MyRating: YYYY Director: Peter Chan Ho-sun
Writer: Aubrey Lam
Cast: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Jimmy Wang Yu, Kara Hui
Liu Jin-xi (Donnie Yen) is a common village man who earns a living as a papermaker. He enjoys a quiet and peaceful life with his wife Ayu (Tang Wei) and their two sons, until his world suddenly turns upside down when one day, at the wrong time and the wrong place, he witnesses two bandits trying to rob a local general store. Unavoidably, he gets into a fight with the bandits with his seemingly amateurish fight back, partly just to defend himself, but luckily he successfully thwarts their robbery attempt.
As Liu suddenly rises to become a local hero and as the words spreading about his act of bravery, it quickly draws the attention of an investigator named Xu Bai-jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to visit the crime scene in his small town. But when Xu goes further into his investigation, he finds out that the two bandits defeated by Liu were actually seasoned criminals, associated with the clan of 72 demons, an evil clan which is infamous for killing, raping and plundering. Xu doubts how a common man like Liu could win over these two cruel criminals. He also starts to convince that Liu is not just a simple ordinary man that people think he is. And the facts that Xu finds may link Liu to his dark pasts. But as the investigation goes deeper, it also eventually attracts the 72 demons clan, lead by their Master (Jimmy Wang Yu), to pay visit to their town. And the town that once peaceful may now be endangered, as well as Liu's family.
This is a smartly written martial arts movie with an intriguing story (thanks to the script by Aubrey Lam, who also wrote The Warlords), which focused more on the drama side than on the martial arts itself. The first half of the movie (from the running time of almost 2 hours), after the brutal fight in the store, was filled with the aura of a detective movie, as Xu Bai-jiu investigated the case. For some, the story may feel flow a bit slow as the plot developed. But it was an interesting and clever investigation, as we followed what Xu imagined and pictured in his mind on the actual things happened in the crime scene with CSI approach, piece by piece, and then arranged the puzzles to match with what was reported that has happened. It was also interesting to learn about the Chinese accupuncture pivotal points that was used in Xu's investigation, on how a certain blow to a critical point in the human body could stop the heart from functioning. And the peeks inside of the human body were depicted frequently in the film, whether in Xu's investigation or in the fights, showing how outside hits may affect the body inside, which blood arteries or nerve systems that were broken. And they were shown in a stylistic way.
The characters development were depicted well by Peter Chan. He is a talented filmmaker, good in setting the right tone for the movie and driving the paths on which way the story will go, as he took his time to develop the story as well as the characters. And he did bring the best out of his casts, as I must say that all the actors were performing very well here. Donnie Yen gave a fine dramatic performance as a loving father and husband, who will fight for the safety of his beloved family while struggling to keep his past a secret, a common and innocent guy at a glance, but mysterious inside. His interaction with his family was a warm thing to watch.
But the best acting I must give to Takeshi Kaneshiro who gave a very good performance as the quirky detective, starting from his slightly different look with moustache, wearing glasses and a hat, that showed him as a smart investigator who will pursue for every detail, up to his strange accent that sounded funny but consistent throughout the movie. I think he successfully played his 'Sherlock Holmes' role with his sharp instinct and analysis, persistent and headstrong, but at the same time must endure his sickness, as well as showing realistic fears when he found his life was in danger. His 'cat and mouse' game with Donnie Yen was interesting to watch.
Tang Wei (the Chinese actress who appeared brave with Tony Leung in her first movie in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution back in 2007) was also very good in depicting the emotions and worrisome of the wife, who was afraid of losing her husband as well as the happiness of her family. With her meek and submissive look, sometimes sad, she showed deep emotions that will make us feel sorry for her. She is a good and natural actress.
Another interesting appearance came from Jimmy Wang Yu, the legendary martial arts actor who was very popular with his role in Chang Cheh's One-Armed Swordsman, the movie that launched him to super stardom in 1967. This senior actor gave a very solid acting here as the Chief of 72 demons clan, appeared bald and convincingly scary, as well as very evil. The last scene where he sit together with Donnie Yen and his whole family at the dining table was a thrilling moment, with Wang's provocative acting.
This movie was not lack of actions. It has enough portion of action sequences besides the drama, especially in the second half, even though not as much as the usual Donnie Yen's movies. But once it started, it was a lot of fun to watch, including the exciting fight between Yen, Kara Hui and another bad guy in the town, and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Yen also acted as the Action Director here, who choreographed some interesting martial arts sequences. And believe me, he did not disappoint. It always exciting to see Yen fighting with his bare fists. If you want to see a smart and slightly different feel but stylistic martial arts movie, with Donnie Yen's greatness inside, then I highly recommend this. This movie was premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. (MJ).
Cast: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Jimmy Wang Yu, Kara Hui
Donnie Yen is back with another martial arts movie Wu Xia (in Chinese meaning "martial arts chivalry" or "martial arts heroes" or "swordsmen"), directed by Peter Chan (The Warlords), the movie which many people would have been waiting for. The story was inspired from John Wagner & Vince Locke's A History of Violence, which has also been adapted into movie by David Cronenberg starring Viggo Mortensen in 2005, about a common guy who suddenly turns into a hero after taken down a couple of criminals through an act of violence. It's the Chinese martial arts version set in 1917 China, mixed with the detective story of Sherlock Holmes-like investigation.
As Liu suddenly rises to become a local hero and as the words spreading about his act of bravery, it quickly draws the attention of an investigator named Xu Bai-jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to visit the crime scene in his small town. But when Xu goes further into his investigation, he finds out that the two bandits defeated by Liu were actually seasoned criminals, associated with the clan of 72 demons, an evil clan which is infamous for killing, raping and plundering. Xu doubts how a common man like Liu could win over these two cruel criminals. He also starts to convince that Liu is not just a simple ordinary man that people think he is. And the facts that Xu finds may link Liu to his dark pasts. But as the investigation goes deeper, it also eventually attracts the 72 demons clan, lead by their Master (Jimmy Wang Yu), to pay visit to their town. And the town that once peaceful may now be endangered, as well as Liu's family.
This is a smartly written martial arts movie with an intriguing story (thanks to the script by Aubrey Lam, who also wrote The Warlords), which focused more on the drama side than on the martial arts itself. The first half of the movie (from the running time of almost 2 hours), after the brutal fight in the store, was filled with the aura of a detective movie, as Xu Bai-jiu investigated the case. For some, the story may feel flow a bit slow as the plot developed. But it was an interesting and clever investigation, as we followed what Xu imagined and pictured in his mind on the actual things happened in the crime scene with CSI approach, piece by piece, and then arranged the puzzles to match with what was reported that has happened. It was also interesting to learn about the Chinese accupuncture pivotal points that was used in Xu's investigation, on how a certain blow to a critical point in the human body could stop the heart from functioning. And the peeks inside of the human body were depicted frequently in the film, whether in Xu's investigation or in the fights, showing how outside hits may affect the body inside, which blood arteries or nerve systems that were broken. And they were shown in a stylistic way.
The characters development were depicted well by Peter Chan. He is a talented filmmaker, good in setting the right tone for the movie and driving the paths on which way the story will go, as he took his time to develop the story as well as the characters. And he did bring the best out of his casts, as I must say that all the actors were performing very well here. Donnie Yen gave a fine dramatic performance as a loving father and husband, who will fight for the safety of his beloved family while struggling to keep his past a secret, a common and innocent guy at a glance, but mysterious inside. His interaction with his family was a warm thing to watch.
Tang Wei (the Chinese actress who appeared brave with Tony Leung in her first movie in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution back in 2007) was also very good in depicting the emotions and worrisome of the wife, who was afraid of losing her husband as well as the happiness of her family. With her meek and submissive look, sometimes sad, she showed deep emotions that will make us feel sorry for her. She is a good and natural actress. 
