This early Jet Li vehicle has had rather more exposure than some of his other flicks of the period, thanks to Dimension cashing in on Li's success in the US and releasing films from his back catalogue. Sadly, Dimension's decision had many fans up in arms, as the films were usually re-cut, badly dubbed and had new music added which was inferior to the original's. As far as I can see, THE LEGEND is no exception, with the level of dubbing being particularly noticeable. It's quite lucky that this film has plenty of comedy, as I imagine taking it seriously would be a difficult task.
Li plays the role of the Chinese hero with typical ease, and gets to do far more comedy here than we usually see in his movies. He fits in with the rest of the actors nicely, and his martial arts skills are, of course, outstanding. The supporting characters are little more than caricatures, although saying that they do tend to stick in your mind – faces such as Li's roly-poly assistant, or his kick-ass mother, or the weirdly pale bad guy. The plot is confused but the film looks wonderfully colourful, something I'd attribute to the sure-hand direction of Corey Yuen.
The best element of the film is, of course, the action. It's here where THE LEGEND really excels and becomes better than the norm. Wire work is in use here at all times, so don't go in expecting realism; instead, you get scenes of people flying, running along on the tops of crowds, and performing all manner of gravity-defying stunts. The fights are generally excellent, with three big standouts. The first is the kung fu contest where participants lose when they touch the ground; when Li joins it, it goes on for about ten minutes but never becomes boring. The other two quality moments are the battles with the pale bad guy, one halfway through and the other at the climax; both are terrifically inventive and packed with imaginative situations. It's the cartoonish action that really bolsters this movie and makes it what it is: an unassuming film with fun at the top of the agenda.
Li plays the role of the Chinese hero with typical ease, and gets to do far more comedy here than we usually see in his movies. He fits in with the rest of the actors nicely, and his martial arts skills are, of course, outstanding. The supporting characters are little more than caricatures, although saying that they do tend to stick in your mind – faces such as Li's roly-poly assistant, or his kick-ass mother, or the weirdly pale bad guy. The plot is confused but the film looks wonderfully colourful, something I'd attribute to the sure-hand direction of Corey Yuen.
The best element of the film is, of course, the action. It's here where THE LEGEND really excels and becomes better than the norm. Wire work is in use here at all times, so don't go in expecting realism; instead, you get scenes of people flying, running along on the tops of crowds, and performing all manner of gravity-defying stunts. The fights are generally excellent, with three big standouts. The first is the kung fu contest where participants lose when they touch the ground; when Li joins it, it goes on for about ten minutes but never becomes boring. The other two quality moments are the battles with the pale bad guy, one halfway through and the other at the climax; both are terrifically inventive and packed with imaginative situations. It's the cartoonish action that really bolsters this movie and makes it what it is: an unassuming film with fun at the top of the agenda.