1992 (Featured)

(Nominated: Best Supporting Actor, Hong Kong Film Awards)

Tsui Hark’s sequel to once Upon a Time in China doesn’t, like many sequels, disappoint. Set in turn-of-the-century China, the story dramatizes the changes brought on by imperialist invaders, Western culture and technology. Jet Li returns as legendary hero Wong Fei-hung while Donnie Yen is introduced as his nemesis General Lan, a Chinese military commander.

Yen delivered such a strong performance that he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor at the 1992 Hong Kong Film Awards. General LAN is a complex character. Working for the Dynasty, he knows what he must do; however, deep inside, he doesn’t want to do so. Yen’s characterization earned sympathy from the audience. He is also a strong and determined character, well matched to Wong Fei-hung in his fighting abilities.

Tsui wanted a worthy opponent for Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung, and he found in Yen a talented, classically trained martial artist with a solid background but also someone with the versatility to improvise. The fight sequences are woven into the drama and artfully shot, and Yen’s staff fight with Jet Li beneath hanging lanterns is dynamic and exciting. The climactic fight sequence occurs in the confined space of a dead-end corridor. Yen imaginatively devised both using a twisted wet cloth as a weapon against Wong Fei-hung. It represents the highest level of martial arts, a combination of hard internal energy (the cloth) and soft, total fluidity (the water), adding depth to the character and strong philosophy to the scenes.

Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Jet Li, Max Mok, Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam, Donnie Yen, Keung Dai-wai, Hung Yan-yan, Cheung Tit-lam, Paul Fonoroff

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