Once Upon a Time in China: Review

Jet Li Stars as Wong Fei-Hung in the 1991 Martial Arts Classic

Sep 11, 2008

Director Tsui Hark breathed new life into the genre with the first of the Once Upon a Time in China movies, bringing Chinese cinema to new heights worldwide.

It’s difficult now to fully appreciate the impact of this movie, but in 1991 the martial arts genre was still very much just about that: martial arts. To Westerners, it may seem that the inimitable Jackie Chan almost single-handedly carried the genre through the eighties, but the arrival of Jet Li in Tsui Hark’s big-budget movie heralded a new generation and style of in-depth movie-making.

Once Upon a Time in China Summary

The film is set in the Canton Province of the late 19th century, where the legendary Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li), must stand against the growing revolution that is sweeping across the East.

Having been re-assigned, the General of the Black Flag Army entreats Fei-hung to gather a local militia and protect the region against opportunistic gangs working with the Americans, the British and the French, supplying them with slaves to be sent westward.

Fei-Hung is re-united with his “Aunt” Yee (Rosamund Kwan), who has returned from the West, immersed in their culture and social habits. She and Fei-Hung are not related by blood, but by a sworn oath, and though they share deep feelings for each other it is considered a great taboo for them to pursue a relationship.

When “Iron Robe Yim” (Yen Shi-Kwan) – a Master of his respective martial arts – arrives in town, he sets himself on earning a reputation by defeating the best there is and Fei-Hung must face his challenge, while protecting Yee and leading his men through troublesome times.

Tsui Hark Breaks the Mould of Hong Kong Cinema

Tsui Hark’s directing is leaps and bounds ahead of most of his contemporaries of the time, and the cinematography is very well composed, giving it a far firmer footing as a sophisticated film than was common in the 80’s and early 90’s.

While the picture quality suffers from it’s limited production values (re: a big budget in Hong Kong does not mean the same as it does in Hollywood) it is largely forgotten in the midst of some beautifully arranged shots and set-pieces.

There are still weaknesses and certain quirks to be found in the film, which are endemic to much of Eastern cinema, but then one could argue that this was the film to begin the elimination of these weaknesses or that the quirks are very much a staple of the cultural translation and are not only forgivable, but pertinent to the identity of the film.

Consequently, there is more than a pinch of cheesy dialogue, near-pantomime acting, and some very poor American and British accents along the way (which if nothing else are really quite amusing).

The Golden Age of Wushu Champion Jet Li

Jet Li is far from a being great actor, but he acts great as Wong Fei-Hung, clearly taking the role on with a deep personal pride and honour. The Wushu champion naturally excels in the action sequences, where his speed, technique and co-ordination amounts to a sublime display.

Li does have an elegant and commanding presense on-screen and is very charismatic in the right parts, as evidenced by other appearances in his early career. A pity then that he has been mis-used in his later films. Seriously, has he even made a good movie since breaking through to Western cinema?

Once Upon a Time in China: Historical Context

What really marks Once Upon a Time in China as an exception to the rule, aside from relatively high production values and great action sequences, is the strong contextual setting of the story.

The late 19th century for China was a bitter one for traditionalists – a time when the country was being forcibly opened up to Western influence and culture, as well as by other growing world powers, such as Russia.

It explores, albeit superficially, that most critical of technological epochs in China’s history - namely, the introduction of the gun. In militaristic terms, this obseleted a fundamental approach to combat that formed one of China’s oldest traditions, as it did in other ways across the world.

Of course, in the shadow of the Western gun also lurks the introduction of other cultural and technological advents, such as Christianity and the beginnings of industrialization in the East, bringing with it the opportunity for individuals to profit from the exploitation of the masses (such as the promise of great wealth to be gained from working in America, which hides the reality of slave labour).

The film deals with these subject matters even-handedly, highlighting the positive as well as negative influences from each quarter.

It's direct sequel is also certainly worth a watch, but for anyone interested in examining the beginnings of the modern era of martial arts movies – this is one of the best places to start.

The copyright of the article Once Upon a Time in China: Review in Asian Films is owned by Michael Pantazi. Permission to republish Once Upon a Time in China: Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.