TAI CHI MASTER

Written by Puño Estupendo

Even if you're not a fan of martial arts movies, you've probably seen the work of Yuen Woo-Ping at some point or another. As an action choreographer/director, he's contributed to all of your favorite scenes from films like Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2 and the entire Matrix Trilogy. As a director in his own right, he has close to thirty films under his belt, including Iron Monkey 2 (which I'm a big fan of) starring the always impressive Donnie Yen.

Tai Chi Master is a less impressive film of his from 1993, but it has quite an impressive cast nonetheless, including stars Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. Though audiences are now fairly familiar with Jet Li through his more than forgettable American flicks like Cradle 2 The Grave or Romeo Must Die, this is Jet Li in his more natural setting, a movie from Hong Kong.

Even with the story being really predictable and very formulaic, it still hits all of the beats to make it just as fun as any other "kung-fu" movie from pre-CGI days. It's a little cleaner looking but it has the same feel and angles of classic martial arts films from the '70s and '80s, giving you all of the pitfalls of an unoriginal plot, but all of the fun in crazy camera angles and awesomely choreographed fight scenes.

Beginning in a Shaolin temple, two boys begin their training under the guidance of a father figure/Shaolin monk. One is hot-headed, impulsive and ambitious, while the other has the completely opposite temperament. Best friends that are loyal to each other, both are expelled from the temple when Chin Bo (played by Chin Siu Ho) takes competition a bit too far and Jet Li's character Jun Bo sticks by him through thick and thin one too many times. Cast away from their home and out into the real world, they manage to come to a town that has all of the ingredients for the average kung-fu movie. There's a tyrannical governor taxing the townsfolk and a small rebel force that wants to help the people by overthrowing him. Several fights later, Chin Bo decides he wants to be somebody and becomes the governor's chief lieutenant while Jun Bo strays not from his heavenly path, thus setting up a series of fighting and training scenes that lead to their final showdown at the end.

Like I said, it's very formulaic and not a bunch of surprises are hiding in its plot. Michelle Yeoh is her awesome, beautiful and bad-assed self, playing Jun Bo's new partner in rebellion Siu Lin and (as always) doesn't let the viewer down. She's so graceful and quick; she and Li compliment each other really well here.

Most of Tai Chi Master is very run of the mill, but the final confrontation at the end is actually a pretty nice segment. That's not to say the rest of the action is lame (it's not), but they escalate through the course of the movie and it naturally makes the biggest splash at the end. The 96-minute running time actually felt a little longer, but I felt better about it once the final scenes unfolded.

Four featurettes are included on this single disc, along with a commentary by Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan. I didn't really think that the movie was so good that it deserved a commentary track, but what's even more useless is the fact that two of the featurettes are hack director Brett Ratner giving his take on the director and the stars. That feels a bit hard up to me, what with most of the geek community and fringe fans hating that guy's guts. Note to The Weinstein Company and Genius Products: If it's not a film directed by Ratner, then for Christ's sake, don't put him on your disc!

All in all, watching Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in this is still pretty entertaining, despite some unoriginality in other areas.

THE CITY OF VIOLENCE

Written by Fumo Verde

The City of Violence? Have these people been to Detroit?

Sure there were great fight scenes, but they were few and far between to deal with the Soba noodle of a plot you have to bare just to get to the action. Director Seung-Wan artfully captured some of the best fights I’ve seen in a long time and the actors performed in the usual South Korean soap opera style—not over the top, but just pushing that edge. The City of Violence is fun and exciting but not because it has that air of mystery about it. The beauty of this movie lays in the cinematography and how it masterfully caught the fine choreographed moves of the Tae Kwon Do fight scenes.

The story is about five friends who have grown up together and have already come of age, so no boobs, okay. Three of them are hoods, Asian Mafia types, and another becomes a cop. Why and how these guys come to be who they are is not explained. When Wang-jae, the thug gone straight, gets murdered in the back alley of his own bar, it is up to his friends to figure out who did it and why. Within the first five minutes I knew the character that did it, and twenty minutes later we all find out why. The rest of the time is spent on letting Tae-su and Seok-hwan figure out what happened. Once this is discovered its time for to seek revenge.

The best fight scene comes near the beginning. Tae-su and Seok-hwan are confronted with about sixty teenagers dressed in outfits ranging from school girl uniforms to the baseball kids from The Warriors and so on. After our two heroes fight off this motley crew, they must face even tougher battles down the road. When the final battle happens, it is one hell of a fight. Was it worth waiting for? I thought so. Seung-Wan frames the fight movements like his idol, Quentin Tarantino, making the battle look more like a dance than a brawl. Would I consider these “produced fights” Bruce Lee-worthy? On a scale from 1 to 10, I give The City of Violence an 8 for fights and a 2 for plot strength.

The two-disc Ultimate Edition comes with a “how it was made” DVD. I was amazed how long it took and how hard this crew worked on getting these incredible fights right. I wish the writers would have worked on the script as long. The extras include deleted scenes and interviews with the cast and director. I like extras like this, going behind the scenes and finding out how the studios create “lighting in a bottle” as it is sometimes called, or used to be.

The City of Violence was exciting when the fight was on. When it wasn’t, it really didn’t matter. Dragon Dynasty has a lot of good movies; this one was just one of their lower grade ones. If you can rent it for a buck, or better yet, wait till a lazy Sunday afternoon and see if you can catch it on Kung-Fu Theater. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a double feature that includes Master of the Flying Guillotine.

LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY

Written by Fantasma el Rey

John Woo’s Last Hurrah For Chivalry is a tour de force of kung-fu swordplay that will have you on the edge of your seat. A roller coaster ride of a masterpiece. Simply riveting.

Now that all the played-out major press descriptions are out of my system let me tell you a quick thing or two about the film. Released in 1979, it is a well-spun tale of revenge and betrayal. Unlike many of this nature that simply use the kung-fu swordplay to mask a thin plot, Woo’s film has a story that twists like a reed in a tornado.

The plot has a lot to do with friendship and betrayal. A young baron, Kao, seeks revenge against a local warlord, Pai, for the destruction of his family’s land and lives. After being informed that true masters of the sword don’t accept payment, Kao enlist his “new friend” Chang the Magic Sword, to aid in his cause. They don’t call Chang “The Magic Sword” for nothing; he’s the best swordsman around. Along the way, Chang befriends the local heavy-drinking assassin known only as Green, who is also master with the sword. Together they agree to avenge the wrong done to Kao by Pai. The viewer finds out that Kao is the mastermind who uses people to his advantage and pits friend against friend, setting up one hell of a finale. People get killed all over the place while the suspense swirls around betrayal and the bonds of friendship.

The kung-fu sword action plays out like an arcade game with its many levels of bosses that our two young heroes must face before they get to Master Pai. I’m reminded of the video games Double Dragon and Kung-Fu and the action is just as good. We get to see many different villains, including a wandering swordsman trying to make a name for himself and a narcoleptic master swordsman, know as The Sleeping Wizard.

Chang and Green face off against countless ninjas while in Pai’s stronghold. There are ninjas everywhere, in trees, popping out of coffins and even rising from the ground like the living dead. (Yes, I know ninjas are Japanese but they’re in this picture and some historians suggest ties to China. And besides how can John Woo be wrong?) The fight with The Sleeping Wizard is a good idea but is a tad drawn out even though it is the first time our guys encounter a foe that they must defeat together.

The best is the fight with Master Pai. Surrounded by candles in what appears to be a dungeon, the two youngsters must use their wits as well as their weapons to beat this Guan Dao (a large broad sword attached to a long wooden poll) wielding fiend. Woo brings the candles into play wonderfully in this scene, mixing them right into the action. Another display of Woo’s genius is the final fight scene against Kao. After a long battle with blood all over the place and including the traditional Chinese flying master, it’s the final stroke that you want to keep your eyes open for.

Last Hurrah For Chivalry is a greatly entertaining film packed with awesome fight scenes. The film moves along at a good pace even if some these fight scenes are a bit overdrawn. Woo doesn’t need to hide his plot, it holds up on its own. Then again, part of the point in making this movie was the fighting, but Woo is able to bring something all his own to the table and makes a memorable, entertaining movie. The special collector’s edition contains some good interviews and a highly informative featurette on the legendary weapons china, hosted by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan. For fans of the more recent epics of China, such as House Of Flying Daggers, do yourself a favor and turn back the hands of time to revisit the early work of an action-film master.