The Legend

Joel Silver has said the Jet Li doesn't need special effects because Jet Li is a special effect. Fong Sai Yuk is one of his better films. It's typical of Hong Kong films by having some romance, drama, comedy, and action. Basically it's an Indian movie without the singing and martial arts substituted for dancing. The fight scenes are well choreographed with a moderate amount of wirework. If possible get a Hong Kong version that has subtitles rather than dubbing. The American version "The Legend" is about four minutes shorter than the original and there's a subtle joke that's missed in the American version: Sai Yuk is questioned by the authorities for fighting and afterwards tells his friends that he gave an alias. He starts out by saying the alias he gave was Wong, at this point he does a stance and the Wong Fei Hung music starts to play suggesting that he used the name Wong Fei Hung (another character he's played in films) when he completes the name Wong Jing. Now Wong Jing is a famous Hong Kong director who has directed Jet Li in a number of films. He is also called the "Madman of Hong Kong" for the outrageousness/strangeness of some of his movies. It's a little inside joke if you know Hong Kong martial arts films. Another scene they cut from the American version is Sai Yuk praying in the morning to protest to his future father-in-law his captivity. The American DVD has a better transfer than most Hong Kong DVDs and the translation is pretty good but if you want the whole film then go to Chinatown and get an original.