Once Upon a Time in China and America

I've seen a lot of Jet Li movies and some of them are my all time favourites. To my misfortune, the ones he did impersonating Wong Fei Hung are one of the worst in his filmography and I emphasize the first two, which are an absolute disaster. Although this film is based on a delusional premise, at least it offers us genuine entertainment based on the fact that everything that happens is unexpected. It can even be asserted that Jet Li here, apart from being a producer, offers one of his most lucid performances. The cast pays off and the pace is hectic thanks to a careful Sammo Hung. It is a fast, entertaining film that, unlike its previous installments in the saga, may please someone not born in China or its surroundings.

Once Upon A Time In China And America, directed by Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, sees Jet Li returning as the legendary "Wong Fei-hung," a role that really cemented his fame as one of Hong Kong's top film stars. His portrayal of this noble and patriotic hero, along with his genuine martial arts skills, set a high bar for his career. Rosamund Kwan is back as "13th Aunt Siu-kwan," a character that has become closely associated with her.

The film boasts a solid cast, including Hung Yan-yan, who reprises his role as "Club Foot" and shows off his impressive wushu champion credentials. American martial artist Jeff Wolfe plays "Billy," a cowboy who teams up with Fei-hung and his crew after they rescue him from the wild. Joseph Sayah takes on the role of the villainous "Bandit Leader," while Power Chan plays "Buck Tooth So." Richard Ng adds his comedic flair to the character of "Uncle Han."

While the movie seems like a great opportunity for Jet Li's Wong Fei-hung to shine again, it doesn't quite hit the mark in some areas. Even with Sammo Hung and Lau Kar Wing directing, the action scenes are often filmed in close-up and edited in a choppy manner, which is surprising considering Sammo's past successes with martial arts Westerns like "Millionaires Express."

That said, there are still some standout fight scenes, like the clash at the Native American camp and the showdown between Li and Club Foot. Hung Yan-yan does a fantastic job of channeling characters from the original films, bringing back some classic moments from the series.

In the end, Once Upon A Time In China And America mixes martial arts with Western elements in an interesting way, even if it doesn't fully reach its potential. Fans of Jet Li and the Wong Fei-hung character will likely still enjoy this film, despite its shortcomings.

The sixth film in the series, and the welcome return of Jet Li after a break in parts 4 and 5. This time around Wong Fei Hung and his cohorts take a trip to the wild west, a reasonable idea but ultimately one of the weakest of the films. The plot limps along rather pointlessly, although the frequent fight scenes (choreographed by Sammo Hung) are as exciting as ever. Their power is somewhat diminished, however, as at no point do you feel the characters are in any real danger.

Jet's cool bullet-dodging in the climactic fight is fun, but only real highlight is the scene where Fei Hung's loyal comrade Seven attempts to cure his master's amnesia by fighting him in the styles of villains from the previous films.

The supporting cast are a painful bunch of stereotypes, and their acting ability leaves a great amount to be desired, but if you can get past that this is enjoyable enough hokum.

Oct 21

Once upon a time in china and america is the 6th and final film in the series.

I was a little disappointed in this one despite the return of Jet Li. Its effectively a martial arts western and some of it works and some of it doesn't.

I like it but do not love it, not quite up to the standard of Once upon a time in china 1 to 5.

7 out of 10.

This is one of the best movies in the "Once upon a time in China" series. Funny once in a while with its goofy Chinese humour and filled with fast fightingsequences that are beyond us "normal" people. :) The synchronized sound is, as usual not the best, but it does the trick..