tired of all these lame special effects kung-fu flicks with no story? Then check this film out! A solid story with incredible choreography. Nothing special or fancy added to this, just a solid film in all aspects from beginning to end.
A very basic "biographical" underdog tale blanketed in solid martial arts action and overwhelming Chinese propaganda (although who cares, really). Simple entertainment; not worth the considerable hype, but still worth a watch.
a little too much wire work for my tastes, but donnie is awesome and the film has really good pacing, with just the right balance of story and fights to make everything seem very climactic but not get bogged down in political intrigue like so many of these nationalist historical kung fu movies do. better than most of what's been coming out of the genre in the last ten years.
I didn't know what to expect (I was thinking typical wire-fu action: infallible hero, family killed, seeks retribution, yadda, yadda) but it was sooooo much better than I could have hoped for. The action scenes were subdued and believable and Donnie Yen is just awesome. Is this movie skewed a bit towards Chinese nationalism? Yes, but deservedly so. If you like good martial arts films that aren't all Matrixed out, try this movie - I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Donnie Yen is the only thing happening here (okay, SImon Yam and some other bit players are fine); the film itself is a long drag through the brackish mud of convention. It hits all the expected notes, from character arcs to nationalism, without actually having anything to say. It wouldn't be as disappointing (who goes into a martial arts film expecting creative or aesthetic greatness?) had it not made such obviously failed attempts to explore the nature of people driven to fight competitively.
A typical martial arts movie where the hero just can't do anything wrong :) The fact that it is based on a true story lends a lot of credibility and interest to the film. Jet Li does an excellent job as the hero. You will love the action in the movie.
Manipulative and nationalistic, sure, but the fight scenes overwhelm your intellect to a point you don't really care. Every part is also, thankfully, well acted by a who's who of Hong Kong character actors. Flawed and ridiculously fun - unless you're Japanese. Then you'd probably be pissed.