Quick Takes:The Last Hero In China
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| It's at times quite amusing to watch Jet Li (who at the time had walked away from the Once Upon A Time In China series after a falling out with Tsui Hark) as the stoic Wong Fei-Hung trying to deal with his goofy environment. Mostly however, it's tireless Wong Jing-esque comedy (that expression he won't get into an official dictionary anytime soon) on display, in combination with Yuen Woo-Ping's action-directing talents.
With its fun and extensive action, including a mad climax where Wong Fei Hung in a rooster suit takes on a group of fighters in centipede armour, Yuen secures the entertainment value of Last Hero In China. No doubt, the action choices will and should turn off viewers but if director Wong Jing wanted a sense of fun to this kind of new wave martial arts movie, with the help of Yuen Woo-Ping he succeeds. Gordon Lau takes on the villainous role in popular monk mode while Leung Kar Yan, Anita Yuen, Chong Fat, Dicky Cheung, Sharla Cheung and Nat Chan (as Mass Tar Wong, proprietor of the nearby brothel Wong Fei Hung's clinic Po Chi Lam happen to end up living beside) also appear. Also known as Claws Of Steel and released in various versions of varying length (edit entitled Deadly China Hero is cut), of note is the UK dvd with an anamorphic transfer. Sadly the newly done subtitles are straight copies of the error riddled English cinema subs prepared for the Hong Kong print. |
http://www.sogoodreviews.com
The plot is about as weak as they come, but some of the action is unbelievable. And speaking of action, there's plenty of it. Oh, and this being a comedy, there are some pretty funny moments. But I recommend this film for the high flying action. Jet shows off his famous "no-shadow" kick and in one extraordinary sequence, fights a guy while not getting out of his chair. This, of course, doesn't mean that the chair doesn't leave the ground! There's also a cool fight between performers doing a dragon dance and their opposite number doing a "centipede dance" (like the dragon dance, except they form a centipede). I give this movie a rating of 7.5/10 (arthouse: 3/5; entertainment: 4.5/5).
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