Once Upon A Time In China I, II, III (DVD) (Digitally Remastered) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All

My little plot summary doesn't really do this film justice. It is quite a complex plot and trying to boil it down to a couple of sentences is next to impossible. In fact, the plot is so complex that those people who don't have some knowledge of Chinese history will probably be lost (think how someone watching a film about Paul Revere might feel if they didn't know about US history). But the script is solid enough so that the film doesn't become too complex as to lose the viewer.

At its heart, though, what propels Once are the action sequences. Suffice to say Jet Li has never looked better literally. Of course, his martial arts skills are great and he's convincing as a kung-fu master. The fights in Once, which range from brawls between dozens of people to intense, high-flying one-on-one battles, are expertly choreographed and performed. But, perhaps more importantly, director Tsui Hark, one of the most powerful people in the HK film industry, spared no expense on this film (at least in terms of the Hong Kong film industry, where budgets are miniscule compared to Hollywood's). It simply looks better than most any other HK kung-fu film before or since, even newer special-effects laden movies like The Stormriders. Once's camera and editing techniques in particular are phenomenal and play a vital role in separating this film from others of this kind. Even the burly Kent Cheng (who plays Porky, one of Huang's students) looks like a kung-fu powerhouse in front of Tsui's lens.

The other members of the cast, including Jacky Cheung (as a Chinese/American doctor named So) and Yuen Biao (as Fong, an acrobatic actor who turns against Huang) put in good performances as well. It's a pretty rare occurrence when an ensemble cast could perform within a martial arts movie, but Tsui manages to put a good balance between all the characters, so none of them seem superfluous or unnecessary. Also, it was really nice seeing a romantic subplot in a movie that didn't overpower the scenes around it. The scenes with Huang and Aunt Yee (Kwan) are actually handled with tenderness and care, unlike the hammy melodrama present in most other films.

Once Upon a Time in China is simply one of the best martial arts films ever made. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on a special treat that showcases some of Tsui Hark and Jet Li's best work.

RATING: 9.25

by Neil Koch