Film: Detective Dee: Mystery Of The Phantom Flame Year of production: 2010 UK Release date: 27th June 2011 Distributor: Cine Asia Certificate: 15 Running time: 119 mins Director: Tsui Hark Starring: Andy Lau, Carina Lau Ka Ling, Lee Bingbing, Deng Chao, Tony Leung Ka Fai Genre: Action/Crime/Fantasy/Martial Arts/Thriller Format: DVD Country of Production: China/Hong Kong Language: Mandarin
Review by: Daryl Wing
In most cases, a film in the whodunit genre suffers second time round for obvious reasons – the outcome is no longer a riddle, no matter how unfathomable previously, while its twists and turns lack the thrill of the chase on repeat viewings. Therefore, it’s welcome relief that Director Tsui Hark (Once Upon A Time in China) has teamed up with writer Chen Kuo Fu (The Message, Double Vision) and choreographer Sammo Hung to add some much needed action to proceedings. But will the interesting premise of a detective story crossed with a historical actioner set during the Tang Dynasty bring the audience back for more? A series of mysterious murders involving internal combustion is seemingly going to prevent the inauguration of China's first Empress (Carina Lau). She is forced to seek help from Detective Dee (Andy Lau), renowned as the greatest investigative mind and kung fu master of his generation.
Bringing him back from exile to embark on a manhunt, the reluctant Dee is helped by Wu’s loyal aide (Li Bingbing), and it isn’t long before their progress is hindered by fire beetles, creepy assassins and double-crossers, who will all go to murderous lengths to stop the coronation and destroy the empire once and for all…
With a tepid opening, including laughable attempts to set people on fire using computer generated images (it doesn’t bode well), Detective Dee is initially a bit of a struggle. Hindered further by obvious wire-work throughout and a rugged hero you would normally see sitting beneath a cashpoint in town begging for change, it’s difficult to see where the entertainment is going to come from.
It’s also hard to decide whether or not the plentiful use of CGI here is necessary. Sure, the landscapes and backdrops are dazzling, and they sit nicely with the style of the film, but at times it feels a little bit too artificial, as if we’re watching a detective story more akin to Scooby Doo rather than Sherlock Holmes. The underground city, with its ghostly villains, is the only exception, with a spooky setting that works well and manages to send a shiver or two down the spine. However, with a plot struggling to make sense of suspicions and internecine strife, it’s a relief when the action takes over and we’re catapulted into a fantasy fight-fest.
Choreographed by Hong Kong maestro Sammo Hung, the action is inventive and exhilarating for the most part, whether Dee is battling against the feisty Jinger (the film’s highlight), sparring with super-villains or dueling with a yakking deer. The latter, despite its weirdness, somehow doesn’t sit out of place, and actually offers some edge-of-the-seat entertainment when it finally kicks off. The wire-work still grates, but with scenes so swift and energetic, it’s hard not to get sucked into such a bizarre world; its lengthy running time barely noticeable thanks to the plot’s cracking pace.
With Tsui Hark needing to rediscover some of his early style and verve, it was unlikely that his impressive cast was ever going to let him down. Having said that, they barely get a chance to endear themselves to the audience because characterization and development is ditched in favour of a speedy storyline, allowing little time to breath with set-piece after set-piece unleashed on the giddy audience. Lau will please most, especially post-shave, but at times he does seem to be strolling, longing for a meatier role, and it would’ve been more interesting to see him continue with his Jack Sparrow impersonation, rather than a fancy-footed Jack Bauer.
Western audiences will probably lap this up, and will no doubt enjoy the tongue-in-cheek vibe that complements the frenetic action, especially when Dee explores the darkly sinister netherworld during the second act, devouring its delicious villains engineering outrageous methods to inflict damage on Dee’s quest. The soundtrack more than matches the look of a film that somehow comes at a fraction of the cost of a Hollywood blockbuster and yet still feels like one.
Tsui Hark keeps the film quirky and engaging thanks to a beautiful visual sense filled with unexpected, for its genre, poetic touches and costumes straight out of a fairytale. The whodunit may be predictable (it certainly won’t tax the brain), but it’s also ultimately pointless, and in that sense Detective Dee surprises – you won’t be bothered in the slightest as the mask is whipped from our antagonist’s noggin - you’ll just be relishing another body-busting battle instead.
Add to that the welcome twists in the final act, with the auteur embracing his “to achieve greatness, everyone is expendable” line by making sure we understand that no-one (almost) is safe, and you’ll soon forgive, or even forget, the slow opening with its poor effects and lazily sped-up rooftop action.
Detective Dee abandons the mystery its audience may expect and replaces it with gorgeous visuals, breathtaking action sequences and a few quirky touches that transform this slow-starter into a satisfying actioner worthy of your attention.
Film: Young Bruce Lee Year of production: 2010 UK Release date: 30th May 2011 Distributor: Cine Asia Certificate: 15 Running time: 90 mins Director: Raymond Yip & Manfred Wong Starring: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Christy Chung, Aarif Rahman, Jennifer Tse, Michelle Ye Genre: Action/Biography/Drama/Martial Arts Format: DVD Country of Production: Hong Kong/China Language: Cantonese
Review by: Daryl Wing
Bruce Lee is regarded by many as the greatest martial arts legend who ever lived. Produced by Robert Lee, his younger brother, and based on his own first-hand experience, Young Bruce Lee pays homage to the man who, uniquely, brought the power and majesty of Chinese kung fu to millions around the world. Directed by Raymond Yip and Manfred Wong, it arrives from the studio that brought you Jet Li's Warlords and the acclaimed Infernal Affairs trilogy. Almost named Push Lee by a confused father, Bruce (Aarif Rahman) was born in the year of the dragon and raised into a large family, spending most of his childhood swearing, fighting and performing in various movies, following in the footsteps of his father, Cantonese opera artist Lee Hoi-chuen (Tony Leung).
Academically though, Lee is struggling, preferring to hang out with a close group of friends as they, quite literally, dance the nights away in clubs. Cocky but good-looking, Lee is inevitably caught up in a love triangle, and decides to distance himself, concentrating on his passion for boxing. A chance encounter with Charlie Owen (Alex Yen), the British boxing champion, results in a dream bout.
With Owen demanding a rematch, the group of friends slowly part, following their own paths to happiness. And yet they must join forces one last time to help one of their own – one of Lee’s closest friends, Kong Lau-lin, who is throwing his future away thanks to a hellish drug addiction...
Young Bruce Lee is a two-hour drama with very little of the essential ingredient. On paper, it’s big on ideas but, disappointingly, thin on conflict – a flimsy love triangle with Lee torn between two beautiful sweethearts, a boxing champ looking for revenge tagged on at the end, a family coping with the fall of Hong Kong, a young man battling his drug addiction, and Lee embarking on a movie career that will inevitably lead to stardom suggests great things. It doesn’t deliver. The real distinction of the film is that it crumbles under the weight of expectancy, with the final act the only thing that will please fans of Bruce Lee, the legend, rather than Phoenix Lee, the ordinary kid whose years growing up were, at the very best, dull.
Yip and Wong sidestep the meatier aspects of Lee’s life, instead creating a dreamy atmosphere that tries to piece together several key moments, managing to conjure up a disappointing opening two acts in which very little actually happens. Skipping many years in the process, ditching action sequences just as the audience shift forward onto the edge of their seats, the two auteurs replace friction with birthday buns, a game of marbles and dancing the cha cha. Until the last half hour, the latter is easily the most exciting scene, choreographed and filmed in a surprisingly breathtaking manner.
But is this what the audience want to see? Bruce Lee’s brother, producer Robert Lee, clearly thinks so, and although discovering that the legend couldn’t ride a bike, swore like a trooper when he was barely old enough to walk, was pretty hopeless with girls and could put Patrick Swayze in the corner is fairly interesting, it doesn’t really justify a lengthy running time that sugarcoats his family before bombarding us with some sensational action sequences that somehow sit out of place. This, coming from a Bruce Lee movie, is astonishing.
Nevertheless, they are undeniably welcome – reward for observing such a damp squid of a film. With the help of slick cinematography, the scenes have a sleek, shadowy look that owes as much to Lee’s famous flicks from yesteryear as to Stallone’s Rocky franchise. A strange score during the frantic no-holds-barred rematch between Lee and Owen is slightly distracting, but this is the best moment of the film, with the drug house rooftop climax a close second. Oddly, the cha cha competition in which Lee performs with his younger brother is more thrilling than you could probably imagine.
With its decent location and believable setting, one of the other notable pleasures is the performances. The characterisations may be pretty standard, they all emerge as too similar, but the casting is spot-on, even if Rahman’s Lee is, at times, too cocky, a bit smug, and less likeable because of it. The true winner in this movie, however, is the traitor who invades their home when Lee is barely old enough to walk, and who then appears at various points in an all too brief but brilliantly sleazy turn as the cartoonish villain of the piece, pushing the film towards it more satisfying action-packed conclusion.
Young Bruce Lee indulges in a bizarre tonal shift from dire drama to an action-packed finale bordering on thrilling. It’s hard work getting there, and fans of Lee will hate how such an icon has been made to look so ordinary, but skip to the end and enjoy some truly entertaining set-pieces that question the matter-of-factness of its opening two acts. DW
Film: Woochi – The Demon Slayer Year of production: 2009 UK Release date: 25th April 2011 Distributor: Cine Asia Certificate: 15 Running time: 115 mins Director: Choi Dong-hun Starring: Gang Dong-won, Kim Yun-seok, Lim Su-jeong, Yum Jung-ah, Yu Hae-jin Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country of Production: South Korea Language: Korean
South Korean fantasy comedy Woochi – The Demon Slayer was a box office sensation when it was first released in its home country at the end of 2009 - attracting the highest opening-day attendance for any film that year. Now Woochi fights its way onto UK home video courtesy of Cine Asia, but will the film hold the same appeal? Loosely derived from a Korean folk tale, the film centres on undisciplined wizard-in-training Jeon Woochi (Gang Dong-won) and his exploits. Along with his trusty man-dog sidekick Chorangyi (Yu Hae-jin), the pair cause mischief during the 16th century Chosun Dynasty, much to the annoyance of Woochi's master (Baek Yun-shik), who is mindful of the evil that exists - chiefly, the goblins accidentally unleashed by three foolish Taoist Gods.
Adopting human form, said Taoist Gods now associate themselves with corrupt king Hwadam (Kim Yun-seok) who is searching for two halves of a magical pipe that will grant him ultimate power. Hwadam murders Woochi's master in the name of searching for the second half, although it is Woochi who is the one who’s punished, imprisoned in a scroll for 500 years.
Half a millennium passes and the three Taoists are forced to release Woochi and his helper, Chorangyi, from their scroll prison in order to combat the goblins that are now running amok in 21st century Korea. But when it is discovered that Woochi has the second half of the mysterious pipe, Hwadam inevitably shows up...
It has to be said that, while there is plenty of fun to be had, there is something preventing Woochi from being a sure-fire international hit. Much of the narrative's fantasy logic is based on culturally specific mythology, which will likely pass by foreign audiences with little resonance. Things are made worse by the fact that there are moments of Woochi that, to put it bluntly, are confusing as hell, regardless of cultural barriers – and they really shouldn’t be.
Bad guy wants a magical object that will make him powerful. Good guy has said object and prevents the bad guy from having it. What's not to get? The problem is that writer/director Choi Dong-hun spends very little time establishing the rules and limitations of his fantastical universe. If magic and wizards are common place, why is Woochi – an apprentice – so important in the great scheme of things? Does Chorangyi have the ability to assume human form on his own to disguise the fact that he is really a dog, or is that a courtesy granted by Woochi's powers? One scene sees Chorangyi turn into a horse for Woochi to ride - did Woochi do that? How important are Woochi's talismans (pre-made magic spells written on small pieces of paper) if he is still able to use magic without them, provided that his soul is sufficiently “empty”? Said talismans are stolen at one point - is that a big deal? Where has Hwadam been for the intervening 500 years? Is he immortal? How much power do the three Taoist Gods have, considering that they need the help of an apprentice wizard to defeat the goblins? Why are the goblins there anyway and how powerful are they? What does this have to do with the pipe? Is this story about Woochi defeating the goblins, or about Woochi stopping Hwadam from getting the pipe?
Things are complicated further with the inclusion of subplots whose impact on the overall story is difficult to discern. A link is made between a 16th century widow and a 21st century make-up artist for reasons beyond simply giving Woochi a love interest, but its overall bearing on the story is barely explained - are they ancestors? A kiss from Hwadam gives make-up artist Seo In-kyung (Lim Su-Jeong) temporary superhuman power. Why? It’s alluded to that she may be a godlike entity, but it never really gets explored. Another unrealised subplot involves Woochi looking for a special magical knife, under the pretence that it will make him more powerful, and has the ability to turn Chorangyi into a real human. Such an artefact seems to become very important by the film's end, but for reasons that aren't wholly explained. One gets the feeling that all the answers are there in Woochi, but are hidden away with the assistance of some confusing storytelling. What is initially interpreted as dream is in fact reality and vice versa, and some scenes act as the prelude to scenes that have already played out (particularly during the first half), leading to further bewilderment.
However, regardless of how confusing the storytelling is, it serves as a valid pretext for a variety of far-fetched action set-pieces, which, for the most part, work wonderfully. For a production with an estimated and relatively meagre budget of around $12 million, Woochi offers plenty of bang for your buck. Fight sequences have ample opportunity for gravity defying mayhem and deliver in abundance. Due to the magical nature of the characters involved, anything goes, and writer/director Choi Dong-hun revels in the possibilities of having his protagonist multiply into dozens of Woochis for a particularly memorable brawl in a city backstreet. The sparingly used CGI is well integrated with the live-action stuff, although the goblins – when seen in their true form – can look a little ropey. Also, the execution of certain action sequences lack geography, rendering the results a flurry of noise and movement with little presence and, ultimately, meaning.
Performances on the whole are rather good for a film of this style; sufficiently fun and laid-back, but not too hammy or overcooked. The comedic interchanges between Woochi and the bumbling Taoists are quite pleasing, as is the insecurity of Chorangyi, who feels frequently put-upon due to his master's inadequacies. Kim Yun-seok makes for a decent and strangely likeable villain whilst Lim Su-jeong, if a little underused, is a solid love interest.
Woochi's ability to make what should be a straightforward, fantasy-soaked romp into a baffling and illogical cinematic excursion is somewhat of a detriment to the overall experience. However, it also proves to be one of the wilder rides you'll likely encounter on DVD this year. Incoherence aside, Woochi is still a good – though not quite great – way to spend an afternoon. Worth a look. MP
Film: 71 - Into The Fire Release date: 14th March 2011 Certificate: 15 Running time: 116 mins Director: John H. Lee Starring: Cha Seung-won, Kwone Sang-woo, Choi Seung-hyun, Kim Seung-woo Genre: Drama/War Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: South Korea
An expensive, ambitious production chronicling the heroism and sacrifice of a reluctant group of student soldiers who fought one of the most important battles in the early goings of the Korean War.
They have only fired a single shot in training, but 71 student soldiers in the South Korean army are left behind to face the elite 766 Commando Brigade of their North Korean enemies. Under the leadership of Oh Jang-beom (Choi), this band of hapless and frightened young men suddenly find themselves on the front line of one of the crucial battles in a raging war.
As Oh’s leadership grows and faces tests from inside, the North Koreans get closer and closer. Soon, violence will explode, and not all of the 71 can hope to escape alive. But in a war destined to endure long after their souls have departed, how long can Oh’s ragtag band of young warriors hold off their enemies?
By now, the average film-viewer is used to seeing cinematic war from deep inside the trenches and right amongst the battle. But rarely has a war film featured violence and chaos as immediate and relentless as 71 - Into The Fire. It throws the viewer right into the thick of things, following the fortunes of characters whose names the filmmakers trust their audience to catch and remember. In not stopping to carve out personalities in the opening minutes, director Lee creates an effective cinematic reflection of the chaos and fundamental madness of war. That the viewer is plunged into a battle already taking place is disorientating enough, and a pretty standard film technique for this genre. As the action and exposition progresses across the first act at a deliberate pace, with older military men already at each other’s throats over strategic differences in a campaign that seems to have been doomed long before the opening credits, it renders the characters mostly elusive - the nameless and faceless destined to merge together beneath a statistic in history. It makes for unsettling and occasionally uncomfortable cinema for the distanced viewer, but is arguably far more potent for it.
The crew do exemplary work, both with the practical and prosthetic effects, as well as the digital. Bullets whiz by characters’ heads, zipping past the frame, while hideous dark blood sprays and spurts from new bullet wounds in all its saturated gore. Scenes of the inexperienced South Korean student soldiers dragging a variety of dead bodies into mass graves is convincing to the point of stomach-turning, as arms come loose and maggots writhe in bloody wounds. It would take a viewer of unfathomable impressionability to sign up to any army after watching this film.
The effects crew is matched shot-for-shot by the stunt team. In the opening ten minutes, the viewer watches agog as a stationary jeep is lifted twenty-feet off the ground by a bomb blast, soaring over the prone body of a soldier. It is the kind of stunning image, imaginative in its conception and breathtaking in its execution, that stays with the viewer throughout and after the film. Elsewhere, stuntmen tumble lifeless from buildings and absorb debris in explosions. In every department, Lee achieves a brutal, unromantic realism.
But the very nature of cinema brings a certain kinesis to proceedings and, as can sometimes happen with a war movie, or any film depicting real-life disasters and human suffering, there is the question of should it be as exciting, heart-pounding as it is? Is it disrespectful to thrill and entertain when depicting an important moment in history, a drive for freedom in which many lives were sacrificed? Director Lee admirably dances around this issue, by giving the audience thrills not with stylised or comic book-style violence, but with the heroism of the characters. The tragedy of war pounds the viewer into an exhausted state, but the courage and valour of the young men whose tale it tells makes 71 - Into The Fire an exhilarating ode to the human spirit.
Technically, the film is superb. The saturated colour palette again perfectly evokes the feeling of hopelessness and despair of war, while the cinematography is a seamless, fluid mix of a pseudo-documentary style and a more unobtrusive, subdued style in the dramatic and dialogue scenes. But no war film, however engrossing, can get by on action and visuals alone. What elevates 71 - Into The Fire above the general standard of the genre is the heart afforded to the script, and Lee’s way with teasing a pure, base form of dread from his audience. The aforementioned burial scene is stark and uncompromising in showing the human cost of war - not just the physical price paid by the dead, but the mental and emotional damage incurred by those who have to bury them. In less experienced hands, the spontaneous vomiting of the soldiers could have played like riotous - or even unintentional - black comedy, in Lee’s, the scene is heart-rending, and stokes the fires of fear in the viewer that not everyone in the group is cut out for the carnage and horror that is about to unfold. This sense of dread pervades the entire film - a scene with three ‘student’ soldiers play-acting with a grenade is unbearably tense, while the heightened antics of the North Korean forces (who swim across a river at the command of their single-minded general) render them almost otherworldly villains - the near-mythological bogeymen of history, marching relentlessly upon the plucky, overmatched South Korean underdogs.
And then there are the performances. Choi Seung-hyeon is an engaging lead as Oh Jang-beom, the reluctant commander of the student forces, whose sense of duty and patriotism is tested by his lack of faith in his own abilities. Pleasingly, upon being appointed, Jang-beom is neither whiny nor loud in his reluctance, but rather understated - his quiet conviction that he is not right for the role does as much to convince the viewer of impending doom as the looming North Korean army. But as his character rises to the occasion, Choi pulls the audience with him every step of the way - steady without being intense, and compelling without once showing off. Stealing the show is Cha Seung-won as Park, the North Korean general, who benefits from the more obviously stylised manner in which the early scenes of the North Korean advance are shot, edited and scored, filling the bigger frame with an effective evil charisma.
Come the conclusion, the viewer is left exhausted and spent. At two hours, the film is perhaps a little overlong - but that may be exactly the point. After all, does not every war outstay its welcome?
Technically on a par with any war film in recent memory, and with genuine heart and emotion, 71 - Into The Fire is a marvellous tribute to a brave band of reluctant warriors. JN
Film: Ip Man 2 Release date: 7th March 2011 Certificate: 15 Running time: 104 mins Director: Wilson Yip Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Darren Shahlavi Genre: Action/Biography/History/Martial Arts Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: Hong Kong
The fifth collaboration between director Wilson Yip and leading man Donnie Yen is a sequel to their mega-hit Ip Man - an epic martial arts period actioner that not only established a brand new Hong Kong cinematic folk hero, but also showed a new side of Yen’s acting ability, as well as featuring some of the best Wing Chun kung fu choreography ever committed to film. With Ip Man 2, can they clear their own high bar? Hong Kong, 1950. Having escaped occupied China, Wing Chun Master Ip Man (Yen) is now living in Hong Kong with his pregnant wife Wing Sing (Lynn Hung) and trying to scrape a living by teaching his art. But in a colonial Hong Kong still suffering the after-effects of war, where water is rationed and the local martial arts masters are charged a protection fee by the British authorities, times are hard, and day after day goes by without a single potential student joining Master Ip’s inconveniently located rooftop school.
This all changes when Wong Leung (Huang), a cocky street-tough, wanders in to see what Wing Chun is all about. After he and his friends are humbled by Ip’s superior skills, they accept him as their Master, and he soon has a flourishing business. However, as a recent arrival to Hong Kong, Ip is not aware that the local martial arts community is a tight-knit, pseudo-Triad overseen by Master Hung Chan-nam (Sammo Hung), who demands that the new Master prove himself a worthy teacher in a series of challenges.
After forming an initially grudging, mutual respect for Master Hung, Ip is disappointed to learn that he demands a monthly protection fee from all martial arts teachers. But Hung, in turn, is under the control of a corrupt British police officer, paying him a protection fee to ensure the kung-fu schools can operate in peace. And when the arrogant boxer ‘Twister’ (Shahlavi) comes to Hong Kong for a tournament, tensions between the oppressed Chinese and the colonial bullies threaten to explode - with Masters Hung and Ip destined to find themselves right in the middle of the fray…
As has been discussed in other reviews of Hong Kong movies on this very site, the fact that there was a quick sequel to Ip Man is hardly a surprise. The first film did great box-office in Hong Kong and China, and picked up a slew of Asian film awards; it was also well-received in international territories, thanks largely to its lavish production values, terrific action sequences, and a charismatic central performance from star Donnie Yen. It precipitated the creation of a small subgenre in Hong Kong films, centred on a real-life martial arts master who had, until then, existed only as a footnote in biographies of the late, great Bruce Lee (his most illustrious disciple) - in between Ip Man 1 and 2 came The Legend Is Born - Ip Man, starring Dennis To (who, somewhat bizarrely, has a cameo in this movie as a troublesome disciple of Sammo Hung’s character) as a younger version of Master Ip; and Tony Leung Chiu-wai has taken the role in Wong Kar-wai’s still-in-production The Grandmaster. But as the first entry in the Ip Man cinematic canon, featuring a career-defining performance from Donnie Yen and endorsement from the master’s son Ip Chun (credited as a technical advisor), Wilson’s Yip’s movie has the distinction of being the closest thing to the ‘official’ and ‘definitive’ Ip Man movie. Hence, the sequel.
Pleasingly, after an initial recap of the first film, Ip Man 2 establishes a measured and deliberate pace, avoiding any temptation to launch into a simple re-tread of its predecessor, or move straight into the action. Like in Tsui Hark’s Once Upon A Time In China series a generation earlier (to which Yip’s movies now deserve comparison), the sequel attempts to mine some new storytelling territory from the off. Master Ip is in a new location and a new predicament in the early goings of part two, with new tests of his characteristic dignity and righteous nature. His developing relationship with first student Wong Leung is unlike any dynamic shared with any character in the previous movie, and allows the audience a deeper insight into Master Ip, the man and martial arts philosopher.
Ip Man 2 is at its strongest in its first hour, as it chronicles the establishment and flourishing of Master Ip’s martial arts school, with meditations on the principles of Wing Chun (indeed, both movies serve as a fabulous commercial for this practical and economical self-defence style). And Ip’s rapport with Wong Leung is a more interesting one than any featured in the first movie, as the brash and obnoxious street kid is set on the road to maturity through his martial instruction (in real life, Wong would be the disciple placed in charge of the teenage Bruce Lee’s day-to-day teaching). Yip’s directorial command is much more evident here than in the first film, as he lets the characters build and play off each other, the narrative and emotional arcs developing at a rather gentle pace that nevertheless regularly bursts into scenes of combat that never feel forced or not germane to the story.
1950s Hong Kong is sumptuously created, even if astute and knowledgeable viewers will spot the odd anachronistic detail (a poster advertising the Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay fight being perhaps the most egregious). This is an even bigger production than the first movie, and it is to the filmmakers’ credit that a good portion of the running time is given over to quieter, human drama, rather than wall-to-wall bombastic action. The early sequences of Master Ip, the family man, trying to support his heavily pregnant wife and their son, too embarrassed to chase his young students for the school fees that his life literally depends on, are engaging thanks to the combination of understated acting and Yip’s resistance of showing the poverty of the era with a heavy hand. In its first two acts, Ip Man 2 is that rare beast - a Hong Kong martial arts movie with a dramatic foundation that is genuinely character-based.
Act two sees Yip and screenwriter Edmond Wong move up a gear with the introduction of rival students to Master Ip’s, led by Master Hung, a Hung Kuen (occasionally referred to as Hung Gar) stylist who owns and operates a fish market, and carries himself as much like a Triad kingpin as a martial arts teacher. This again, brings a new character dynamic to proceedings, as he and Master Ip develop a mutual respect for each other’s abilities, while butting heads over their respective approaches to navigating the sometimes difficult and oppressive nature of living under colonial British rule. Master Hung’s deeply conflicted approach, which perhaps involves a soul-destroying modification of his own beliefs and patriotism in an effort to protect his compatriots as best he can, is in direct contrast with Master Ip’s more immovable stance that a martial artist should not accept extortion under any circumstances. It’s a clash born as much out of personality as standard kung fu macho posturing, and is all the more compelling for it.
However, in the middle of act two, the filmmakers attempt another gear-shift - one that is not as smooth as its first. Meandering away from Ip Man to Master Hung, and exploring his dealings with the racist, extortionate British authorities (in the person of Charlie Mayer’s corrupt police officer), the narrative loses focus and leaves its protagonist stranded on the periphery of the main plot, without a real objective of his own, other than to preserve his integrity. Thus, when Master Hung’s bullying students pick a gang fight with Ip’s disciples, the resulting ruckus lacks the weight of earlier action scenes.
The script sacrifices its more interesting story to become a rather more familiar Chinese vs. Evil Oppressor narrative, which is perhaps disappointing coming off the back of a first hour pleasantly devoid of the broadly caricatured foreign figures that have been turning up all-too regularly in recent Chinese-language action movies. Personified by Darren Shahlavi’s ‘Twister’, a hulking boxing champion with an air of the period gangster about him, the British colonialists are quickly introduced as the enemy - Twister’s flagrant disrespect for ‘Chinese boxing’ sets in motion a chain-of-events that will result in a brace of hard-hitting, inter-discipline duels that see the righteous Chinese heroes stand up for the honour of their country and its martial arts traditions.
Not only is this story’s change of direction a little disappointing because it is what we might expect from a more basic Hong Kong martial arts film, but it is also - as was the depiction of the Japanese in part one - somewhat troubling for the viewer. A sense of nationalism in Hong Kong/Chinese cinema is nothing in new, but as the world moves further and further away from the eras depicted in period films, it is both fascinating and bizarre to witness the gusto with which certain Chinese filmmakers present broad, ugly caricatures of past-oppressors in the name of bolstering contemporary national pride and identity. If anything, Ip Man 2 represents a deepening of this ‘problem’ – the first film’s principal villain, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi’s General Miura, at least had a recognizable sense of warrior’s honour and respect for Ip Man; his desire to fight him born more out of a need to test himself against a credible opponent than any sense of oppression. No such element is afforded to Shahlavi’s ‘Twister’, whose personality outweighs even his heavyweight physique, and remains a rather one-note villain. This is not to take away from Shahlavi, who works hard in the role (especially in the combat scenes), but is not afforded the screen-time or nuance to flesh out his antagonist, as the filmmakers take no chances at all that the audience won’t be clamouring for the defeat of the ‘gwailo’.
But if Ip Man 2 strikes an inconsistent balance between its first and second hours, it scores consistently - and consistently high - in the other areas that matter. Once again, Donnie Yen delivers a terrific performance, building on the quiet grace that so surprised long-time admirers in the first movie, and adding to it a sense of dignity that is both appealing and, occasionally, affecting. The early scenes with Ip Man sitting quietly, smiling through the frustration of having a school with no students, are rather poignant, and ensure that even newcomers to the Ip Man legend will accept him as their hero right from the off. Yen is destined to become as synonymous with this role as Jet Li was with Wong Fei-hung.
As the conflicted Master Hung, Sammo Hung brings all of the weight and gravitas acquired over his nearly five decades in the fight film industry, commanding the screen and audience as easily as he does the kung fu masters and students he oversees. Huang Xiao-ming is engaging and appealing as the hot-headed Wong Leung, even if the character is the most disserved by the story shift, more or less disappearing from the film in the second half. Throughout the cast, there are pleasing guest appearances from returning faces like Fan Sui-wong and Simon Yam - and if their various scenes don’t always feel absolutely essential to Ip Man 2’s core narrative, their presence is nevertheless a clear indication of the filmmakers’ attempt to create not your usual quick cash-in, but a bona fide martial arts saga, which lends both films an invaluable sense of prestige.
As action choreographer, Sammo Hung has much more to work with than he did previously, staging a series of unique and thrilling battles, pitting Ip Man’s Wing Chun style against a variety of other disciplines, most notably Hung Kuen and Western boxing. His work here exceeds that of the first movie, and his collaboration with cinematographer Poon Hang-sang (veteran of Jet Li’s Fearless, among other notable entries in the genre) makes thrilling use of Kenneth Mak’s gorgeous production design - the highlight being the table-top fight between Ip Man and Master Hung. Unique, inventive and thrilling in its conception and execution, it is a worthy successor to the actors’ maiden dust-up in Yip’s earlier Kill Zone, and another reminder of Hung’s genius with staging action scenes.
Ip Man 2 is not without its issues and flaws, but in broadening out the canvas of the mythology, Wilson Yip has crafted a sequel that deserves comparison with the Once Upon A Time In China series. What next for part three? Should Donnie Yen overcome the trepidation he has expressed in interviews about trying to top his work in part two? Tantalisingly, there remains at least one more relationship to extract from the Ip Man mythology - the one between Master Ip and his teenaged disciple, Bruce Lee. In a splendid coda to Ip Man 2, this story is teased when a precocious youngster swaggers into Master Ip’s school and requests to be taken on as a student. Played by Jiang Dai-yan - a child actor who not only bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Lee at that age, but also a fine flair for mimicking the ‘Little Dragon’s’ signature mannerisms - Lee’s appearance is a crowd-pleasing one. In fact, one may even go as far as saying that it begins to deliver on an unspoken promise to audiences (especially international) that the Ip Man films would, to some extent, explore the early life of the martial arts movie legend. Given that Lee’s name has been used prominently in the two films’ promotion, it seems only fitting that he make an appearance, and - for all the flaws in the narratives of the first two films - a final movie focusing on the positive effect martial arts teaching had on a young icon-in-waiting who was, at that stage of his life, something of a troublesome delinquent is entirely desirable. Reportedly, image rights issues with Lee’s estate prevented the filmmakers from featuring him more prominently in this film, but one would hope these are resolved if and when Yen and Yip decide to conclude their trilogy.
Builds upon the groundwork of part one, and exceeds it in the areas most audiences will care about - acting, production and action. If the depiction of foreigners remains an issue in the genre, it should nevertheless not obscure the fact that Ip Man 2 is supreme, peerless entertainment where it counts. JN
On August 11th, 1950, 71 boy soldiers of the South Korean army singlehandedly held back the elite North Korean 766 Commando Brigade for a full 11 hours.
Most were still in their school uniforms and had only fired a single bullet in training! Their astonishing bravery under fire enabled allied forces to hold a strategic bridgehead at the Nakdong River and gain a tactical advantage that would help turn the tide of the entire war. Nothing less than the freedom of their nation was at stake. Their ingenuity, tenacity and brotherhood helped them to achieve the impossible. This is their remarkable true story.
Now, discover one of the greatest events in modern military history and re-live the day when courage came of age.
Film: 71 – Into The Fire Release date: 14th March 2011 Certificate: 15 Running time: 116 mins Director: John H. Lee Starring: Cha Seung-won, Kwone Sang-woo, Choi Seung-hyun, Kim Seung-woo Genre: Drama/War Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: South Korea
DVD Special Features:
• Audio commentary by Bey Logan and Mike Leeder
• Trailer gallery
• Into The Fire – Making of documentary
• Behind the scenes
• Pre-production
• Production design
• Student soldier trainees from the Korean War
• Poster – Making of
• Premiere and press interview
• Showcase
• Cine Asia world exclusive documentary – Men Of Valour, Personal Reflections On The Korean War
Having defeated the best fighters of the Imperial Japanese army in occupied Shanghai, IP Man and his family settle in post-war Hong Kong.
Struggling to make a living, Master IP (Donnie Yen) opens a kung fu school to bring his celebrated art of Wing Chun to the troubled youth of Hong Kong. His growing reputation soon brings challenges from powerful enemies, including pre-eminent Hung Gar master, Hung Quan (Sammo Hung). However, when corrupt colonial officials stage a life-or-death contest with formidable British boxer, Twister (Darren Shahlavi), to humiliate the Chinese people, the masters quickly forget their differences.
Soon, the eyes of the nation are on the one man capable of securing a victory - Grandmaster IP Man!
Film: IP Man 2 Release date: 7th March 2011 Certificate: 15 Running time: 104 mins Director: Wilson Yip Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Darren Shahlavi Genre: Action/Biography/History/Martial Arts Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: Hong Kong
DVD Special Features:
• Audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan
• Trailer gallery
• Shooting diary
• Making of
• Four big scenes (discussion with Kenneth Mak and Wilson Yip)
• Deleted scenes
• Gala premiere
• Interviews gallery
• Three Cine Asia world exclusive documentaries: ‘The Wing Chun Connection’, ‘Wing Chun in Action’ and ‘Legacy Of The Master’
Experience nearly three hours of adrenaline-pumping stunts and martial arts action from Asian Cinema’s premier action-specialists in this ‘limited-edition’ presentation, which includes an exclusive action-packed introduction to Cine-Asia - plus a collectable selection of trailers of some of the greatest martial arts movies ever made!
Jackie Chan stars in this action adventure fantasy as Jack, an intrepid archaeologist who is faced with a series of deadly supernatural challenges after he stumbles upon a secret shrine to an ancient Emperor.
This premium value presentation shows action-cinema’s leading icon in one of his best-loved roles. With red-hot supporting performances from sexy Bollywood superstar Mallika Sherawat and Korean beauty, Kim Hee-seon, The Myth takes you on a magical journey to Ancient China and across continents to India, as Jackie battles mystical warriors and ingenious death-traps on a quest to discover the greatest story of all!
Breathtaking action sequences from Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-fat, Sammo Hung and female Thai action sensation, Jija Yanin (Chocolate, Raging Phoenix), round out this invaluable, action-packed introduction to the incomparable World of Asian action cinema.
Film: The Myth Release date: 28th February 2011 Certificate: 15 Running time: 117 mins Director: Stanley Tong Starring: Jackie Chan, Kim Hee-seon, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Mallika Sherawat, Ken Lo Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Martial Arts Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD Country: Hong Kong/China
DVD Special Features:
• Label featurette
• Trailer gallery
Film: Missing Release date: 31st January 2011 Certificate: 18 Running time: 99 mins Director: Kim Sung-hong Starring: Chu Ja-hyeon, Ha Min-hee, Heo Gi-ho, Hwang Eun-jeong, Jeon Se-hong Genre: Thriller Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD Country: South Korea
A staggering statistic reveals that 154,000 people go missing in Korea every year, and of those, only about 1600 live to tell the tale. How they came to this figure is a mystery in itself, but it’s no surprise director Kim Sung-hong (Say Yes, The Hole) decided to use it as a premise for his latest film, imaginatively titled Missing. A travelling couple decide to stop off at a farm to taste the legendary chicken soup on sale there, only to be attacked by recluse Pan-gon, who ruthlessly murders the man and imprisons the girl in the basement.
It isn’t long before his dark secrets are revealed, along with the arrival of a worried woman concerned over her sister’s disappearance.
A trail of evidence may point toward the farm, but with a local police force unwilling to help, the only way of saving her sister is to confront social outcast Pan-gon alone…
Missing opens with a mawkish sequence in which the male film director, scouting for possible locations and travelling with actress Hyun-ah, gets more than just chicken soup down his neck. But for all the unpleasant scenarios that follow during the first act, this sits out of place and could easily put viewers off with its seen-it-all-before lack of originality. It’s therefore safe to stick with Kim Sung-hong’s slow-paced horror, but only up to a point.
The level of discomfort is certainly set most efficiently during the opening exchanges, in which Hyun-ah is chained like a dog, disturbingly stuffed with birthday cake (notably with three candles), hosed clean and given a box of matches she inevitably wastes through fear of the unknown. Slow-paced and extremely credible, Missing is effectively horrible - and promises much more than it will ultimately deliver.
It’s a shame, because there are still some good moments that follow: Pan-gon taking on more than he, but certainly not his sex slave Hyun-ah, can chew; his hilarious reasoning for returning a pretty dress intended for one of the deceased, wishing to exchange it for another size and another victim because, by his own admittance, “she’s lost some weight;” and a well-orchestrated scene that will make you think twice before purchasing a corn-fed chicken.
Sadly, these rare moments of enjoyment are fleeting to say the least – instead, Sung-hong prefers the method of peppering a film with ridiculous one-liners, characters talking to themselves and frustratingly inept oddballs: “Did he (Pan-gon) really do something?” questions one of the police officers when he’s by himself. Hyun-ah is more guilty than most though, constantly talking to her sister who is nowhere to be seen – a perfect, and extremely lazy excuse to then cut to her sibling’s desperate search each and every time.
The laughable dialogue doesn’t let up. “Where is she? My sister – is she alive?” begins another annoying conversation, this time between the distraught sister and Pan-gon. “Isn’t it a bit cramped for two?” he replies to a protagonist clearly reading a different book let alone the right page. She responds with a confused “So?” before Pan-gon gets just as frustrated as the audience and finally spells it out to her. The best is saved until last, though, when another couple arrives at the farm, hoping to sample some of that famous chicken soup. Pan-gon explains to them that since his mother died nobody has been around to cook it, and the lady responds with, “I’m so sorry – she was well three years ago.”
Other than the drivel being spat out, a police force that are so useless drains any enthusiasm the viewer may have left, summed up by another cracking line delivered to the worried sister when she questions their lack of motivation.“Suspect someone suspicious,” they tell her, defending the misunderstood villager.
A bold twist halfway through proceedings pays off, if only to distract briefly, but all too often characters are introduced for no purpose whatsoever – they aren’t even chickenfeed - while an ending that is supposed to be clever reminds you of what came before, and how annoyingly pointless the entire experience was. It may look grim, and the effects compliment the action with gory satisfaction, but you’ll need more than a strong stomach to negotiate a tiresome script, which is funny for all the wrong reasons.
Out of the 1600 people that go missing but live to tell the tale, you would’ve hoped that someone had a better story than this. Opening well, with some unsettling moments, Missing soon loses any credibility with terrible dialogue, a lack of originality, and characters that move the story forward by talking to themselves - dire. DW
The owner of the farm, Pan-gon, is a recluse and social outcast with a very dark secret.
Jealous of Hyun-ah’s beauty and insulted by her disdainful treatment of him, he ruthlessly strangles Hong and imprisons Hyun-ah in the basement. Does he want to torture her, use her for sex, or is his agenda even darker?
Meanwhile, Hyun-ah’s sister becomes concerned over her disappearance and contacts the police. A trail of evidence points toward the farm, but will they make it in time to save Hyun-ah from the whims of the unhinged maniac, or will Pan-gon’s vengeance be complete?
Film: Missing Release date: 31st January 2011 Certificate: 18 Running time: 99 mins Director: Kim Sung-hong Starring: Chu Ja-hyeon, Ha Min-hee, Heo Gi-ho, Hwang Eun-jeong, Jeon Se-hong Genre: Thriller Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD Country: South Korea
Film: Mulan Release date: 21st June 2010 Certificate: 15 Running time: 107 mins Director: Wei Dong Starring: Wei Zhao, Jaycee Chan, Rongguang Yu, Xu Jiao, Vicki Zhao Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance Studio: Cine Asia/Showbox Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: China
Not to be confused with Disney’s 1998 animated blockbuster Mulan, director Jingle Ma’s 2009 epic offers a more sophisticated and nuanced retelling of the story based on a sixth century Chinese poem. Mulan: Legendary Warrior charts the early life and rise to power of Hua Mulan, a fearless heroine who disguises herself as a man and goes to war in place of her ailing father.
We first meet Mulan (Zhao Wei, perhaps best best known in the West for her role in Shaolin Soccer) as a young girl who causes her father a great deal of consternation by fighting with boys and generally refusing to behave as he believes a daughter should. It is clear from an early age that Mulan will not conform to what is expected of her, and when she reaches adulthood, and her ailing father is summoned to join the war against invading Rouran tribes, she takes his sword and armour and sneaks off to join the Wei army in his place.
At this point, you have to ignore the fact that Zhao Wei is one of China’s most strikingly beautiful actresses, and simply accept Mulan’s not particularly convincing attempt to disguise herself as a man. There are strict rules about no women being allowed in the army, and Mulan cannot let her guard down for a second. When she is recognised by childhood friend and fellow soldier Tiger (Jaycee Chan, son of Jackie), she has to convince him to keep her secret, but very soon she faces a far more serious threat to her true identity being revealed.
After admitting to the theft of another soldier’s pendant in order to avoid a strip search, Mulan is scheduled for execution, but when Rouran fighters launch a surprise attack, she is released by a young officer, Wentai (Chen Kun), and proves herself in battle by killing the Rouran general. Mulan and Wentai both rise quickly through the ranks of the army, and develop a special bond that is central to the latter half of the film.
As generals, Mulan and Wentai enjoy great success, but when a new, more ruthlessly ambitious Rouran leader emerges, they are tested in ways that neither could have foreseen…
On the surface, Mulan: Legendary Warrior is an epic war film, full of impressively choreographed battle scenes and military strategising, but, at its heart, it is also a well written drama in which the central characters, rather than the action sequences, are the film’s driving force. In lesser hands, the burgeoning romantic bond between Mulan and Wentai could have been overplayed, but it is to Jingle Ma and writer Zhang Ting’s credit that this is not the case in Mulan: Legendary Warrior.
There are moments when Mulan and Wentai appear to be reaching breaking point, and you half expect them to give in to their feelings and fall into each other’s arms as a soaring string section breaks out on the soundtrack, but what little physical contact there is between the two is sparingly shown and relatively understated. Even here, the idea of putting their country and their army before their own desires could have come across as bombastic, but Jingle Ma adeptly balances Mulan and Wentei’s commitment to duty with their mutual frustrations and human yearnings.
Zhao Wei is superb as Mulan, shifting convincingly from full-blooded fervour to anguished vulnerability, steely determination to forlorn resignation, making it easy to forget that she is only slightly more convincing as a man than Russell Crowe would be as Anne Frank. As Wentai, Chen Kun is inevitably overshadowed by Wei, though he more than succeeds in conveying his character’s conflicted interests, and the simmering chemistry between himself and Wei is vital to the film’s overall tone.
The relationship between Mulan and Wei may give Mulan: Legendary Warrior its backbone, but it’s a relationship that could not exist without the war between the Wei dynasty and nomadic Rouran tribes, and Ma Jingle goes to great lengths to ensure the battle scenes and the background against which the war takes place are as believable as possible. Where some directors would offer a cursory explanation for the conflict and then dive head first into a CGI-aided orgy of violence, Ma Jingle reaps the rewards of excellent cinematography that makes the most of some stunning locations and a consistently engaging narrative.
Mulan: Legendary Warrior isn’t exactly innovative, and it doesn’t really add anything new to a story that has been told many times, but it’s an expertly crafted film that fuses war and romance genres in a highly absorbing way. JG
Film: Little Big Soldier Release date: 8th November 2010 Certificate: 15 Running time: 96 mins Director: Sheng Ding Starring: Jackie Chan, Leehom Wang, Yoo Seung-yun, Lin Peng, Xiao Dong Mei Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy Studio: Cine Asia Format: DVD & Blu-ray Country: China/Hong Kong
The talented and nimble Jackie Chan gives a commemorative performance in this martial arts comedy caper set in China during the Warring States period, just before the country was unified. Directed by the relatively unknown Ding Sheng, Little Big Soldier sees the kung fu icon return to form, even if it’s the younger members of the cast – including pop star Leehom Wang – who ultimately steal the show. Much blood has been spilt between two opposing armies, the Liang’s and the Wei’s, and thousands of casualties lay motionless among the battlefield. However, the conflict has spared the lives of two men, Old Soldier (Chan) from the Liang Army, who shamelessly played dead, and a prince (Wang), from the Wei Army.
Unscathed, Old Soldier takes the wounded prince as his captive in the hope of handing him over to his superiors for a reward. But the journey to the state of Liang proves a long and treacherous one with many bandits and barbarians waiting in the wings. The unfortunate twosome also has to deal with the aggressive pursuit of prince’s brother Wen (Steve Yoo) and his entourage, who seek to kill him and take his place as the future ruler of Wei.
Through the formidable circumstances that start to emerge, the pair help one another during the many sticky situations, and come to rely on each other to survive. A tolerance and understanding between the two soldiers emerges, each finding a new respect for the other and a dignity within themselves...
The main script, written by Chan, is relatively straightforward. But beneath the simplistic plot lays a moralistic tale of honour, loyalty and brotherhood. Whatever the film lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in the fine acting capabilities of the cast, especially that of Chan. His portrayal of the seemingly gutless scallywag showcases his brilliance at comedy timing - his acting ability has vastly matured, and takes preference over his skill as a martial artist. Chan and Wang play-off each other very well and make a very convincing pair whose characters are inevitably bound together. Through the events that take shape, Chan’s character, Big Soldier, who is referred to as Small Potato by his hostage, proves to have admirable qualities he never thought he had - supposedly a coward at the start of the film by playing dead on the battlefield to avoid being killed.
The film is laced with subtle metaphors such as the poignant performance on a mountain top by the girl singer (Peng). Dressed in a white rope with long flowing sleeves, she moves swiftly like a bird, possibly signifying a dove of peace flying over the zenith. Although she plays a minor role, Peng’s delicate deliverance as the singer has a beauty that is most welcome, and doesn’t feel out of place or contrived. Even in this small part, Peng shows she has a graceful quality that could potentially take her to the heights of Zhang Ziyi (House Of Flying Daggers) or Xun Zhou (The Banquet). Overall, the film has a great supporting cast, even minor characters like the scholar and his students stand out. In fact, it’s a shame they didn’t have more screen time as they worked really well.
Director Ding Sheng presents us with the vastness of a dry wasteland, incorporating stunning panoramic views of jagged mountains that are used as a backdrop to the narrative; the camera sweeping over the summit giving scope to the terrain, and the environment showcasing the harsh conditions of the journey in which the foot soldier undertakes with his captive in tow. The costumes depicting ancient armour and the rugged look of Old Soldier and that of the barbarians blend in with the scenery, making the overall look of the film a character in itself. Vibrant colours are used sparingly throughout the film but are put to good effect during a dream sequence that has Old Soldier blissfully running through a field of yellow canola flowers.
The soundtrack is also underplayed, not being excessive for the sake of it, or for needless sentimental reasons. Often the score goes unnoticed, but that’s a good thing as it blends in with the whole presentation, never being unnecessarily dominant or distracting.
Chan bounces back from a string of uninspiring Hollywood films with Little Big Soldier in which he brilliantly demonstrates his acting ability that has improved immensely over the years. Although his action sequences emphasise his expertise in acrobatic manoeuvres rather than his proficiency in the art of kung fu, Chan fans won’t be disappointed. Strong performances from a competent supporting cast and genuinely funny successions of comedic moments, as well as striking visuals, makes this a must see film. SLP
