5 comments about A Man Called Hero.

1. this stinks...
   
   Buy Flying Daggers, [just plain] HERO, or buy Fong Sai Yuk at an online retailer...



2. I dont know why some people have low comment on this film. maybe bcoz they have watch Men In Black before this film. Well i tell you what, its way to different.
   But i would say that the story, casting & effects we're great (but not the fighting scenes and martial arts), but still this film for me deserves a 5 star rating for its exceptional story and the kung-fu flicts.
   
   Awwww!



3. I Will Give The Film 5 Stars For The Awesome Special Effects Story Line And Fight Scenes...If Your Into Really Good Special Effect Fight Scenes This Is What Your Lookin For !!!!1 Also Try There Sequal " The Storm Riders " Which A Great Movie Also !!!!! WTG Guys !!!!



4. Now the film itself as far as I could tell was a good story that was all fantasy but real emotions. I really liked it but canot say that I appreciate the version that i recieved from a seller on amazon:(
   
   The world media version is cut by at least 15 minutes and most of this musta been action cause I didn't see shlt. I heard the movie was bloody, nop, didn't get that. Which proves, you need to see the full 119 minute version of this. Also kungfucinema saisd the pictrue quality was great, world media version SUCKS!!!!!!!!!
   
   So please people, DO NTO BUY THE WORLD MEDIA VERSION OF THIS. I am sure it is a good film, but thought it was average after one viewing and may watch it again but I was irate upon finding out I got a cut version and will for sure sell this at the local used store the first chance i get.



5. I've been a fan of the Blood Sword books by Tony Wong since they made their way to the U.S., but this movie left much to be desired. If u didnt read the comics like my friend that watched the movie with me, you'll probably have a few questions that will need to be answered after watching it. The special effects are also pretty substandard compared to other movies that have been made recently in its genre. Rent it instead of buying.

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy.

1. I love the actual real martial arts displayed by Jet Li and others including Donnie Yen in this 3pack. I am not a big fan of the extensive wire use. They make the movies less realistic. Its an enjoyable 3pack if you are a Jet li fan.



2. This is a classic trilogy for fans of Jet Li and/or period Kung Fu. Jet Li is 'wong fei hong', a legend in China. As is common for this genre, there's quite a bit of slapstick humor in the first movie. The second and third movie may seem better if you're not so into the clowning around. As usual, Jet Li's kung fu is truly impressive, although the wired choreography is a little annoying at times.
   
   All in all, well worthwhile for anyone interested in (period) kung fu movies or simply admiring Jet Li's talent!



3. Be warned that this transfer is so blurry and bad that I couldn't imagine anything being worse. It looks like a bootleg and it was so bad I couldn't even finish watching the first movie...



4. The items I purchased were in excellant condition. Recommend buying from this seller in the future.



5. First off, buy the "Once Upon a Time in China" Trilogy, not Collection. Collection has far more technical issues than the Trilogy. Unfortunately, since Amazon groups all of its reviews, there's confusion as to which version is being referred to.
   
   Second, there are 6 movies in this series. The first 3 are the ones to focus on (and the ones sold in this package). 4 and 5 don't star Jet Li. Number 6 (Once Upon a Time in China and America) stars Jet Li, but has a different director (Sammo Hung) than 1-3 did (Tsui Hark, HK's Spielberg-some would argue) and is, at best, mediocre.
   
   The OUATIC series is about the adventures of Wong Fei Hung, a Chinese folk hero. This character pops up a lot (as a child in Iron Monkey, Jackie Chan's character in the Drunken Master series). Each portrayal is very different and most aren't based but on the slightest detail to the actual historical character. But that aside, here's what the movies are really about:
   
   Yes, Jet Li's character struggles with a HK overrun with British Imperialists and the woman who loves him and all the drama that follows and. . .honestly, no one really cares. The story is an odd mix. When there aren't action sequences, much of the story plays out like a routine period piece. The story is decent and worth a look, but subsequent viewings will have you simply skipping ahead to the action sequences because. . .
   
   . . .these are simply the best collection of HK/Kung Fu/Wire Fu fight sequences you will ever find. You have an actor at the top of his kung fu game with choreographers who are given a lot of freedom and creativity to use the actors talents, all captured by a director at the peak of his powers. These fight sequences are the stuff of legend, the yardstick that all kung fu fights are measured against. Not to take anything away from other flicks of Jet's like Fist of Legend or Fong Sai Yuk, but these are the best. And to get them all in one package for such a cheap price is nothing short of criminal. I paid a small fortune to get these three films from HK before this version was released.
   
   You'll see some of the most innovative and intense wirework, skill, and choreography you've ever witnessed, stuff that makes the Matrix look tame by comparison, despite coming out years before the Wachowski's ever put word 1 to paper. Every scenario you can imagine is captured, Jet vs. 1, Jet vs. some, Jet vs many, Jet with weapons, Jet with bare hands, Jet with props=like an ubrella, Jet vs. flaming arrows, Jet vs. boss characters in the most insane environments you can imagine. I can't stress it enough, this is as good as it gets. Even skipping over the story, the fight scenes will entertain you and your next several generations long after you're gone. Simple as that. If you're into Kung Fu flicks and somehow have slept on this one, just buy it.

5 comments about Game of Death.

1. As a long time Bruce Lee fan I found "Game of Death" to be a disgrace. Bruce Lee died tragically during the production of the film and for some reason the film company decided to finish it and release it with out him. A very bad decision, because the finished product is one of the most broken and comically bad kung Fu films ever made. It's not that I'm angry that they decided to finish the film with out Bruce, but if you're going to finish a film make sure that your star is in at least half of the footage. Instead Bruce Lee is in about 10% and the rest is his body double with a Bruce Lee head pasted on his shoulder. He'll be fighting and the head will remain motionless and expresstionless, it's like a gag video from youtube. On the other hand, the 10% that Bruce is in(Not his evil pasted head clone)is classic. No one can forget his fight with Kareem and it's truly one of the most memorable fights in Kung Fu film history. The rest of the film is a painful bore. I find out fast that this wasn't really a Bruce Lee film at all. Just a poorly fabricated movie built around 15 minutes of Lee footage that only comes in at the end.I felt really cheated after watching it. For Bruce Lee fanatics only. If you're looking for a good Kung Fu flick or just a good flick in general then "Game of Death" is not for you.



2. 
   If you like Bruce Lee, then you should buy this movie. I consider it a nice collectible.



3. This is my favorite Bruce Lee movie. It arrived in a fast and timely manner. I would order again.



4. This film is great to me due to the fight scenes of course which i thought were well done. The actual tape recieved from this seller was in a nonworking condition however.



5. The Game of Death is the biggest disappointment you can watch as a Bruce Lee fan. It is not even a Bruce Lee film. It is a film with a terrible story, a stunt double, Bruce Lee's face pasted on the shoulders of the stunt double (yes it is actually like a photo on someone's shoulders), sequences taken from other Bruce Lee films you have seen before and the two fight scenes filmed with Bruce Lee before he died.
   
   So most people want to watch it for the 11 minutes of Bruce Lee where he appears right at the end. There is the nunchaku fight scene and the Kareem Abdul Jabbar fight.
   
   The bottom line is that there is a much better way to do this than watching this train wreck. The film is absolutely chronically bad and the production should have been shelved and the fight sequences released in a documentary. That is the way this should have been done... in fact it has been done! It's called "Bruce Lee - A Warrior's Journey" (2000). If you have any sense you would get that if you want to watch this for the Bruce Lee fight sequence. It contains all of this sequence and more (outtakes).
   
   The fight scene is a classic though, although it is debatable if it's his best. It is Lee with more experience and his styles are even wider than before. He also wears a legendary yellow jumpsuit with black stripes and cute matching shoes. The outfit appears in the Tekkan games with the character Marshal Law.
   
   This terrible film should never have been remastered for release in the Martial Arts section of Contender Entertainment Group's `Hong Kong Legends'. It should have been omitted from the Bruce Lee box set and replaced with A Warrior's Journey.
   
   Anyway, A Warrior's Journey is where it is at. Bruce Lee would have personally smashed this production to splinters.

5 comments about Robin B Hood.

1. From an American point of view, this movie is confusing, disconnected, and a bit melodramatic. But this isn't an American movie. Jackie Chan is Taiwanese. This is that type of movie. Watching this movie as a foreign film is quite enjoyable. A little strange, but fun!



2. I did not enjoy the previous effort of a Benny Chan directed Jackie Chan film in "New Police Story" that I was definitely worried about a "Three Men and a Baby" inspired effort. The result was mixed, but going in with low expectations I was pleasantly surprised. "Rob-B-Hood" (US release name is a bizarre name change to "Robin-B-Hood" though in this movie there is no stealing from the rich to give to the poor; neither title is very good) is the third film in the collaboration between Benny Chan and Jackie Chan and Benny's first attempt at a comedic action film. While this film was successful in Asia it was not theatrically released in North America and most of Europe.
   
   Jackie Chan and Louis Koo Tin-Lok star as mediocre bad guys Thongs and Octopus. Jackie Chan tired of stereotypical nice guy roles wanted to play a criminal, though his character Thongs is a burglar and compulsive gambler, the "good guy" nature of his character comes through quite clearly and his performance does not veer far from most of Jackie's previous personae. This role is a good step in broadening his experience as an actor. Octopus is a married womanizer who works with Thongs. He married very young to Pak Yin (the terminally cute Charlene Choi) and is doing his best to woo wealthy young women while avoiding his wife. Thongs and Octopus both work under the guidance of the Landlord (Michael Hui) a conservative criminal who hoards his theft while the other two spend their "earnings".
   
   The Landlord has had his loot stolen by another criminal (he suspects everyone after this) so he allows himself to get contracted to a nefarious case to kidnap a baby for seven million dollars and give the infant to the possible grandfather to test if the baby is his sons (the son is dead and currently frozen in a very expensive decorated freezer). Thongs and Octopus both need the money so they acquiesce and help the Landlord with the felony. Of course, Thongs and Octopus, through a partially botched kidnapping attempt, are forced to take care of the cute defecating infant until they can reestablish getting the kid to who hired them. And, of course, they get attached to the baby (I cannot believe the baby got nominated for Hong Kong Film Award's Best New Performer category).
   
   Some of the negatives of this film include the ill-defined female characters (it seems they would have been better characterization in the original three-hour workprint, but that meant a whole lot more exposition); especially Gao Yuan-Yuan's Melody character who I had trouble figuring out what her relationship with Thongs was the first time I watched this. Some of the baby poop jokes were overdone as well as some of the infant's scenes in general (reportedly the child was an enfant terrible on the set; delaying shooting and helping push the film over budget). There is only so much you can do with a babbling, spitting, crying child with flatulence. Yuen Biao's Inspector Steve Mok character is definitely underused (as well as Michael Hui), though at least he gets more than a cameo in this film. And then there is the horrible overuse of Pepsi advertising including one scene where Jackie slides down a pole revealing the largest Pepsi graffiti I have ever seen.
   
   I did end up liking this film though. There is a certain congenial innocence with the lead characters that works well in this comedic action hybrid. In most Jackie Chan movies there are little stunts that sometimes seem as throwaways but are quite dangerous and are done with Keatonesque ease. In this movie Jackie slides down a staircase column and props himself up with ease at the end. If he fell on the wrong side he could have been seriously injured, but since it is so effortlessly it seems so simple. Jackie Chan has used more wires in his stunts and it definitely shows in this film, but I do not fault him for it, since his body cannot handle the punishment like it used to. The stunt where he jumps from air conditioner to air conditioner to the bottom of the street is impressive (even if a wire was used) and his and Louis Koo's stunts in the amusement park owned by the grandfather (location was Ocean Park) were quite good. In fact Jackie was said to be impressed of Koo who was willing to do many of his own stunts in the movie.
   
   There could have been more fighting in this movie but there is a good scene in the apartment of Jackie between Jackie, Yuen Biao, Ken Lo and more. It is inspired by a similar scene in Project A (this is also mentioned in the Benny Chan commentary), but still pleasant. While there are many faults in this film and I think that many action purists will not like this film, I found much that was enjoyable from the comedy to the action and stunts. Now please Jackie no more movies with babies.
   
   ***½/*****
   
   The extras on the Dragon Dynasty DVD are quite good though they have stupendously stupid names. The best is a 39 minute interview with Jackie Chan named "Crashing the Hood." In this he talks about how he wanted to be more serious as an actor and how he wanted to play more of a bad guy (this would be repeated on most of the extras) and how he had trouble passing the script through China. He talks about how he wants to work with more of his Peking school brothers (Sammo Hung and Yuen Wah) and some of his experiences with Michael Hui on "Cannonball Run." He even talks about his changing belief in CGI, how he channeled his Mom's stroke into this character and his non-use of storyboarding. He does make a mistake stating that this is his first main bad guy role (that would be "Killer Meteors" (1977) plus he did a couple of "thug" roles even earlier in his career). The most telling quote is when he states "I control the whole movie" dispelling any notion of the director as auteur for this film especially since this movie is produced by Jackie's company JCE Movies Limited.
   
   "The Hand That Mocks The Cradle" is a 16 minute interview with Benny Chan that repeats much of what is in the commentary except that he does state that Jackie Chan micromanages much less now then he did when he first directed him in "Who Am I." "Baby Boomer: A featurette with costar Conroy Chan" (14m) is interesting because of so much of what Conroy actually does. He is an X-Games promoter, was an electrical engineer in college, is a rap group member and has an Australian accent. However, he has a small role in the film. "Playtime for Adults: On the Site of Robin B. Hood" (22m) and "Robin-B-Hood: An Original Making Of" (22m) are typical "making of" fare that were originally (along with the director's commentary) put out on the R3 release. Luckily those two features have scenes of Yuen Biao being interviewed.
   
   Now where are the deleted scenes?
   
   The audio commentary by Benny Chan (with two interviewers who do not state their names), which was ported over from the R3 disc, is informative if not a bit dry. The Dragon Dynasty cover has a mistake in advertising stating that Bey Logan is on the commentary. He is not -- to the condemnation of some and to the happiness of others. Benny Chan talks much about how many scenes were cut (the work print of the film was three hours long; though he states he prefers the shorter version; thank goodness) and that most of the cut scenes were non-action. He also talks about some of the influence of Project A and Winners and Sinners. It was the first comedy for Benny Chan and Benny talked about how the baby was very difficult - this was echoed in much of the extras. Most of the commentary was scene-by-scene discussing where the missing scenes were, who some of the cameo actors are and his personal feelings on several scenes such as his struggling with the rationale of the "shocking" scene toward the end.



3. I got to this review page searching for when this movie was really made.
   
   I considered JC's action scenes in Rush Hour III as an indication he was ready for the "Over-the-Hill Gang", and told myself Robin B Hood was dragged out of a Taiwan vault.
   
   But I was sucked in by the hype on the box, and it did live up to it. The action scenes are reminiscent of earlier films, and it was good to see it was made recently.
   
   Confusing? Absolutely, especially in the first half. Thongs, Landlord and Octopus' characters in the early action scenes segue not at all into some of the other first-half "personal" scenes. I had to rewind to connect Octopus to the early action scenes with the later scenes of him being a total jerk to his wife. Is this that guy we saw earlier, dear?
   
   But, I agree with another reviewer: this is not an American film. Maybe we are too used to characters and plots that follow steps 1,2 and 3.
   
   In the end, I think the plot and character relationships were resolved satisfactorily. Not perhaps to the standard of a professional thriller, but definitely beyond the expectations of a B-action movie.



4. The great, unbeatable, real life actionman Jackie Chan is ageing. This of course is not new or shocking information, but it is true. Therefore he has shifted focus a bit in his new film, "Robin B Hood" (for which the English name in China interestingly enough was 'Rob-B-Hood', which to my ears at least sounds a bit better). Although he still fights and leaps and such, it is no longer the main act. The comedy takes over, and I must say, quite succesfully.
   
   There is one big problem with this though. While action and leaping around is universally understood, humour varies from one end of the world to another, and I think that there is a bit of that going on here. If you understand Chinese and Chinese culture and or cinema history, you will probably see more funny things in this film than if you don't. There are still plenty of things that are easily recognized as humourous, but many of the references and a lot of the dialogue is better if you speak Chinese. Nothing surprising about that really.
   
   I think there are enough leaping and figthing (and a visit from Yuan Biao) to keep genre fans happy, and enough humour to keep anyone else satisfied. In short: I think it is a good film. Highly recommendable.



5. After regaining some of the ground he lost in Hollywood with his last couple of Hong Kong films, Jackie Chan takes a big step backwards with the overlong Rob-B-Hood, a downmarket three bad men and a baby romp that offers limp gay jokes, comic relief mental illness, family bonding and child endangerment for all the family. There is one fairly good action sequence at the halfway point as well as a neat stunt that sees him jumping down a building via the air conditioning units, but you definitely get the feeling that Chan's no longer pushing himself but is just doing what he knows he can still do while Yuen Biao is mostly wasted in a nothing bit part. He's made worse, but that's hardly a recommendation.
   
   Dragon Dynasty's 2-disc set the theatrical version with audio commentary. There's also a variety of interviews and featurettes, but the film is such heavy going you quite possibly won't want to spend any longer on it once you've seen it.

5 comments about The Prodigal Son.

1. back in the early 1980's high speed action was 1st introduced and the one who took advantage of it was sammo hung who directed this epic masterpiece and yuen woo ping and others converted over as well. this movie shows the speed, rhythm, power and grace of wing chun kung with absolutely NO WIRE AND ROPE STUNTS. its stars yuen biao, sammo hung, lam ching ying, peter chan lung, frankie chan, lee hoi sang, wei pai, and james tien along with dick wei and chung fat. now lam ching ying steals the show and yuen biao anf frankie chan performed exceptionally well, but yuen biao did a poor job of faking his kung fu because its obvious he's a master at his craft haha. fox releases of hong kong action films are the best up to date. digitally remastered sound and picture with cantonese and english audio and subtitles. so pick this up it is like i said a definite epic masterpiece.



2. The first time i watched this flick i thought it was sorry and gave it 1 star but after seeing all the good reviews i decided to check it again and it looked like a different movie. The fight scenes are awesome. I wish they had a lasted a little longer. This is a great movie and a collectors item maybe a little overrated but still worth buying. I guess i didn't really watch it the first time



3. "Prodigal Son" has the absolute best authentic Wing Chun fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The movie starts off kinda slow and the Cantonese Opera scenes will probably turn off many viewers, however, if you can get past the first half of the movie it gets much better. Basically, when Sammo Hung appears in the movie and the training starts - that's when it gets worth watching. Overall, I would say the movie has some good fight scenes and some decent comedy, but Kung Fu students, particularly Wing Chun practitioners, will probably enjoy this movie more than others.



4. A definite must for any kung-fu flik afficianado. One of the few movies that display Wing Chun in action, and hilarious to boot. If you're not up for buying the DVD, Amazon also has the option to download the movie for $4.



5. Someone owes me an apology because I didn't see this sooner. Probably the white man. I've been in to kung fu for years and had never seen this until yesterday. What up with that? Out of all of Sammo's ground-breaking films, I've never even seen this in a store. I've seen "Iron-Fisted Monk" and "Warriors Two" in the store, but not "The Prodigal Son"? That makes no sense at all. While I like the other two, this one blows them away. It's by no means perfect, but what is?
   
   This movie wastes little time. Yuen Biao is the self-proclaimed town champion, not knowing that all his opponents are bought off by his old man. After getting his tail kicked by a cross-dressing, eyebrowless opera star (Lam Ching Ying, who's excellent), he begs the man to teach him real Wing Chun. The man declines, of course, so Biao joins the opera for the sake of persistence. After the opera troupe is wiped out by hired goons, Lam takes Biao home to teach him, with the aid of Lam's brother (Sammo Hung, who directed and is pretty amazing himself).
   
   The story is really nothing great, but the fight scenes totally are. Absolutely magnificent. You feel every hit, even every block. And talk about fast. The widescreen digital remastering job and optional English dub only makes it that much better. Some things did bother me; like how the slaughter of about 20 dudes seems like no big deal; and how Sammo isn't in this long enough, and doesn't really fight anybody. Those complaints aside, this flick rocks and is a crucial addition to any kung fu collection.

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China #1.

1. Jet Li chinese movies are very entertaining. If you don't know this already and like martial arts, get it.



2. Jet Li is Wong Fei-Hung, a Chinese leader, who is also skilled in martial arts. Wong Fei-Hung is seeing the influence of the USA and England in China, and he attempts to learn some things about it in an effort to slow it down, since people he personally knows are enchanted by the allure of advanced technology and gold.
   
   The film is set in the 1900's, as one of the supporting characters uses a first-generation camera for photography. This film is about 20% action, 80% story, so it is not a continuous kung fu fest. Jet Li was in his 20's when he made this film, so if you want to see what he was like before he became a superstar, this film is worth seeing-especially if you consider the low price it typically commands ($7-$10 brand new).



3. I was definitely in the mood for Jet Li, and thus I grabbed "Once Upon a Time in China." The movie is about Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li) a Chinese martial arts expert who protects the Chinese people from the foreignors (British and Americans) invading his land. Fei-Hung starts a militia to help protect the people, and they wind up getting in trouble by fighting with a local mob group. Fei-Hung also runs afoul with the local Magistrate who is kowtowing to the foreignors. Fei-Hung later fights with another martial arts expert, Iron Vest Yim, who wants to start his own Martial Arts school. All the plots come to a climax on the American base, where the Americans shoot at the British and Chinese, while trying to steal Chinese women to bring back to America. Yes, the plot is a bit out there, but the martial arts scenes are outstanding. Especially the final fight scene between Fei-Hung and Iron Vest!
   There is alot of comedy intermixed in the storyline also. One of the funniest scenes, is where a Western camera is brought to Fei-Hungs house, and a picture is to be taken of him, another person and a bird. The camera goes off with a boom, and the bird inside the cage is turned to fried chicken! Pretty hilarious.
   The picture quality is not the greatest for a DVD, but still very watchable. How can you not love the martial arts scenes in this movie?
   There are some extras on the DVD:
   
   * There is a commentary from martial arts reviewer Ric Meyers.
   * 5 movie trailers, including one for "Once upon a time in china"
   * Talent files for Tsui Hark, Jet Li, and Rosamund Kwan. The files were a bit underwhelming, and they did not have a full bio for all of Jet Li's movies.
   The DVD also has 2 versions. The original Theatrical version and the English dubbed version. I watched the cantonese version, with English subtitles which was fine!



4. An Incredible kung fu movie! I recommend it to all martial arts lovers and fans of Jet Li. If one admires good kung fu fighting and interesting plot - this is it! This and the rest 2 parts of the trilogy are the best movies that Jet Li has done! I love it!



5. Despite the martial arts filled story, the movies best scenes are of portrayal of Chinese persecution. It portrayed the hard choices that had to be made to respect your leadership or to follow your need to make it right. In the end, movie is not amazing in contrast to the next Once Upon a Time in China 2, but it is a good movie to watch.

4 comments about Above the Law.

1. This movie, directed by Corey Yuen, the master of developing "fun" fight scenes. The movie stars a younger Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, Karen Sheppard, Pete Cunningham just to name a few. The plot, predictable, the dialogue whether in English or Cantonese, is often obvious and not very clever; but, this movie, judged on its own terms excel where many of this genre fails. There is a plot and the fighting is always in relation to it.
   
   And, it is here, in the fight scenes that one can indulge in martial mayhem! This is a young Rothrock and she is at some of her best (actually, her Hong Kong films far surpass any of her American work). The fight scene with Karen Sheppard is just fantastic! There is so litle work of Sheppard on film, that this makes the movie even more of a treat. Of course, Biao is great and one will enjoy his fight scene against Pete Cunningham.
   
   These fights are great and fun and Rothrock and Biao fans will you it.



2. Yuen Biao stars as a vigilante defense attorney. When all of his witnesses are killed, he looks to take matters into his own hands. Cynthia Rothrock stars a mahjong playing, kung fu fighting policewoman, and Melvin Wong stars as the dirty police chief. The story has many illogical things happening, but if you have seen a lot of Hong Kong films, you know they do whatever they have to do to move onto the next fight scene. Fan Siu Wong has a great role as a young punk. He doesn't get to do any action, but it is pretty hard to believe that this is the same kid who only 5 years later would attain a physique that even Bruce Lee would have marveled at. So to sum the movie up briefly, Biao and Rothrock finally figure out Melvin Wong is the bad guy, and it all leads to a spectacular finish.
   
   The story is not bad, but the action is definitely the best thing about this movie. Yuen Biao gives one of his very best physical performances, and Rothrock has a few nice fights including one of the better woman on woman fights of all time against Karen Sheperd. I always love to see the chain rope in action, and Karen Sheperd seems to be very skilled using it. Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham plays an assassin and has my favorite fight of the movie against Biao. They don't pull any punches and it is very intense. The final fight is good, but then there is a thrilling chase sequence that I was not expecting at all. Don't give up on this movie half way through if you don't like it, the last 30 minutes are worth a watch for any fan of action cinema.
   
   3.5/5
   
   Picture and sound quality are VERY good, and big thanks to Dragon Dynasty for including the original Cantonese mono track.
   
   Special features are as good as it gets. The alternate ending is interesting, the commentary from Bey Logan is filled with good information, and the interviews are worth the price of the DVD alone. 18 minutes with Peter Cunningham, 17 with Yuen Biao, and 13 with Rothrock. All the interviews are so good, I can't name a favorite. There is no way I could go over all the great things that are brought up, but here is a small taste of Rothrock's interview- "Yuen Kwai (the director) was a lot tougher on me than Sammo Hung. I would tell him I don't think I can do this and he would say yes you can, practice here for 2 hours."



3. I just got that new Dragon Dynasty version of the film, though I'd never seen it before last night. Haven't watched any of the extras yet, though from what I've read elsewhere this is the "downbeat" Cantonese cut of the film. I must admit I'm disappointed in the film, though can still justify a decent score. I really liked Yuen Biao as well as the lead villain. I just realized that Bad Egg was played by the director, haha. The film had some big laughs, perhaps occasionally unintentional, but also some great action.
   
   There were a lot of problems with the editing and stunt-work though. I know they make these movies fast and for not much money, but this one seemed cut together more carelessly than most. Also, despite how talented all the stunt people and the leads are in the film's action scenes, there were way too many moments where I saw wires or could clearly see the faces of stunt-doubles. Especially for Rothrock. Sometimes they'd put makeup on the guy. And one of the doubles for her looked like Biao himself. I know you can never be perfect with such things, but it was just much more obvious than in many other films of the genre that I've seen.
   
   On sort of a side note, you ever notice the ramp effect with vehicles in action movies? The most common example would be of a speedboat hitting the low end of another boat and rocketing through the air. You occasionally see this with cars too. Here in Above the Law a.k.a. Righting Wrongs, you see it with a car chasing down Yuen Biao going off of a parked car. Of course the car is in front of a railing up high on a multi-level parking garage. And I don't know my models but it's probably a Mitsubishi since they made it into EVERY Hong Kong action movie in the 80s. But the parked car wasn't particularly low to the ground. The moving car didn't hit any objects to lift it's front end up. It just jumps the other like a ramp. I don't know if this is really a complaint. It was odd, but hysterical.
   
   If we're talking recommendations and I have to exclude anything with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, or Jet Li, I'd recommend any of the first four In the Line of Duty movies over this. But it's still a decent action movie and any fan of Yuen Biao in particular really needs to see it.



4. I absolutely love Yuen Biao, in fact; I think he may be the most underappreciated GREAT martial artist ever. So it pains me to say that this movie is altogether mediocre at the very best. None of the acting is good enough to make any of the characters compelling and the dialogue is jilted and forced(even for this type of film) when not busy being downright painful. As another reviewer mentioned, the stunt work and fight scenes seem overly edited and even sloppy at times. The music... oh boy, this may be as bad as I've ever heard(stock tunes or even nails on a chockboard would've been preferred) and is literally bad enough to dock the movie a star all on its own. All that being said, you do get some good and even great action. The first fight between Yuen and Cynthia Rothrock is fast and tight and they compliment each others styles well. The next solo fight Yuen takes on former kickboxing champ Peter Cunningham in a brutal give-and-take fight with plenty of big shots and broken glass. My favorite Yuen part was the entire parking garage scene that begins with him being ran down by cars before breaking into a brawl against a bunch of goons. Shocking to me though, was that arguably the best fight of the movie is a ladies only scrum between Rothrock and Sheperd! I would agree with fellow reviewer Morgoth when he states that it's "one of the better woman on woman fights of all time." If you are a fan of Yuen or just martial arts action movies in general you could certainly do worse, but this is far from the best the genre has to offer. For all those looking for a review for the Steven Seagel film of the same name... sorry to waste your time (and sorry you're looking for that!).

5 comments about Warriors Two.

1. I am always looking for great kung fu movies, and of course the really unique ones are the older ones. I was not let down with this great film. I have seen it twice and will watch it again sometime, wish i had a kung fu buddy to watch these films with . The story was great and easy to follow. The fight scenes have to be some of the best except for the fight between sammo and that idiot with the bowl on his head , i mean seriously sammo should have just killed him right away! The fights are better than stuff i see today , sometimes they are so well done that i cant help from smiling cause its so cool. The only bad parts of the movie are when the teacher gets killed and the woman gets stabbed with two swords, i was very sad when they died. The pray mantis style you have to see in this movie! If you love this stuff you need to get this movie !



2. Already an established actor and action director, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo's plethora of talents would be in full display when he helmed the director's chair for his third directorial film (after Iron Fisted Monk and Enter the Fat Dragon) during the golden age of Golden Harvest. Warriors Two is the first of two excellent Sammo Hung films, with Prodigal Son being the second, involving Leung Jan, a herbalist, doctor and teacher/practitioner of the martial art Wing Chun (a true renaissance man) in Foshan. This cinematic treatise on Wing Chun is a pleasure to watch because of the reverence that Sammo has for this discipline.
   
   Warriors Two starts with Leung Kar-Yan (forever known as Beardy) in one of his greatest stoic performances as Leung Jan and his best known pupil Chan Wah Shan aka Cashier Wah, who would go on to teach Yip Man (sifu of Bruce Lee), fighting each other in the outdoors to introduce the movie. Korean martial artist Casanova Wong plays the student in a rare robust role that showcases his athletic ability (though not always in the Wing Chun mode, but making up for with an awesome kicking ability). It is amazing that Leung Kar-Yan with no martial art background before he started acting can adapt so well in these precise roles. I have read that is why Sammo has worked with him many times because of his adaptability and the fact that since he is not "prejudiced" to a specific style of Kung Fu so he can imitate most forms very effectively.
   
   Sammo Hung does well in his supporting role as Fat Chun a student of Leung Jan and is the effective comic relief in this movie (Dean Shek is quasi-comedic). He is also the catalyst for the crux of the film. After the credits role past, Sammo (rotund but actually looking in good shape) starts off as a rice dumpling salesperson that eats too much of his supplies and eventually gets tricked out of the rest. Because of this he becomes a manure mover where he cannot eat (I hope) the supplies.
   
   Cashier Wah works for Boss Mo (Fung Hak-On who surprisingly looks like an anachronistic Next Generation Klingon; though there is a reason for that strange appearance) a wealthy merchant who has plans to become mayor. Wah overhears the devious plan for Mo to accomplish this and goes and tells a clerk named Chiu (Dean Shek) who is actually working for Mo. Chiu tells Wah to go to the Temple of Light to tell the mayor there, but that (of course) is a set-up. Wah escapes from this and is eventually is saved by Sammo. Wah's mother is killed and this leads him to become a student of Leung with Chun's trickery. And like every movie that showcases a martial art there are the training sequences and philosophy behind the fighting.
   
   There are not too many faults with the film. It could have had more emotional content like Prodigal Son, but the sagacious action scenes do make up for a lot. It could have made better use of Phoenix (Cheung Man Ting) whose martial arts should not have been so bad being a niece of Leung; luckily this film is no where near as misogynistic as Sammo's first film Iron Fisted Monk. Dean Shek's character as Clerk Chiu was overused, not always funny and hurt the pacing of the final act. Also what happens to Leung Jan is not historically accurate (not much of a spoiler but you can ignore the rest of the parentheses if you like; he retired and moved to his ancestral village of Gu Lao) But these are just quibbles.
   
   There is so much to like. The action scenes by Hak-On and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai are awesome. There are constant martial art fighting throughout the film including a good fight between Lau Kar-Wing and Lee Hoi-Sang and the excellent finale between Mo's Ground (She) Praying Mantis which is supernatural but does not seem out of place and Wah's hybrid Wing Chun. Cassanova Wong does this absolutely beautiful spinning kick across a table that is highlight in this film. There are many more good fight scenes that showcase Wing Chun with sticky hands, six-and-a-half point staff, Eight Chop Swords (Butterfly Swords), one-inch punch power, Wing Chun dummy, wooden men and many other aspects of this great martial art. One of Sammo's best attributes as a director/actor is that he showcases people's abilities without putting himself first and this really shows in this film. Leung Kar-Yan is perfectly cast. There are great small roles with Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, and (try to spot) Yuen Biao. Also, this movie has the best use of a metaphorical fruit (or is it a squash) and the staff that destroys it.
   
   I have the Fortune Star/Fox R1 release that has a great picture but has some annoying sounds. There is no official mono (downmix of the 5.1) and many sound effects sound exaggerated especially the punches and kicks. There is also the case of a Cantonese version of Elvis's "Don't Be Cruel" that has supposedly replaced the original song in an early teahouse scene (I haven't been able to confirm this since I haven't heard the original Cantonese and have only read second-hand accounts like the loveandbullets site). Luckily since this was a later wave of Fortune Star releases the subtitles are not dubtitles though they seem to have Mandarin translations of names (Liang Tsan instead of Leung Jan and Yung Chun instead of Wing Chun). Even though this has no extras (The HKL R2 release has a lot of desirable extras) it is an inexpensive treat for a must have martial art film.



3. I am a Wing Chun student and also a fan of martial arts films, especially Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. I have seen various styles of kung fu/wu shu in film, but rarely Wing Chun. This is a great review of techniques in action.
   
   We learn the Cantonese words and numbers in class, and it is cool to see them right in the movie. I like the intro segment and of course the training sections at the school with Siu Lim Tau, Chum Kiu, and a bit of Biu Gee, as well as the pole (Lok Dim Boon Gwan) and even some Bak Jom Dao (butterfly knives). There is also wooden dummy work and a room with 2 wooden dummies that come out at cashier Hua to help train his skills.
   
   It is great to see techniques like tan sau, pak sau, fook sau, gan sau, kwon sau, fak sau, blindfolded chi sau, pole forms, inch punch, rooting energy, etc. Sammo Hong is also entertaining and incredible. He is joking around and yet kicking butt (like Jackie Chan is known for). Later in the movie he fights an opponent in the dark in a bamboo forest. Cool.
   
   Overall I am very pleased with this movie and is the best wing chun movie I have seen apart from the training videos my sifu has made. This is entertaining and educational. (and it also is a bit funny to hear the sound of horseshoes on cobblestones when the horses are running on dirt or through the water! ha.)



4. The great Sammo Hung does it all here... directing, choreographing, and of course, starring in this highly entertaining staple of the genre. Warriors Two doesn't bring anything particularly new to the party but it does have a fantastic cast spearheaded by Leung Kar Yan (in maybe his best role) and Casanova Wong and rounded out by typecast villian standbys Lee Hoi San and Fong Hak On (both always great). Sammo plays the loveable lump known as "Porky" and sports the best hairdo of his career (the Friar Tuck look)! What this film does a truly fantastic job of (as noted by all the other fine reviews) is give you a thourough and informative look at the Wing Chun style of fighting... beyond "Prodigal Son" (another Sammo classic) you'll never see it done better than here. The movie has a few problems though including it's use of humor. Don't get me wrong, some of it is actually pretty good (Sammo's opening scene with the pork buns had me grinning like an idiot for awhile) but it's actually the inappropriate use of it sometimes that will have you scratching your head (the ending shifts from big drama to levity without warning). The other issue I had was the villian in the final fight. Everything up until this scene is fairly grounded in a realistic approach but at the end the main villain leans at 120 degree angles and hovers and does all kinds of other kooky junk. Still minor qualms and they shouldn't deter you from searching this out if you haven't seen it yet. Sammo's best will always be "The Magnificient Butcher" but I wouldn't argue with anyone who says this is his second best movie... and in a career like his, second is pretty damn good.



5. Sammo Hung really broke new ground in martial arts choreography with this film. There are moments of breathtaking kung fu and weaponry, but... there are also fights that flow like molasses topped off with some rather painful "comedy". Nonetheless I would still have to recommend it. The assets far outweigh the liabilites.
   
   Cassanova Wong is a banker who discovers a plot to kill the mayor. The only person he tells is in on the conspiracy and sets him up. Though he escapes he is badly injured and hides out with Sammo and his Wing Chun instructor. After recovery they train for revenge and so on.
   
   Story is not why we watch these. We watch for fights. If a good plot should happen to come along and link them together, so much the better. It helps that Cassanova Wong does some pretty sweet kicks, and wait 'til you see the Ground Mantis. Picture quality doesn't hurt either and here it is excellent. Even the nighttime shots. This would easily be a 4 or maybe even a 5-star film if the fights were more consistent and the comedy less excruciating. Those are the film's only faults, but they are rather epic in the flow and continuity of good cinema. Luckily, kung fu is partially exempt from those parameters.

5 comments about Jackie Chan's Project A.

1. I know not to expect great dialogue or Academy-worthy performances from Jackie's Hong Kong movies, and this one meets expectations. The story is not bad but the original acting is pretty bad, even before it was dubbed. That said, it still is a worthwhile view. The action scenes are top-notch, and Jackie's humor is evident throughout. Sammo Hung puts in a good performance and the chemistry between him and Jackie works. The final fight scene is very entertaining. If you like Jackie's Chinese movies, you'll appreciate this one. If you've only seen him in his American releases, you may be disappointed in the acting and production.



2. If you are like me, you may find it difficult to explore some earlier creations of martial arts films, simply because the newest ones look poor enough sometimes with their low budgets. I was very hesitant to watch Project A for the longest time, thinking its going to be such poor quality, with cheesy old kung fu fights accompanied by bad sound effects, and lousy dubbing. I was surpirsed to find out that Project A creates action scenes that you just can't find with today's films, and that includes many of today's Jackie Chan films.
   
   The quality wasn't as bad as I expected, even though the poor dubbing might make it seem that way at first. It definetly has a classic look to the film with picture quality and sound effects, but its really not bad and is forgotten quickly, for action scenes begin almost immediately and consume the film, as well as a plot that just keeps going. Overall, pacing is great and the viewer should never feel bored. Whether its introduction to new characters, something comedic, a new unfolding in plot, or a terrific action scene, there is always something happening.
   
   Perhaps the best thing about Project A are some of the main characters. In addition to Jackie Chan, there are other martial art greats such as Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, and Dick Wai. All get to show off their skills impressively in the film. A final fight lasting a good 4 minutes is just awesome in this film, pitting Chan, Hung, and Biao against the pirate leader - played by Dick Wai.
   
   As previoulsy mentioned, there is more than enough action to please in this film. Every scene is intense and offers something exciting and new. Stunts galore and bodies fly, as editing is used to a minimum to really show off the real work that is being created by these guys. The best stunt in the film was actually repeated during the movie, showing Chan falling from a multi-story clock tower through some cloth overhangs and down to the ground. Another great scene, is the bicycle chase, which is much more clever than your typical car chase that is seen in hollywood all the time.
   
   This will no doubt please anyone who loves good classic martial arts action and stunts. Expect to see some stuff that you can't find in today's movies, and you'll be saying "they just don't make em like they used to"



3. Dear Ragini !
   
   Thank's for your email UNFORTUNATELY the DVD that I received yesterday is
   not the same that I bought from you.
   This is A JET LI movie with a BAD QUALITY ....I'm sure this product is
   PIRACY.
   What can we do now? I'm very dissaponited with AMAZON.....
   
   Best,
   
   Roberto



4. Where to begin? This is a terrific movie, and one of Jackie Chan's very best. Full of imaginative fights and stunts, Jackie's athleticism will amaze even those already familiar with him. It also features fantastic moments from Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, and a couple of Shaw Brother's alumni in Dick Wei and Lee Hoi San.
   
   Jackie is Dragon Ma, a naval officer in early 20th century Hong Kong. His navy is taking crap from the police for losing ships and not capturing the pirate, Lo Sam Pau (Wei) and his henchmen. After they lose two more ships, the navy is forced to merge with Yuen Biao and the police department to fight local corruption and then go after the pirates.
   
   This version from Dimension has a very good, widescreen picture with some bad English dubbing and no subtitle options. For Dimension, the dubbing is actually pretty good. If you want bad, check out any of the many Jet Li films that they've released. This one does have Danny Trejo as the voice of Lo Sam Pau. So if you're into pirates but have a hard time getting through those long, narcolepsy-inducing Johnny Depp films, give "Project A" a shot. This one has good fights AND pays homage to Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.



5. I asked for and paid for Project A. What I recieved was a dvd cover of project A with a dvd labled Project A. In fact the dvd contained a copy of Project A 2 - the sequel. This is not acceptable. Another point I would raise was that I checked the box to wait until all the dvd's in my order where all ready to be shipped together, they were shipped in two packages over two different periods. Please explain.

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China, Vols. 1-3.

1. I love the actual real martial arts displayed by Jet Li and others including Donnie Yen in this 3pack. I am not a big fan of the extensive wire use. They make the movies less realistic. Its an enjoyable 3pack if you are a Jet li fan.



2. This is a classic trilogy for fans of Jet Li and/or period Kung Fu. Jet Li is 'wong fei hong', a legend in China. As is common for this genre, there's quite a bit of slapstick humor in the first movie. The second and third movie may seem better if you're not so into the clowning around. As usual, Jet Li's kung fu is truly impressive, although the wired choreography is a little annoying at times.
   
   All in all, well worthwhile for anyone interested in (period) kung fu movies or simply admiring Jet Li's talent!



3. Be warned that this transfer is so blurry and bad that I couldn't imagine anything being worse. It looks like a bootleg and it was so bad I couldn't even finish watching the first movie...



4. The items I purchased were in excellant condition. Recommend buying from this seller in the future.



5. First off, buy the "Once Upon a Time in China" Trilogy, not Collection. Collection has far more technical issues than the Trilogy. Unfortunately, since Amazon groups all of its reviews, there's confusion as to which version is being referred to.
   
   Second, there are 6 movies in this series. The first 3 are the ones to focus on (and the ones sold in this package). 4 and 5 don't star Jet Li. Number 6 (Once Upon a Time in China and America) stars Jet Li, but has a different director (Sammo Hung) than 1-3 did (Tsui Hark, HK's Spielberg-some would argue) and is, at best, mediocre.
   
   The OUATIC series is about the adventures of Wong Fei Hung, a Chinese folk hero. This character pops up a lot (as a child in Iron Monkey, Jackie Chan's character in the Drunken Master series). Each portrayal is very different and most aren't based but on the slightest detail to the actual historical character. But that aside, here's what the movies are really about:
   
   Yes, Jet Li's character struggles with a HK overrun with British Imperialists and the woman who loves him and all the drama that follows and. . .honestly, no one really cares. The story is an odd mix. When there aren't action sequences, much of the story plays out like a routine period piece. The story is decent and worth a look, but subsequent viewings will have you simply skipping ahead to the action sequences because. . .
   
   . . .these are simply the best collection of HK/Kung Fu/Wire Fu fight sequences you will ever find. You have an actor at the top of his kung fu game with choreographers who are given a lot of freedom and creativity to use the actors talents, all captured by a director at the peak of his powers. These fight sequences are the stuff of legend, the yardstick that all kung fu fights are measured against. Not to take anything away from other flicks of Jet's like Fist of Legend or Fong Sai Yuk, but these are the best. And to get them all in one package for such a cheap price is nothing short of criminal. I paid a small fortune to get these three films from HK before this version was released.
   
   You'll see some of the most innovative and intense wirework, skill, and choreography you've ever witnessed, stuff that makes the Matrix look tame by comparison, despite coming out years before the Wachowski's ever put word 1 to paper. Every scenario you can imagine is captured, Jet vs. 1, Jet vs. some, Jet vs many, Jet with weapons, Jet with bare hands, Jet with props=like an ubrella, Jet vs. flaming arrows, Jet vs. boss characters in the most insane environments you can imagine. I can't stress it enough, this is as good as it gets. Even skipping over the story, the fight scenes will entertain you and your next several generations long after you're gone. Simple as that. If you're into Kung Fu flicks and somehow have slept on this one, just buy it.