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Late in the 19th century, China has been weakened by an invasion of
imperialism. The country has been thrown off balance by foreign
culture, beliefs and technology. Revolutionaries like Sun Yat Sen,
its time to adapt or die. Wong Fei Hung (Jet Lee) is still
bemused by western culture, and clings to tradition. Although
lighter in tone than its forerunner, this sequel - widely renowned
as being superior to the original - conjures up some sobering
images.
Martial arts - incidental to the plot here - are still utterly hair
raising in this period drama (a Jet Lee speciality). The
cracking pole fight engaged between Jet and co star Donnie Yen
is performed at breakneck speed, the experience and pure skill of
the two actors and Tsui Hark's fluid, vibrant action choreography is
a true sight to behold. This scene alone stands as one of the
highlights of the entire Chinatown video catalogue.
Flawlessly combining art and commercialism, Once Upon a Time
in China 2 is dynamic, exciting escapism with bucket loads
of flair, and is full of masterful cinematography that sums up the
mood of late 19th century China. With super fluid/ slow motion Kung
Fu, Once Upon a Time in China 2 is a well paced, coherent
action piece that fully deserves its reputation as a high quality
action epic.
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