differs from Lee's in that some of the Japanese characters are sympathetic to the Chinese, plus the addition of a complicated romance and the school's internal conflict.
   
   The Japanese have set up shop in mainland China. Jet is studying in Japan when he learns of his master's death back in Shanghai, from a match with the master of a rival Japanese school. He comes home and immediately sets about getting his school's reputation back and letting the Japanese know who the best really is. The trouble is that Master Huo's son (Chin Siu Ho) is now in charge but everyone wants to follow and learn from Chen Zhen. Complicating things further is a plot to implicate Chen in the death of the instructor who killed his master, and a Japanese woman who is in love with Chen and sacrifices her life in Japan for him.
   
   This may be Yuen Woo Ping's best choreography, though it is not completely flawless. Too often props are broken rather ridiculously, and some scenes are a little too heavily edited. It's a minor complaint though and you won't care until you're on about the 22nd or 23rd viewing. If you don't already own it, BUY THIS. English dubbed only. 4.5/5
   
   1994



2. This is the best kung fu movie ever. Don't watch it! If you do, you will be disappointed with every other movie. And not just other kung fu movies, ALL MOVIES.



3. One of the best martial arts movies ever.The stuff tony jaa is doing now that people are making such a big fuss about was done here...
   There's even some muay thai clinching!.I saw elements of wing chun,chin na,jujustsu,muay thai boxing,aikido and of course kung fu in this.
   actually an educational film as well as a brutal,hard hitting martial arts movie.The dubbing and acting are above par for this sort of thing.The best thing jet li has ever done by far.



4. Read the other reviews but this movie rocks beyond imagination.
   
   Questions we have for Jet Li might be
   
   1. How come your other movies don't have such wonderful martial artistry, presumably the terrible "The Forbidden Kingdom" where it looks like you and Jackie are flailing arms rather than doing art.
   
   2. I'm sleepie but this'll do.
   
   The movie rocks!



5. This movie is amazing in every way, but you should probably wait for the dragon dynasty release. They do an excellent job with their Martial Arts movie releases.