God of War: Gen. Qi Versus the Pirates

General Qi Jiguang wrote the book on war and then he wrote the book on drilling armies—they were called The Ji Xiao Xin Shu and Record of Military Training. He was just the man to whip the Ming army into shape and expel the Japanese pirates. Those supposed ruffians and ronin have some high-ranking samurai secretly calling the shots, but they adhere to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, which is so Sixth Century BC. Nobody knows better than Qi the failings of the Ming court, yet the revered General always answers the call to service in Gordon Chan’s rip-roaring God of War (trailer here), opening this Friday in New York.

Yes, this will be another film in which the innocent Chinese were minding their own business until the belligerent Japanese launched an imperialist military campaign. At least in this case, some of the Japanese have misgivings regarding the ronin’s rampant pillaging—at least the ones with breeding. Of course, they are not there officially, but thanks to their tactical advice, the pirates have completely bedeviled Gen. Yu Dayou.

Even though Qi’s appointment amounts to a rebuke and a de facto demotion, the two generals earn each other’s respect on the battlefield. Unfortunately, neither of them is good at politics, but Qi is just too good to sideline for long. Crafty old Yamagawa hoped to divide Qi’s forces, by launching three simultaneous attacks, including one on Qi’s home town garrison. However, he did not count on Madame Qi-Wang, an accomplished martial artist in her own right, who will be literally holding down the fort in her husband’s absence.

God of War has several large-scale, blood-and-thunder battle sequences, but it is still surprisingly nimble on its feet. Chan segues quite smoothly from the big, explosive sieges to down-and-dirty hand-to-hand combat scenes. He gets a big assist from Vincent Zhao, who was the perfect choice to anchor the film as Qi. He has always had the martial arts chops, but he is about as big as a movie star can get and still be described as “under-appreciated” for him screen presence. Yet, his solid, dependable Joe persona quite suits Qi, who was known more for his ability to bring out greatness in his troops rather than his own super-human feats.

Nevertheless, Zhao still lays down some spectacular beatdowns on the ronin pirates. He also forges some pleasing chemistry with Regina Wan Qian, as the elegant but lethal Madame Qi-Wang. When Wan gets the chance to show off her action chops, she makes the most of it. She was terrific in The Laundryman and Paradise in Service, but this is the kind of role that should take her to the next level of stardom. As an added bonus, second-billed Master Sammo Hung has a small supporting part as the bull-like Gen. Yu, but he still puts an indelible stamp on the film.

In fact, Hung directly factors in an early sparring scene that is cleverly but not slavishly echoed in the third act. It is a nice, subtle touch from Chan, coming in a genre that more often inspires bombast. Frankly, it shows how reliable Zhao has been, how formidable a force Qian will probably become, and how eternally cool Master Sammo will always be. Highly recommended, God of War opens this Friday (6/2) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

Old School Kung Fu ’16: The Blade

He is wuxia’s most iconic underdog, who embodies a major chunk of Hong Kong film history. His first appearance came in The One-Armed Swordsman, a smash hit for the Shaw Brothers that made Jimmy Wang Yu an overnight superstar. Tsui Hark would reboot the uni-limbed hero for Raymond Chow’s equally storied Golden Harvest studio in the mid-1990s. It was a bit of flop at the time, but it has subsequently been recognized as an influential masterpiece. In celebration of Golden Harvest’s legacy, Tsui’s The Blade (trailer here) screens this weekend as part of Subway’s Cinema’s Old School Kung Fu 2016, with the support of Warner Archive, which has released a series of Golden Harvest classics on MOD (manufactured on demand) DVD (to order, fans must visit the Warner Archive collection: www.warnerarchive.com).

Ding-on’s life has already been marked by tragedy. The master of a saber foundry took him in as a young boy when his father was killed by the Falcon, a feared assassin who supposedly has the gift of flight. Temperamentally, Ding-on is rather suited to pound away at the forge, but the master’s daughter Siu Ling perversely yearns to see a rivalry develop between him and the more hotheaded Ti Tau. The two apprentices are clever enough to avoid her clumsy mind games, but a more serious rupture develops when a gang of outlaws brutally murders a shaolin monk.

Like many of the men at the saber-works, Ti Tau wants to posse-up and administer some frontier justice. In contrast, Ding-on discourages their rash impulsiveness, in accordance with their master’s wishes. Yet, Ding-on will have an arm severed by the very same outlaws when he rescues the flighty Siu Ling from their clutches. Feeling essentially emasculated, Ding-on retreats to a life of menial labor, shacking up with Blackie, a young hermit living outside town. Yet again, Ding-on endures the beatings of nomadic outlaws, led by the sinister Skeleton. However, the partial burning of Blackie’s hovel leads to the discover of an ancient martial arts text. Much of the diagrams are missing, but what remain are still adaptable to Ding-on’s condition. By the time he has retooled his skills, Siu Ling and his old master will desperately need his help.

In a way, The Blade is a hinge film linking the Shaw Brothers releases that inspired it with later, more expressionistic wuxia, like Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time (which originally predated The Blade in 1994, but became more “auteurist” in the 2008 Redux version) and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin. Frankly, from the vantage point of 2016, The Blade is easy as pie to follow, but it was considered quite arty and adventurous at the time for its use of stunning, saturated colors and whirling dervish action cinematography.

There are still plenty of beatdowns in Blade, some of which are unusually violent. While Vincent Zhao has yet to reach the level of international popularity attained by Jackie Chan and Jet Li, he has serious skills and powerful screen presence. Viewers will have no problem buying into his lethalness, even with one arm literally tied behind his back.

However, probably nobody is as dangerous in The Blade as Valerie Chow, who causes no end of chaos and ill will as the temptress-prostitute. She makes the screen sizzle in her limited screen time. As Siu Ling, Song Lei has a slightly creepy Lolita-thing going on, but her unreliable narration adds a further layer of distinctiveness to the film. It is also hard to understand why Dickens Chan Wing-chung isn’t more of a name, because he makes quite an impression as the heroic but ill-fated monk.

There is no question The Blade is a masterwork from Tsui, possibly even a masterpiece. It is a great film to see on the big screen and also an ever reliable movie to own for repeat home viewing. Highly recommended, it screens this Friday (4/8) and Sunday (4/10) as part of Old School Kung Fu at the Metrograph and is available for sale online at Warner Archive.

White Haired Witch: A New Demon Bride for a New Generation

Up until The Matrix, they were cinema’s most troublesome red pills. The historically based “Case of the Red Pills” inspired Liang Yusheng’s wuxia novel, Ronny Yu’s memorable screen treatment, The Bride with White Hair, as well as a sequel and several television serials. However, it is Fan Bingbing’s snowy mane that most fans will most remember about the latest adaptation, Jacob Cheung’s White Haired Witch (trailer here), which releases today on DVD and BluRay from Well Go USA.

Due to his talent and natural lack of ambition, Zhuo Yihang has been anointed the successor to the leader of the Wudang Sect. His first official duty will be to pay tribute to the emperor with an offering of the order’s red pills. Obviously, such a gift presents an ambitious eunuch like Wei Zhongxian the perfect opportunity to dispatch the emperor and blame an innocent fall guy, which he will not squander. Taking the long way home to visit his grandfather, a military governor on the frontier, Zhuo initially has no idea he has been falsely accused. Nor is he aware his grandfather was murdered by the treasonous general Jin Duyi, who similarly framed the demon-outlaw known as “Jade Rakshasha.” However, he sure thinks she is something when he encounters her during his journey.

Soon Zhuo is forced to take refuge in Jade Rakshasha’s Luna Fortress. Ming-era Tracey & Hepburn sparks continue to fly between them, while Zhuo proves his worth to community. Of course, they inevitably fall in love, but they will be separated when Zhuo willingly surrenders to the feared imperial guard, rather than risk the lives of the displaced peasantry sheltered in Luna. He will eventually regain his freedom by skillfully playing a double game with Eunuch Wei, even going so far as to marry his innocent daughter, Ke Pingting (she came before his you know what), but the apparent betrayal turns Jade Rakshasha’s hair white. It also makes her mad, which is never a good idea.

Yes, Fan Bingbing looks great with white hair. She also looks fab and establishes decent action cred in her fight scenes. Just for the record, Fan probably kicks more butt in Witch than the entire cast of the prospective “Expendabelles” film. You could make an equivalent film any day of the week in Hong Kong or Taiwan, but you simply won’t find an ensemble with the chops in Hollywood.

Be that as it may, Fan’s chemistry with Huang Xiaoming’s Zhuo is just okay. Frankly, he is a little stiff at times, but since he was working for a considerable time with a broken leg, he earns points for being a gamer. In limited screen time, Tanya Tong makes a strong impression humanizing the visiting team as Wei’s daughter Ke. Vincent Zhao chews plenty of scenery as the dastardly Jin, but he also gets to show a more nuanced side of the turncoat.

There are a number of big names in Witch’s ensemble, but along with Fan, the real stars are Stephen Tung’s fight choreography and the Oscar winning (for Crouching Tiger) Timmy Yip’s costuming. Frankly, it is a bit conspicuous that the intricate narrative has been somewhat abridged, but at least Cheung keeps the energy level up. It really is a lot of fun, as long as you can handle a tragically sweeping grand finale. Seriously, would you expect anything else? Recommended for fans of Fan and wuxia, White Haired Witch is now available on DVD and digital platforms from Well Go USA.

Wu Dang: The Martial Arts Treasure Hunt is On

Every five hundred years or so, a prestigious martial arts tournament is held at the Taoist monastery on Wu Dang Mountain.  It might sound like the perfect set up for a kung fu movie, but it is really just a pretext to allow its sponsor to hunt for seven mystical treasures hidden throughout the exotic environs.  Call it distraction by Kumite.  Prof. Tang Yunlong might be an adventurer, but he has a pressing need for the mythic treasures in former John Woo protégé Patrick Leung’s Wu Dang (trailer here), which Well Go USA releases today on DVD, Blu-ray, and various digital platform.

A western dressing, modern man, Prof. Tang could be considered Republican China’s Indiana Jones, except for his daughter Tang Ning, whom he has schooled in the martial arts.  He does not need the treasures for financial reasons.  Instead, he hopes their storied power can cure the rare genetic disease his daughter inherited from her late mother.

Tian Xin is also after the treasures, or at least one of them.  An Excalibur-like sword forged from a meteorite once belonged to her father and she is honor-bound to reclaim it.  Prof. Tang will not need it for long, so he is happy to make a deal with her (especially since she is played by Mi Yang).  Unfortunately, there are others after the treasures, whose motives are far less noble.

Action choreographer Corey Yuen (director of the original Transporter) really ups the ante with some spectacular fight scenes.  There are some nifty matches staged for the tournament’s ring, picturesquely perched precariously on the edge the mountaintop.  Yet, when Prof. Tang and Tian Xin start fighting together, in a scorching sort of martial arts tango, Wu Dang really puts films like Mr. & Mrs. Smith to shame.  These are sequences genre fans will immediately re-watch and enjoy just as much a second and third time around.

Stepping out for the first time as the co-lead of a martial arts film, Yang is a fantastic as Tian Xin.  Deceptively flirty and all kinds of lethal, she puts her stamp on the action heroine role.  In the rare event a Hollywood actress takes on such a part, it is hyped to the heavens as something extraordinary, but every HK and Mainland star of note eventually gets an opportunity to flex their kung fu chops.  That’s one of the reasons we like these movies.

Likewise, as Tang Ning, Jiao (Josie) Hu kicks butt pretty darn well too, at the youthful age of thirteen.  So endearing in Tom Shu-yu Lin’s Starry Starry Night, she is definitely a movie star of the future.  While she looks somewhat older than her limited years, the admittedly chaste pseudo-romantic relationship between her and Louis Fan’s doofus novice still seems a bit inappropriate.  However, the father-daughter rapport between her and Wenzhuo (Vincent) Zhao’s Prof. Tang is surprisingly touching.  A veteran of the Once Upon a Time in China franchise, Zhao knows how to conduct himself in a fight scene and also develops real chemistry with effervescent Yang.

Granted, Wu Dang ends in a smorgasbord of New Agey sentimentality, but that happens sometimes.  Yuen’s fight choreography and the two appealing central relationships more than compensate.  A kung fu film more or less suitable for family viewing, Wu Dang will still thoroughly satisfy genre connoisseurs.  Recommended with surprising affection, it is now available in home viewing formats from Well Go USA.