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     OUATIC 2 DVD Giveaway! - 2 to be WON!!!

      DVD Review: Once Upon A Time in China 2 (1992)

Cast: Jet Li Lian-Jie (Wong Fei Hung), Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam (Sap Saam Yee), Donnie Yen Ji-Dan (Lan), Max Mok Siu Chung (Foon),

Tsui Hark's modern retelling of the legend of Wong Fei Hung has now became world-known, but is all of them really that good? The answer is yes! This sequel to Once Upon a Time in China (1991) packs in even better fights thanks to choreography by Yuen Wo Ping, while retaining the details that made the first film so entertaining. But Starring two great martial artist: Jet Li and Donnie Yen - what the hell could go wrong!

At the end of the 19th century, famed martial artist and doctor Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) arrives in Canton with his loyal attendant Foon (Max Mok) and love interest Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) to attend a Western medical seminar. But, the streets are teeming with members of the White Lotus Cult, a religious group of extreme nationalists whose seemingly all-powerful leader (Hung Yan Yan) is stirring up his flock to kick all foreigners out of Canton.

The medical seminar is interrupted by flaming arrows loosed from White Lotus members and Fei Hung decides to return home amid concerns over the growing violence. Yet, after hearing of trouble at a foreign language school, Fei Hung and his companions go to the aid of the young children which draws Fei Hung into a confrontation with the cult's leader who turns out to be a charlatan. Before leaving Canton, Fei Hung also assists a pair of rebels sought after by a local Chinese official (Donnie Yen). This leads to a fierce battle between the two martial arts masters.

The sheer level of master talent going into this picture may go unappreciated by general Western audiences, but fans know that having Tsui Hark, Yuen Wo Ping, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen all working together is a recipe for cinematic dynamite. And what a bang. This second entry in the OUATIC series that includes six films is generally regarded as the best and I must concur.

I could banter around with various high points of the film, but I'll cut to the chase and just state the real reason -- choreography by Yuen Wo Ping. I'll be the first to admit I'm a shamelessly biased fan of Wo Ping's work, but the proof is in the pudding. Compare the fights in this film to any other in the series, especially the finale and you'll see. While all of the other films had great choreographers and memorable scenes, OUATIC II gels better than the rest and the impressive skills of Jet Li and Donnie Yen clashing is magnificent to behold. Yen's towel tossing scene is one of the greatest fights in film history while Jet Li's table-stacked bout with Hung Yan Yan is Wo Ping at his irreverently creative best.

Tsui Hark manages to revisit most of the first film's themes of nationalism, blind obsession, and sacrifice without appearing redundant. In fact, the undertone of the film is much more playful while dealing with the difficult Boxer Rebellion era in Chinese history which might be another influence by Wo Ping who has a tendency to be more playful with the action and characters when he's directing. The "foreigners" play less of a role in this film and the slave trade is replaced by a fight for Chinese democracy, a topic that was on many minds as 1997 and the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule drew near.

The casting provides an additional backbone to the film. Max Mok, who replaces Yuen Biao as Foon, Fei Hung's loyal companion provides fittingly boyish levity while veteran genre actor, David Chiang makes a welcome appearance as one of the rebels. Rosamund Kwan exudes wit and charm as Fei Hung's aunt (by marriage) who has a passionate love of the modern world and an even greater love for Fei Hung. Donnie Yen is perfectly cast as an intensely driven official who both admires and despises Fei Hung. Lastly, Jet Li continues to add his own take on the Fei Hung character portrayed by numerous actors before him. What Li manages to bring forth is an appealing combination of authority and awkwardness that he seems to play with ease, possibly reflecting a duality of his own personality.

For general Western audiences, I'd like to say that OUATIC II is a more accessible Hong Kong action film with it's balance of action, drama, and humor, but a characteristically flippant use of whimsically violent imagery within a real world setting may not appeal to sensitive viewers. But for sheer Hong Kong style bravado, this film delivers a visually jam-packed feast of stylized action within a historically-based tale that boldly echoes the concerns of today's society. Around here, we call that art.

Rating: 9/10

by Mark Pollard and Andrew

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