Product: Lord of the Wu Tang [VHS]
Rating: 4.0
14 Hour Martial Arts Epic (condensed into 95 minutes or so)
I originally saw this movie at the Towne Theatre in San Jose, CA, where it was released in US theatres under the same title. I do not own the DVD and will not comment on quality or sound.I found this movie on video at the World Video Store in Sunnyvale, CA, where the clerk told me it was based on a novel that was the Chinese equivilent of 'War & Peace'. It revolves around a pair of swords. This movie mainly refers to one of them, called the 'Yee Tin' sword. When I asked the clerk what the Chinese title of this movie was, he said in broken English "Yee Tin Slays Dragon"(?)As for the movie review, sheesh.. where to begin. We'll start with Jet Li's character as a child. His parents are attacked by some enemies known as the 'Two Jinxes'. One of them hits the child, making him ill for life. Then a confusing sequence where his dad dies, and his mother commits suicide while the leaders of 20 clans (everything from Wutang to Shaolin) bicker and argue over 'who killed who' and 'saving face' and all those other CHK vengeance cliche's. Jet Li survives with the help of an old Taoist Tai Chi master played by Sammo Hung. The other students, feeling envious of him because of their master's special treatment, take advantage of Sammo's abscence by beating him up and banishing him.Yes, the plot is very confusing. There are what seems like hundreds of armies, and all of them arguing over things that happened in the past. But since when has plot played a major role in a Honk Kong martial arts movie? If you're a fan of CHK fung fu fantasy movies, here is the mother of them all (with the exception of maybe 'Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain').While being chased out of his home, Jet Li is joined by a cute female thief who is looking for the Yee Tin Sword to break her silver shackles. Deep in the valley they bump into an old man chained to a floating boulder who is tricked by Jet Li into teaching him the 'Solar Stance'. This cures the jinx he's had since childhood, and at the same time gives him superhuman martial arts skills. Whereupon he flies into a battle where 10 different armies are trying to kill each other. After mowing down 50 people in a row, he flies above the battle and even fires energy bolts from his fists at the soldiers below. Then he gets trapped in a cave where he reads some graffiti and learns the 'Magic Stance'. Now that he's a God, it's time for some payback. And all of this in the first 15 minutes of the movie!!!Just kidding, but you'll understand why I poke fun after you've experienced the dizzy pace of this film for yourself.Overkill? Definitely. As this movie was originally planned to be filmed in two parts, the ending leaves you dangling. The sequel was never made. The rest is history. Just don't try to understand the plot and you probably won't be disappointed with this visual rollercoaster. I generously give it 4 stars because of the over the top battles and the fantasy elements. Only in Hong Kong cinema is style over substance synonymous with raw fun.