Trigger

This film is the f***in shiznit. I hadn't seen it before and it's newly released on DVD by Universe. It's one of Jet Li's older films from the tail end of his days of doing period films. It came out in 94. It has been on DVD previously - There's a Tai Seng version and a China Star version which many people have had trouble with on first generation players. This new Universe edition is great. Great transfer and nice sound and easy to read subtitles.

The movie itself is fantastic. I feel stupid for not having seen it sooner. It is a period film about Jet Li's clan being wiped out and so he goes off seeking revenge while at the same time being a fugitive on the run. He brings his son along with him who grows up to be a tough and emotionless little boy who is a kung-fu master like his father. The action is really tight and Jet Li uses a telescoping spear in this one. There is a ton of action in this film. Also - for being a fairly heavy film in the beginning and also in a few places throughout (yeah - I even cried at a part), this film has alot of humor in it. The comedy in this film isn't like a Stephen Chow or some Wong Jing silly parody - the humor is very dry wit. This film also kinda pokes fun at Jet Li's previous movies, but it's a little more subtle than say a Wong Jing film or like Last Hero In China (which I liked as well). I'd say this one ranks among his best along with Fong Sai Yuk, Swordsman 2, Tai Chi Master and Kung Fu Cult Master. It has some of the child kung-fu stuff like you saw in My Father Is a Hero. It's good fun.

The plot did seem to kinda trail off in weird directions, but at the same time it seemed like there was still some cohesion to it all. It was as if they had this script that they were following and every once in awhile they would lose it and a different writer would have to rewrite what was going on from memory and the story changed a little. It wasn't like a film that was shot without a script though. Hard to put into words. Also - some of the effects were somewhat cheesey - like when they throw a child or a body around you can sometimes tell that it's a dummy.

Despite the few shortcomings, it's a wonderful flick and I'm happy to add it to my collection. I give it a 8.5/10 and a

axolotls return

You'd feel stupid if you bought the Tai-Seng one...

I dumped my Tai-Seng version and got this the day it came out. It's so refreshing to see such a good transfer on this awesome movie. I give the movie itself 8.5/10, as well!

gabegarwick

Cool! Thanks for the review on this, I was thinking about adding this to my next order but didn't know how the movie stacked up!

cheers,
Gabe

B4Bishop

I would have to say upon first viewing (I just watched it last night) that this movie is on par with Iron Monkey! I had great action sequences, humor (the mom is great) and cool kids that can kick butt!!!! I was very happy with this movie and will proadly display it in my collection (which is small and selective, but growing)

My only rant:

The subtitles are not translated all that great and sometime go by too fast.

Why was the villian driving a tin foil bat mobile?

Other than that, Great!!!!!!!!!! Movie!!!!!!!

Oh yeha 8.5/10 easy.

codefree

It's not anamorphic by any chance is it?

Trigger

Furious did a fantastic review of the Tai Seng version over at AsianDVDGuide.com - he also had a pretty insightful remark about Tai Seng as a company that pretty much sums up my feelings about them. Tai Seng has to be one of the most inconsistent companies out there.

Codefree... It's not anamorphic, but I took a closer look at the transfer to give it a better description. After hearing what others had to say about the other DVD versions out there, I can assure you that this one is the best transfer available. The print has some speckle and dirt, but the colors are very vibrant and rich. It's a very clean transfer considering the age of the film - it's cleaner than the Media Asia print of Iron Monkey. You'll like it.

raithen

Quote:

Originally posted by Trigger Kung Fu Cult Master

God but this movie has one of the most unsatisfying endings ever...

Who's with me?!

-matt

Trigger

You're right - this film was supposed to have a sequel or something - we've had numerous discussions about it around here... I don't recall the specifics. I do know that yes, the ending was lame, but that doesn't stop this from being a most excellent film.

JamesBrian

Shaolin Soccer and new Zu are already in the mail from DDD, but it looks like I need to add New Legend of Shaolin to my Chingmy Yau collection. Hey, and Jet Li is in this too, cool!

I'll fill out the order with Royal Tramp II and a few VCDs: The Blade, Ebola Syndrome and Dr. Lamb (seems the latter two were out of stock for a while - whoops, no subs on Dr. Lamb) Based on experience, my purchasing these VCDs ensures that they will be released on DVD within a year (ex. Seventh Curse, Eternal Evil of Asia, Fatal Love). My small orders of 5 or 6 at a time get the shipping down around $2 per item, and my wife doesn't scream too loudly when she has to sign the delivery receipt for "more g**d*mn Chinese movies???"

raithen

I've seen the discussions, and yes, I think the film is most definitely not excellent - at least not compared to many other titles in his library.

But... to each his/her own...

Cheers!

-matt