This Jet Li film series started a martial arts trend in the 90s

Move over, James Bond and Iron Man. The Guinness World Record for the hero with the most appearances in a media series goes to Wong Fei-hung of Hong Kong cinema. Born in 1847, Wong was a true martial artist and doctor who has become a legend. But among the 107 films and 20 TV shows made about Wong so far, Jet LiThe character's interpretation remains the most iconic. Eyed by Hong Kong New Wave magician director, Tsui HarkThe Once upon a time in China The 1990s series successfully rebooted the hero for the modern era, combining stunts from the heyday of Hong Kong cinema with a powerful questioning of national identity.

What is “Once Upon a Time in China” about?

The original Once upon a time in China is set in the late 19th century, when the ruling Qing Empire in China was invaded by Western powers and the country's major ports were colonized. Wong (Jet Li) runs Po Chi Lam, an old Chinese medicine clinic, teaches kung fu apprentices and forms a civilian self-defense militia. His activities arouse the ire of American General Jackson (Jonathan Isgar), who smuggles Chinese labor into San Francisco for the California Gold Rush. Jackson is supported by the Shaho bandit gang, a collaborationist Qing official (Wong Chi-yeung) and even a rival martial artist, Master Yim (Yen Shi-kwan). Wong must now survive these parties' attempts on his life while trying to protect his love interest, the thirteenth aunt (Rosamund Kwan), from falling into captivity of human traffickers.

Even though there were already 85 Wong Fei-hung films before Once upon a time in China, Tsui revived the folk hero and took the franchise to a new level. By this point in his career, Tsui was already known as one of the leading figures of the Hong Kong New Wave, and he brought the sensibilities of the American film school and a nihilistic, political flavor to Hong Kong cinema. At the same time, he revived folk legends and other intellectual properties as wild, groundbreaking spectacles with emerging Hollywood special effects. Once upon a time in China became his greatest directing success and spawned five sequels. At this point, Jet Li was already a star of his debut film, Shaolin templebut had only appeared in six films. Once upon a time in China His productive decade began in the 1990s, at the end of which he achieved Hollywood stardom. The series would reunite the two men many more times in other projects The Swordsman II And Black maskwhich unofficially started a martial arts trend.

Once Upon a Time in China showcases the best of Hong Kong cinema

The series' immediate appeal is that it showcases stunts from the heyday of Hong Kong cinema, when Hark brought together master choreographers, Lau Kar-leung And Yu Jim-yuenThe latter was the master of Jackie Chan. Each of the action set pieces in the first film can easily be a spectacular climax in most Hollywood action films, but the first defining characteristic of stunts in Hong Kong cinema is clarity. While Hark's film is beautiful to look at, his cinematography is never heavy-handed or flashy; Hark is solely concerned with capturing the physicality of the choreography in the simplest and cleanest possible way.

The second quality is the creativity where the film shines. The stunts of Hong Kong cinema are exciting because they always find ways to engage with geography, and an early example of this Once upon a time in China takes place in a restaurant where the characters fight with plates and knives. The engagement with geography is guaranteed The fights are always varied and fluidwith characters who constantly seem to be thinking on their feet and command the audience's undivided attention.

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Still, pure stunts don't make a good film. One of the main reasons for this Once upon a time in China Works can be attributed to Wong Fei-hung of Jet Li. Many legends – including Kwan Tak-hing,Gordon Lau, and Jackie Chan – have played Wong before, but Li was able to make Wong his own. Wong Fei-hung shares the same problem with many other martial arts heroes in the cinema: since he is the master of many students, he is far too overpowering and never loses a fight in the film. Hark solves this problem not by having Wong fight physically, but by having Wong fight ideologically. As the de facto As the leader of Foshan, he initially takes diplomatic action against the invading foreigners, but when the Westerners increase their attacks and shoot down Chinese in a genocidal manner, he knows that he can no longer take a back seat. Included Jet Li modernized Wong Fei-hung and Wong Fei-hung cemented Li as a star.

“Once Upon a Time in China” captures a nation in conflict

But above all the core element that makes Once upon a time in China his themes are so powerful and enduring. Tsui Hark is a figurehead of the Hong Kong New Wave, and the key commonality of all Hong Kong New Wave films is their ability to capture people's fears about their self-identity before the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty from British rule to China in 1997. Even though the film takes place a century in the past, It still captures that uncertainty and questioning. When Hark made this film, China was undergoing Deng Xiaoping's “reform and opening-up” policy in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre. As mentioned, Wong tries to be diplomatic at first, but when foreigners are invasive and colonizing, is there really room for diplomacy? Are extremism and xenophobia justified if they border on genocide? These are all questions that the film asks the viewer.

The film is much more of a historical epic than an action film, as there are hardly any fights in the first hour. Instead, it's more about the geopolitical tensions between the characters, creating a perfect marriage of theme and plot. The synthesis flows into the music of Hong Kong Creative Multi-hyphenation, James Wongalso a mix of traditional Chinese instruments and melodies with synthesizers.

Once upon a time in China remains a popular series worldwide; Even as Tsui Hark turned to authoritarian, regime-backed propaganda films, his undeniable classics remain untouched and celebrated by the people of Hong Kong. In the West, the entire series was acquired and released by Janus Films via a Criterion Collection box set in 2021, giving it much-needed attention. The dubbing may be difficult for audiences at first, but the extravagant action and delicate, complex questions will eventually win them over. Overall, the depth and spectacle of Hong Kong cinema's heyday was far superior to its action counterparts in Hollywood.

Once upon a time in China can be seen on Max in the US

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