Once Upon a Time in China

August. 15,1991      R
Rating:
7.2
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Trailer Synopsis Cast

Set in late 19th century Canton, this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung against foreign forces' plundering of China.

Jet Li as  Wong Fei Hung
Yuen Biao as  Leung Foon
Jacky Cheung as  Buck Teeth So
Rosamund Kwan as  13th Aunt
Kent Cheng Jak-Si as  Porky Wing
Yuen Gam-Fai as  Ling Wan Kai
Yen Shi-Kwan as  Iron Robe Yim Chun Tung
Shun Lau as  Naval Commander Lau
Wu Ma as  Grand Uncle Chueng
Yuen Cheung-Yan as  Yim's Opponent

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Reviews

Hellen
1991/08/15

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Lovesusti
1991/08/16

The Worst Film Ever

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Evengyny
1991/08/17

Thanks for the memories!

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Haven Kaycee
1991/08/18

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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marymorrissey
1991/08/19

I'll admit I only watched 15 minutes or so cause I realized if I went straight to the box office I'd probably get a refund. it's a "goofy" very low budget movie which, if you're not seeing it for free, should be viewed from a seat in which you can make a quick getaway for a refund. You'll have to be a real Jet Li or Hong Kong completest to stick it out for any length of time, I think.I saw it on a program of "sergio Leone influences hong Kong" double feature and the other film from 2006 called "exile" was the HK submission for the Oscars and it was really excellent.my 10th line: and they said "hong Kong Odyssey 2002 was "stupid""!! I enjoyed that movie but this one, no thanks!oh and I suppose I need to explain at LACMA (LA county museum of art) in this instance the 2 films on the program had separate admission charges, the first one (exile) was $5 and such a deal the 2nd, this one, was 10 bucks and I felt anything else I might spend 10 bucks on, say, a baja fresh burrito, would be a better use of the money. mmm mm good!

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Chrysanthepop
1991/08/20

Jet Li's done some exceptional work in China. I have not been impressed by anything he did in America. Tsui Hark's 'Wong Fei Hung' has already been stretched into several sequels of which I have only seen the first. 'Wong Fei Hung' has all the ingredients to make it an enjoyable epic movie. There is a story with a heart, some very well crafted choreography, good acting, and enough action and culture. It's set on a historical backdrop of a pre-Communist China. The characters are very well written (with the exception of the non-Chinese who act like caricature villains). Jet Li, Biao Yuen, Rosamund Kwan, Jacky Cheung and Kent Cheng all act well. It also presents some taboo elements such as Wong's affection for his 'aunt' (it was taboo during the time) but this is all skillfully underused which prevents the film from appearing too preachy. The film has several layers but it tries to tackle too many things at once and becomes unnecessarily complicated at some point. The film slightly drags in the first half and the choreography of the action scenes without the main cast looked a little shoddy. Yet, the characters are very likable and the story also offers a lot to enjoy that I am looking forward to its sequels. In my humble opinion, it's certainly one of the better martial arts films and has a lot more substance than pretentious films like 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'. the only other Tsui Hark film I've seen is the magnificent 'Chat gim' and I've liked what I've seen so far.

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lastliberal
1991/08/21

Two of my favorite films are "One Upon a Time in America" and Once Upon a Time in the West." So naturally, I would be attracted to this film just to see if it matches the others. It does.Jet Li stars as the legendary Chinese hero Wong Fei-Hong. He is fighting against intruders from the West. Yep, invading armies like us. The people of China are not going to give in. He is asked to train the locals in kung fu. Things get complicated with the arrival of Wong's "Aunt" Yee (Rosamund Kwan), just back from a two-year stay in the West. She is not really his Aunt, so romance simmers between the two.There are plenty of evildoers in this film. Gangs looking for protection money, corrupt government officials (no surprise there!), and those nasty foreigners. You will want to watch this film more than once. Jet Li's performance, coupled with his kung fu wizardry, carries the viewer through any shaky patches. The fight scenes are the main attraction, of course, and the film delivers the goods again and again.

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anirudh3001
1991/08/22

jet Li at his best . the legend is brought to life by jet Li . this movie made his join the club with Bruce lee and Jackie Chan.The movie had very good action with a good story too. the piturisation is very good and the whole of the action looks real. the movie is based on the life of Wang Fei Hung a Chinese martial arts master and also a doctor played by jet Li.Factual errors: A 31-star US flag is seen shortly after an adult Wong Fei Hung attempts to defend the Po Chi Lam clinic from a fiery attack. The 31-star flag was used from July 4, 1851 to July 3, 1858. Wong Fei Hung was born on July 9, 1847, and so could not have been older than a few days shy of his eleventh birthday when this flag was still in use. Also, the rows of stars shown on the 31-star flag are inverted. The flag shown has rows of 7, 6, 6, 5, and 7 stars respectively (from top to bottom). The actual flag has rows of 7, 5, 6, 6, and 7 stars top to bottom

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