Once Upon a Time in China
II
Reviewed by YTSL
In light of the Hong Kong box office success
of “Once Upon a Time in China” (which was the 8th highest earner in 1991,
making HK$29,672,278.00 over its 56 day run), it was only a matter of course
before at least one sequel would get spawned. This being a Film Workshop
baby, one could also justly expect the ante to be upped in the second work
of what turned out to be a six movie series. The appointment of Yuen
Woo Ping as action director appeared to signal such. Ditto re the
bringing in of the likes of former Shaw Brothers star, David Chiang, Max
Mok (to replace Yuen Biao as Wong Fei Hung’s student, Foon) plus two accomplished
martial artists turned actors in Donnie Yen and Xiong Xin Xin to be supporting
cast members. It thus probably wasn’t to many people’s surprise that
the 1992 production -- which some fans, including many of the Top Ten List
contributors to Mark Morrison’s <www.heroic-cinema.com> site, prefer
to its predecessor -- succeeded in earning more box office money (HK$30,399,676.00;
though, interestingly, it spent 14 fewer days in theatres and finished
4 rungs lower in that year’s box office tables).
The beginning section of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA
II throws the film’s viewer(s) into initially unfamiliar and terribly exotic
looking territory: The fanatical realm of the White Lotus Sect, who
we learn are virulently xenophobic -- their ritual incantations include
the exhortation to “Kill all foreigners. So we can live in peace”
-- and headed by a man who claims to have supernatural powers vested unto
him (Priest Kung is played by Xiong Xin Xin). However, the scenes
that accompany the opening credits and immediately follow them seem to
signal director-producer Tsui Hark’s strong intent to echo -- and build
on -- two thematic elements which had worked well the previous time around:
Demonstrations of the physical strengths and prowess of martial arts trained
humans; and meditations on how best to deal with the Western, Chinese,
progressive and conservative ideological strains coursing through the province
and country of Wong Fei Hung (who gets excellently portrayed once more
by Jet Li) and his (honorary) Thirteenth Aunt (Rosamund Kwan is softer
here than before but just as sweet).
The decision to paint things on a larger canvas
can be seen in the great bulk of events in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA II
taking place in 1895 Canton rather than Master Wong’s hometown of Fo Shan.
It is also evidenced in the staging of more -- and more spectacular --
fights involving Wong Sifu than there had been in the first film in which
Jet Li had starred as the master exponent of such as the “no shadow kick”
(While the two duels with Regional Commander Lan -- who Donnie Yen shows
to be the impressive wielder of a powerful “cloth stick” -- are convincingly
intense and the one-against-many brawls that the Cantonese folk hero gets
involved in allow the movie’s star to show his eminently watchable moves,
it’s the lengthy battle against Priest Kung and a pair of his -- literally
so -- supporters that makes for truly breathtaking viewing). An extra
dimension gets provided by the incorporation into this often chaotic picture
of Dr. Sun Yat Sen (played here by Cheung Tit Lam); a nationalist activist
revered in real life by Chinese communists, Kuomintang and followers of
still other different political persuasions alike who is seen in this work
being wanted by imperial forces as well as befriending Wong Fei Hung at
an international medical conference (during the course of which the Po
Chi Lam herbalist demonstrates acupuncture techniques to Red Cross officials
and others while Dr. Sun does the Cantonese-to-English translation).
The connection of folk mythology with Chinese
(trans)national history -- by way of postulating an actual association
between two legendary figures -- is what allows ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA
II to have the kind of movingly spine tingling ending that it does.
At least a couple of dramatic scenes involving an individual named Luke
(the Christian money man for the revolutionary republican movement whose
time came in 1912 is solidly portrayed by David Chiang) also conjure up
rather genuine feeling emotions. This (re)viewer additionally appreciates
Rosamund Kwan’s ability to make Sap Saam Ee -- whose personal name gets
revealed here to be Siu Qin -- into something more than the flower
vase character that she on occasion seems in danger of be(com)ing.
For the most part though, my verdict is that ONCE
UPON A TIME IN CHINA II does disappoint somewhat in terms of: Its
social commentary coming across as lacking fire as well as feeling rather
scattershot (partly on account of Wong Fei Hung’s enemies being more misguided
and misguiding individuals -- even if they are ones representing particular
organizations -- rather than actual ideologies or preferred ways of life);
its romantic scenes missing the delightful light touch possessed by its
predecessor; and its comedic sections seeming more labored than fun.
Fight fiends could care less though, what with this 109 minute long production’s
containing the kind of action scenes that really can satisfy as well as
astound even those who want their (martial arts) movies to be amply filled
with heart, thought and laughs as well as majestic displays of physical
prowess and technical ability.
My rating for the film: 8.5
