My Father Is A Hero (Taiwan Version) VCD

Terminally ill with an unnamed disease that only ant-eating can cure, Jet's saintly wife dies (there's not much room for a wife in this movie), and Jet's son, the incomporable Tze Miu, sets out on an incredible journey to find daddy. Connected only by pager, Jet Li and Tze Miu rekindle the chemistry that served them both so well in New Legend of Shaolin. Both are self-made martyrs, crucified by duty, one trying to be a dutiful son, one trying to be a dutiful dad, and it's their stoicism in the face of outrageous suffering that is the emotional crucible at the heart of this film.

Even if you're not a sucker for father-son melodrama, there's a lot to enjoy in this film. Directed by frequent Jet collaborator, Corey Yuen-kwai, it is swaddled in iconic moments, bathed in a heavenly light, and shot with all the care and attention of an illuminated manuscript. Yuen has a real eye for detail: his Beijing is a crowded, scruffy city; his Hong Kong is gleaming, and rootless, stuffed with luxury items, living room suites, coffee bars, and air conditioning. The kung fu comes courtesy of Corey Yuen as well, and it’s all tightly-orchestrated urban mayhem at its finest. The climactic fight, which sees Father (Jet Li) and Son (Tze Miu) merge into one fighting machine, feels a little truncated. That’s because it is. It was supposed to be a longer battle between superkickers Yu Rong-guang, Ken Lo, Ngai Sing, and Jet Li but Ken Lo injured his leg and things had to be curtailed. No worries. It's still a stunner, and even though Jet Li barely speaks to his own children anymore, the image of him spinning little Tze Miu around on a rope like a yo-yo should come to adorn Father's Day cards all over the world as an iconic image of kung fu fatherhood at its most hallowed.

by Grady Hendrix