REVIEW:
Wing Chun deservedly ranks high among the films of Yuen Wo Ping for it's winning mixture of winsome humor, creative action, and colorful characters.

The undisputed action film queen, Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun, a woman who according to most accounts created the popular kung fu style of Wing Chun. This is a style whose students have included both Bruce Lee and Sammo Hung, which could lead to some misguided expectations about the film's use of martial arts. In fact, Wo Ping rarely sticks to the style. His Peking Opera roots shine through with a much more eclectic range of fighting styles that emphasize pizzazz which suits the light-hearted tone of the film. Those looking for a more reverent display of Wing Chun will find Sammo Hung's masterpiece, The Prodigal Son (1982) starring Yuen Biao more to their liking.

The plot is the weakest element as it becomes less defined and less important as the film progresses. A widow named Charmy (named so for her effect on men) becomes employed at a bean curd shop owned by Wing Chun's mouthy aunt, Abacas Fong. The three develop a bond that's interrupted by a gang of thieves who try to kidnap Charmy and take her to their mountain hideaway. They finally succeed, but not before Wing Chun turns their junior leader into a Eunuch. Wing Chun then hits the trail to save her new friend. Joining her is Leung Pok To, played by Donnie Yen in one of his few comedic roles. He has returned after many years to marry Wing Chun, but initially mistakes Charmy for his bride-to-be. This results in a bunch of mildly entertaining situational nonsense before Yen and Yeoh figure out who is who and go looking to stir up trouble. They face off against the thieves' leader (Norman Chu) who bares the ridiculous name of Flying Chimpanzee for no apparent reason. Its pretty much a stand-off as Charmy is released on condition that Wing Chun return to challenge Flying Chimp for a final match. After Wing Chun consults with her martial arts master who is played by film legend Cheng Pei Pei, she finally masters her style and returns to fight for the privilege of having the entire band of outlaws call her mom!

Of all of his post-1985 Hong Kong features, this is probably Wo Ping's breeziest action film, where the bad guys are not all that bad and the good guys spend most of their time clowning around. The terrific Yuen King Tan provides heavy comic relief in a role not unlike that played by Josephine Siao as the obnoxious mother of Fong Sai Yuk (1993). Her shameless attempts to win the affections of Waise Lee who is repelled by her perpetual scent of smelly bean curd is matched only by Donnie Yen's awkward, yet charming attempts to court the wrong girl.

Although Yeoh is known to have a solid sense of humor off camera, it doesn't come through so well on screen. She's forced to play the heavy for the most part which leaves her with the least interesting character. But, she does such a fine job of performing the action scenes with grim determination and playing a strong, forceful lead that it doesn't really matter. A mid-film scene where she repeatedly keeps a tray just out of reach of an assailant is outstanding and brings to mind her stunning restaurant fight in The Tai Chi Master (1993).

There is a lot of wire use and Norman Chu is obviously doubled on numerous shots. The editing and fight choreography is very good, although not quite on par with Iron Monkey (1993)... but then, what is? Having one of the villain's left with literally roasted nuts is a bit too harsh in contrast to the rest of the film's mostly mild hijinks. Of course, this is the same Wo Ping who brought us Shaolin Drunkard (1983), where tasteless slapstick is commonplace. Even so, this is a great flick, especially for casual viewers less inclined to watch more violent or dramatic fare. Its clear that this film is all about having a good old time which is what you'll likely experience.

REVIEW:
Wing Chun, another traditional martial arts wire-fu film from Yuen Woo Ping, follows much in the tradition of other Yuen Woo Ping films from the 90's. The wire-fu is just like that of Tai Chi Master and Iron Monkey. And, much like these other two films, it has a certain mix of themes and goofy comedy. A starring showcase for Michelle Yeoh, I certainly hoped for one of the best martial arts films I'd seen. Unfortunately, despite her solid performance, the film's flimsy plot and sometimes overbearing comedy drag it down. On the other hand, some good fighting, themes, and a bit of decent comedy keep Wing Chun an enjoyable film.

As previously mentioned, the plot in Wing Chun is stupid and flimsy. At no point does the main plot really draw the viewer in. In fact, at certain points I found I had completely forgotten about the main plot regarding the bandits and was solely focused on the subplots. It would seem to me that this is truly a case where the film has a main plot just to push the rest of the film along. Too bad I actually felt I was being pulled away from the interesting stuff when they would drop back to a major part of the main plot.

The themes in Wing Chun, though, are presented very well and land a big plus for the film. It carries with it a very empowering message about the role of women. The movie has three women that have had different experiences with men and carry different views about men and relationships. Charmy has been married and understands what it is like to have a husband she cares about and all the joys of love. Wing Chun's aunt has a very cynical view toward men, with a big mouth to go along with it. Wing Chun struggles with her femininity while taking on a role that was not like that of most women at the time. When her childhood friend mistakes Charmy for her and starts to fall in love is when this really shows. This theme and the plot of how the women deal with these feelings make this quite a bit more interesting than standard martial arts fare.

The comedy in the film sometimes compliments the story and action very well, and at other times becomes very overbearing and too goofy. It is quite funny to see Wing Chun and her aunt interact, especially with the aunt's big mouth regarding men and Wing Chun having to try keep her from saying too much. Some of the action comedy is also quite good, such as scaring an enemy with the blunt side of a sword. The problem is that sometimes the comedy is a little too goofy and overbearing for this film, especially as they are trying to present such heavy themes as they are. Not that the movie takes itself too seriously to allow jokes, as it does have quite a light-hearted feel to it. It is just that sometimes, a joke just got a little too goofy to justify the chuckle it gets and sometimes it seems they did one joke too many. This is probably the biggest problem this film has and what brings it down quite a bit. Its some good comedy, it just needed to have the reigns pulled in on it a bit.

Michelle Yeoh kicks some ass as usual in this film, too. There is plenty of fighting, and as always, Yuen Woo Ping's choreography is great. That combined with Michelle Yeoh's physical prowess give these fights a lot of energy. The most interesting fight is probably where Michelle Yeoh faces a challenger and he wins if he can smash a soy bean cube on the table. She gets to do all kinds of crazy stuff to stop him from smashing it. Wirework is evident in the film, but doesn't show throw as heavily as in some other films - which is neither good nor bad, unless you don't like wire-fu. Wirework shows throw more on the objects the characters kick and toss around than on the fighters themselves.

Wing Chun ends up being an enjoyable, but flawed film. If the comedy had been better controlled and the movie had a better story than the whole bandit thing, it could have been much closer to "classic" status. The themes in the film work well, the action is awesome, and some of the comedy is great (particularly that from Wing Chun's aunt's big mouth). As it is, this is definitely worth a viewing for martial arts fans and is a decent starring role showcase for Michelle Yeoh. It is a good film, which is all the more reason that I just can't help but think how much better the film could have been.

A fast-paced, enjoyable kung fu/comedy that nicely showcases Yeoh's talents. She's sexy, smart and funny... not to mention being able to kick some serious ass when the need arises. As might be expected from Yuen Woo-Ping, the kung fu is of the exaggerated wire-fu variety -- so if you're looking for realistic action, look elsewhere. But Yeoh's scenes are quite exciting and unique; the "tofu showdown" where she must keep one of the bandits from chopping a piece of tofu is a masterpiece and literally something you won't see anywhere else.

Wing Chun is not without its faults, though. The romantic subplot (actually, there are several of them) really add nothing to the film. They're dealt with in such a heavy-handed and hammy way (the scene where Yen finally recognizes Wing Chun is cheesy beyond belief) that they just seem tacked on and unnecessary -- even the more so because there is little resolution to the various romances at the end of the film. The movie also has a lot of slapstick and sophomoric sex jokes, which makes the film seem like a HK version of "Benny Hill" at some points. Still, Wing Chun still comes highly recommended, especially for those who want to see a softer side of Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh as Yim Wing Chun is solemn and serious many times, yet she also allows flashes of silliness, passion, and loneliness to dance across her face at seemingly unguarded moments. It's a beautiful performance, and (at least to me) her fighting looks authentic. Donnie Yen Ji-Dan is relaxed as Leung Pok To. Waise Lee Chi-Hung is wonderfully funny as Scholar Wong Hok Chow, as is Yuen King-Tan as Abacus Fong. Catherine Hung Yan is sweet and touching as Charmy. Norman Tsui brings an imperious tone to the role of Flying Chimpanzee. Look for a cameo from Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) close to the end.

The direction of Yuen Wo Ping is dynamic, paced at a gallop, and thoroughly entertaining. The breezy musical score was also composed by Yuen. The enthralling action choreography is credited to Yuen Wo Ping, Yuen Shun-Yi, and Donnie Yen Ji-Dan. The cinematography by Mark Lee has a distinctive and attractive look (Lee most recently shot most of In the Mood for Love for director Wong Kari Wai).