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| WING CHUN. Starring - Michelle Yeoh - Donnie Yen - Waise Lee - Yuen King Tan - Chang Pei Pei. Director - Yuen Woo Ping. 1994. Wing Chun has one of the weakest stories in living memory, focussing on an alleged famous Soya bean shop. First there is Auntie Fong owner of the shop and lonely in love, but not for the lack of trying, her ever-present putrid stench of Soya bean cube repulsing any males within 20 feet. Then there is Charmy, a recently widowed and penniless beauty willing to jump into bed with the first man she meets, and all before her husband is even buried. Whore! And finally we have Wing Chun herself, an expert in martial arts and cross-dressing. Together the three encounter no end of problems as they fight of gigolos, stalkers, bandits and even flying simians. Now enough of the pathetic storyline, the only reason anyone would want to see this movie is for its stunning martial arts displays, of which there are plenty. Wirework, swordplay, hi speed visuals, and close up one on one fisticuffs. It’s all here and it’s all perfectly combined, well apart from one dodgy scene where out heroine fights atop a speeding stallion. But that is forgivable as the rest more than makes up for it. Any serious fight fan will love the action and the way it is presented, Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen are perfectly suitable in most situations and here it shows. Yuen Woo Ping and his team have done a brilliant job with the pair and each fight scene is memorable for it’s own reasons. One scene that really stood out for me is when we see Yim Wing Chun go one on one with Flying Chimpanzee in a battle to determine the superior sex, all the tricks in the trade are used and the inclusion of a wooden man makes things even more spectacular. Breathtaking stuff. If you are a fan of any of the new wave period Kung fu fliks then this will tickle your senses quicker than a cheap Barnsley hooker. If however you reel at the thought of flying heroes kicking their way through hordes of bandits then do yourself a favour and give this one a chance. Not as super surreal as the likes of Iron Monkey or Kung Fu cult master, but still great fun and an easier starting point to wire fu rookies. Were it not for the piss poor story this would have easily earned a 10 star rating, as it stands though it can only manage an 8. But don’t get me wrong this is a fantastic fun way to spend 90 minutes and definitely in the top 5 wire-fu movies of all time. Anyone wishing to study the life of Yim Wing Chun though take heed, the main character may share the name of the revered martial artist but that is where any reality stops. 8********stars. |
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