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After the spectacularly shot opening of soldiers drilling during sunrise at the beach, “Once Upon a Time in China” offers nothing new from any other martial arts movie. This was the first of six movies in a series on Chinese legend Wong Fei-Hung (played by Jet Li in the first two), a Cantonese physician, educator and martial artist. The only of those that Fei-Hung is shown doing is the fighting. And lots of it — even for a legend-status, the tale is too tall. The focus of this was Britain’s control of Hong Kong, and many of the indigenous people learning they must “change their ways.” They learn the hard way (that “fists can’t fight guns”) and they seem to enjoy learning it over and over. The choreography is plain and unexciting, and the fight sequences are unmemorable, excessive and sub-standard. Expanded from 112-minutes to 134, the monotony of the fights take over very quickly, much like the S&M became in “Lies” earlier this year. This pre-Hollywood movie for director Tsui Hark (director of Van Damme vehicle “Maximum Risk”) hardly wins points for the action, and if any of his others are like this, how was he able to wind up in H’wood? One of the new additions to this version are the new translation of the subtitles; but when you watch what they are saying and how their lips are moving, they don’t match up. So how do we know that what the subtitles are telling us, are even what they’re saying. “Once Upon a Time in China” also utilizes the work of six separate cinematographers, and the look of the movie continues to radically alter throughout, none of which make it look good. One integral ingredient in any action/martial arts-oriented movie is the editing. The editing here is far from good, and the continuity is constantly thrown off from one shot to the next; we’re talking about different positioning of objects, object-size changes, characters disappearing and re-appearing. Where’s six people when you need them?

Jet Li is far more palatable in the upcoming “Kiss of the Dragon.”

With Yuen Biao, Rosamond Kwan, Kent Cheng, and not Jackie Chan, but rather Jacky Cheung. Written convolutedly (and still translated convolutedly) by Hark, Yuen Kai-chi, Edward Leung and Elsa Tang.

http://www.landmark-theatres.com

Final Verdict: D+.

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=5406&reviewer=172
originally posted: 07/01/01 12:11:40
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