Donnie Yen is the new chinese action kung fu star. fact.
he is great in this new adaptation of the Chen Zhen story. The character of Chen Zhen is a famous one in china and has been played by Bruce Lee and Jet Li in the past. taking over the mantle is a new action star Donnie Yen, and i'm sure Hollywood will come calling sooner or later.
as for the film, its a good story set in 1925 shnghai where there is all sorts of political unrest between Japan and China. i have to admit my knowledge of history around that time is not the best and so i did struggle with the story at times, but there are helpful subtitles and headings, especially at the beginning which help you along.
To add to the confusion most of the cast spend their time double crossing each other and pretending to be someone else which doesnt help the confusion - especially when Chen Zhen has the worst disguise since Clark Kents glasses. he literally has a stick thin pencil moustache as his disguise, and that's it. the film i dont think needed as many double crossings and characters and would have benefited from a simpler story.
a quick word about the actress Qi Shu who plays Kiki a singer in a caberat club called casablance. the first time we see her she is beautiful and elegant and i was fully expecting her to become the femme fatale of the film, powerful controlling and manipulative towards men especially our protagonist. what follows though is a detailed charcter exploration of a sad lonely alcoholic woman. {SPOILER ALERT} when we see who she is at the end there is an argument that it was all a show, but i disagree and prefer to believe that is who she truly is {SPOILER END}.
the action sequences are brilliant, and they manage to remain real and authentic, than many other kung fu films. wire work, if it was used, is kept to a minimum and not overused creating a sense of truthfulness and appreciation in the fight sequences. Why though, they make the lead character dress up in a mask to fight certain bad guys at night is beyond me. he is an exact replica to Kato from the Green Hornet and the comparison must be intentional, for which i can see no relevance. baffling.
overall a good fun, if convoluted story, and a great chance to see Donnie Yen before he hits the ultra big time.
3 stars
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