Wong Fei-Hung is a Chinese folk hero who has been portrayed in such diverse films as Iron Monkey and Drunken Master. In this version, Li plays Wong as the leader of a Chinese resistance against invading Western forces. At a time when the Kung Fu culture first encounters guns, they learn the limits of their physical training, but also their unique strengths.

The opening wirework scene has Jet Lis balancing on ropes doing a Lion Dance, not unlike Zhang Zi Yi on the tree branches in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The credits play over a sequence of Wong's followers training on the beach. It's a beautifully shot and stunning display of physical prowess and choreography. Li's other fight scenes are always acrobatic and using props, like umbrellas and bamboo sticks.

Jet Li is not the only one performing action either. Yuen Biao plays a less skilled fighter (though anyone who's seen Righting Wrongs or Dragons Forever among others knows better), who gets into some funny fights using a pig's leg from a butcher shop and various signs hanging in a marketplace among other props. Some of the fight choreographers and directors also appear in the film doing some of the graceful kung fu.

This is a historical epic in the classic sense. The period comes to life through costumes set design, but the story of political revolution holds true today. Subplots develop other significant story points, such as the formerly glorious fighter reduced to sleeping on the street by an old brothel. It's also loaded with action that is exciting in its own right, but the themes of cultural identity and the technological invasion add important subtext...

Hung actually doesn't do much fighting in this, and it's the supporting characters who stand out. One of Wing's opponents, a fighter who mimics a cat, steals his scene with his crazy movements and wall-crawling. Wong Fei-Hong fights over calligraphy, writing in script as he dodges blows and counter attacks. It's a very creative twist on fight choreography.

There's a great fight between two Po Chi Lam men and villains. One villain fights with fans (an evil version of Jackie Chan in Young Master perhaps?) and has weapons placed around his body. Co-star Yuen Biao does some great acrobatics in this scene.

When Hung does get into it though, he rules. There's a classic training montage where Wing learns the twelve-arm style of kung fu, featuring exercises that look torturous. His fight with the cat man is awesome and the climactic fight is full of prop work and acrobatics.

The story feels like a loose excuse for fighting, but that's okay. It involves Po Chi Lam rivals trying to intimidate Wong Fei-Hong, eventually resorting to kidnapping and framing Wing for murder. It's not particularly compelling, but it pays off in some excellent combat matches, so I'm fine with it.

The DVD available at HKFlix.com looks beautiful. It is fully letterboxed, spotless and so sharp and colorful it could pass for a modern film if everyone didn't physically look 20 years younger. Martial arts fans need to see this and there's no better way than this disc.

There is also, some great prop work including Jet Li facing a mob of swordsmen with a piece of cloth and situational challenges like Li fighting on an oil-slicked floor. The film's comedy ranges from the physical antics of Foon hiding long sticks in his pant legs to the verbal misunderstandings of Wong and Yee's familial relationships. The element of invading technology is also back with Yee's new movie camera and the threatening steam engine. The film hits important emotional and cultural beats while providing a forum for awesome choreography...

A lot of the humor plays off of cultural differences, which may have also been the attempt of Rush Hour but it is much more successful here. Again, Rush Hour was Chris Tucker doing his black thing while Jackie did his Chinese thing and it happened to result in jokes sometimes. Shanghai Noon makes complex statements about understanding, interpretation and tolerance.

When Jackie meets a group of Indians – and the term "Indians" is used because it’s a western and they weren’t saying “Native Americans” back then – he tries the same ways of communicating with them that many insulting Englishmen try on foreign people. He speaks louder and slower, and the Indians make fun of him, in subtitles, for thinking that will correct their lack of communication. Another brilliant joke has American settlers mistaking the Chinese ambassador’s for Orthodox Jews.

Most importantly, Shanghai Noon has the kind of intricate, drawn out action scenes that were missing from Rush Hour. Jackie's fans could have watched him catch falling vases for 20 minutes, but we only got a minute and a half. And that was the longest of any fight scene in that movie. In Shanghai Noon, that would be the shortest..

Some highlights of Shanghai Noon include a forest fight with a rival Indian tribe in which Chan flies through the trees to defeat the enemies. Only Jackie could use trees as action set pieces (although do not forget Mark Whalberg running from the car in The Big Hit.) Another is a bar fight that uses props like the best Jackie Chan scenes. And the climax is one of those beautiful on-and-on action scenes that keeps going every time you think it will end. The action scenes incorporate some of Jackie’s classic bits with new material to both acknowledge the loyal fans and impress the new ones.

Chan shows his ability at Jim Carrey-style humor with his mugging faces and the film’s gag reel includes one of the funniest out-takes in 20 years of Jackie Chan movies. Jackie also does some nice acting. Not that this is a huge dramatic piece, but there are some sincere scenes with his character admiring Lucy Liu’s princess character that show more emotion than most of Chan’s work. Liu does nicely with a small role that manages to defy gender conventions in the little time she has on screen and Brandon Merrill makes an impressive debut as Jackie’s Indian “wife” who bails him and Wilson out of trouble. Let’s hope to see more from her in future movies.

Shanghai Noon looks like a star-making vehicle for Wilson and confirms Chan’s ability to make movies in America. Commercial director Tom Dey balances American buddy movie style with Hong Kong action and brings out the comedic potential of both styles. Lucy Liu does nicely with a small role that manages to defy gender conventions in the little time she has on screen.

Tsui proves himself a master of such style in the opening sequence. Portraying Tyler's chaotic sexual encounter mixes montage, cross-editing, flashbacks, point of view and subtle hints to convey mounds of information in a short time. What happens is, Jo (Cathy Tsui) has a fight with her lesbian lover, a fellow police officer, so she embarks on a drug-induced fling with Tyler (Nicholas Tse). The morning after, he finds her badge and remembers seeing her argument with the other woman and she checks her datebook where the five days of her period are highlighted for each month. You see what's going on but the film never stops for exposition. The whole story is told in this kinetic visual fashion.

The story proceeds with Tyler taking a bodyguard job with a gangster to earn money to support the baby JO claims is not really his. He meets Jack (Wu Bai) and his pregnant wife, Ah Hui (Candy Lo). Their similar positions of trying to do right by their women under criminal circumstances parallel each other and intersect as Jack's gangster past comes back to haunt him.

The plot and characters are so complex that even after two screenings, I'm still putting the pieces together. (For the record, It took me three screenings to get The Matrix.) The themes of friendship and living life to the fullest are valid but not so overplayed to become pretentious. The action itself transcends language barriers with its visceral thrills, giving Time and Tide excellent repeat viewing quality as you pick up more and more of the plot while enjoying the action scenes.

Fight scenes incorporate a little Jackie Chan prop-play, some wirework acrobatics, hints of WWF and flat out brawling. Chases have guys sliding and gliding on slippery floors, bouncing around escalators and floating along the side of an apartment building. There's gunplay, which does include two guys raising guns at each other at the same time, but that traditional situation plays out differently than most John Woo movies or John Woo rip-offs. Speaking of Woo, there are plenty of white doves for the film theory crowd, and some of those doves blow up for those of you who hate bird symbolism.

The influence of other filmmakers include Scorsese freeze frames, Wachowski "bullet time", Aronofsky sound effects and even Blair Witch shakey-cam. Tsui controls everything with careful editing that creates a unique rhythm from the combined elements. The editing also combines eclectic performances from leads and supporting players with controlled manipulation of time and place.

Between the technical skill, philosophical story and stunning action, Time and Tide is the best movie I've seen this year. Come back to Action/Adventure Movies next week for our interview with director Tsui Hark.