Background
The Hong Kong film industry knows a good
thing when it sees it, and tends to churn out sequels to box office hits
as quickly as possible. Hollywood does the same thing, but always
becomes bogged down with disputes with the stars and the search for a
"good" script (usually a fruitless search).
After the first two films in this series
were such big hits, the inevitable sequel was not long in coming. A
Chinese New Year's release in 1993 (February), OUATIC III made
almost as much money as each of the first two films.
The next two sequels (without Jet Li as
Wong Fei Hung) did poorly at the box office. Star Jet Li returned
for 1997's Once Upon a Time in China and America (directed by Sammo
Hung), and that film was another financial success.
Foreground
As with the first two films, a pre-title
sequence establishes the basic plot line. In this case, the basic
theme of how China will deal with foreigners is again introduced.
This time, however, President Li and the Empress Dowager decide that China
should stage a martial-arts tournament to build national strength
and show the foreigners that China is a powerful force. The champion
of the tournament will be crowned the "Lion King."
Certainly there are some beautiful shots
in this film - a quick one that comes to mind is when Wong Fei Hung
rescues Aunt Yee (subtitled as "Aunt 13") and they glide to the
ground in a long and graceful shot. The concluding lion dance
sequence is incredibly colorful. Much of the film seems tired,
though, as if everyone involved was straining to make something good out
of a sense of obligation The film's pacing lacks any urgency, and as
a result the plot seems to meander here and there. Was Tsui Hark
perhaps bored, ready to move on to something else?
Jet Li (as Wong Fei Hung), Rosamund Kwan
Chi-Lam (as Aunt Yee/"13"), and Max Mok Siu Chung (who I am
guessing plays the constantly picked-upon Foon) are reliably effective, as
is Lau Shun as Wong's father and Hung Yan Yan (as the unfortunately
subtitled "Club Foot"). On the other hand, the chief
villain is played quite broadly as a cartoonish buffoon and lacks any real
menace.
The action director was Yuen Tak, who
previously had worked with Clarence Ford (The Iceman Cometh, Chicken
a la Queen, The Dragon From Russia) and Corey Yuen Kwai (Shanghai
Shanghai, Saviour of the Soul, Fist of Fury 1991). His
work on this film is alright, but nothing stands out. The
cinematography is by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, in the days before Young and
Dangeous and The Storm Riders.
The film is rated as Category II.
The violence is plentiful, with one explicit and bloody shot of a
severely-damaged leg.
DVD: look, sound, and features
The DVD's widescreen (2.35 to 1) image quality is very
good. The nighttime scenes look better than the daytime scenes,
which look just a bit washed out, but overall a good job.
The remastered Dolby 5.1 sound is loud
with plenty of unwarranted echoes and generally poor sound effects
work. Both Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks are here.
The white removable English subtitles are easy to read. Although
plenty of mistakes are evident, none are too distracting. Subtitles
are also provided in traditional and simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
Bahasa (Malaysia), and Spanish.
The original trailer is included along
with trailers for OUATIC I and II. There are
9 chapters along with a full-motion chapter menu. A brief synopsis
and a cast and crew listing are supplied. Filmographies for Tsui
Hark, Jet Li, and Rosamund Kwan are included.
As with the first two films, text
information about the historical Wong Fei Hung is provided (this time
explaining Tsui Hark's intention in making the films), along with classic
footage of three films starring this legendary character (1968's Wong
Fei Hung: The Duel Against the Black Rascal, 1981 's Dreadnaught,
and 1970's Wong Fei Hung: Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation).
Buy, rent, or pass?
Suffers from comparison to the first two
films in the series, but well worth a rental.
(Reviewed 12/16/00)
