Tai ji: Zhang San Feng

Plot synopsis:
Junbao and Tienbo grow up together in a Shaolin Temple as monks, studying the martial arts and generally getting into trouble. They are both expelled from the temple after Tienbo almost kills a fellow student who cheats in a fight against him. Aided in their escape by their sympathetic teacher, they receive final instructions regarding the potential paths of their different personalities, with a specific warning given to Tienbo. They both then go into the outside world to find their way in life. Meanwhile, a gang of henchmen are forcibly taking money from a local shop owner. A woman named Miss Li steals the money and returns it. Having noticed the money gone, the henchmen start to fight with Miss Li. Miss Li holds her own during the fight, but soon gets into a bit of trouble due to her being outnumbered. Junbao comes to her aid and defeats the gang. Army reinforcements arrive to break up the fight and so the trio run away to escape capture. At this moment the eunuch governor travels through the town, roughing up the locals as he does so. Tienbo realizes that he wants to be as rich and powerful as the governor, but Miss Li warns him that the governor has "the heart of a viper" and wonders if he could handle this power. Miss Li then shows them to a pub to get food.
Inside the pub, they find a woman named Siu-lin. Siu-lin is searching for her lost husband, during which she supports herself by playing on a sanxian that said husband gave to her as a gift. She finds him inside the pub as the new husband of the governor's niece. The niece starts a battle with Sui Lin where they both seem equal, but the husband hits Siu Lin on her head with a stool causing her to collapse. Junbao helps Siu Lin by defending her against her ex-husband and the niece's guards.
The next day, while Junbao and Tienbo are making money with their amazing kung fu skills, the governor's second in command spots them and is impressed with Tienbo's abilities (and his eagerness to kow-tow to authority.) He offers him to join the army (which he readily accepts) however, Junbao is more reluctant to do so and declines going with Tienbo and so the two go their separate ways. Later, some soldiers come to the pub to collect taxes (which have increased due to the governor’s greedy nature) but Junbao and the rebels (who have stolen great valuables from the governor to give back to the poor) fight and kills them one by one. One soldier escapes alive and starts off towards the army's camp to warn them about the rebels with Junbao in pursuit. Just in front of the army encampment, Tienbo kills the soldier before he warns the rest of the army about the rebels whereabouts. Tienbo warns Junbao to stay clear of the rebels as they'll get him into trouble. Now knowing where the rebels are hiding however, Tienbo takes this unique opportunity to gain a promotion. He sets a trap for Junbao and the rebels by telling them that the army is on patrol and when would be the best time to attack them.
Junbao and Siu-lin collect all the rebels from the region, and go to the army camp (thus, falling for Tienbo's trap). A big battle occurs where most of the rebels die. Tienbo captures Miss Li and Siu Lin. In the end, the only survivors are Junbao and a few rebels.
Because of the trap, the governor promotes Tienbo to lieutenant. With his new authority (and some poignant advice from the governor) Tienbo kills Miss Li, and holds Siu-lin as bait so that he can try to convert Junbao to the army's cause. This is unsuccessful and Junbao rescues her. Due to the fact that his best friend betrayed him, Junbao's mind snaps and he goes crazy for days. While recuperating in the countryside with Siu-lin, he has a sudden epiphany that leads to him regaining his mental health and inspiration for the creation of the martial art of Tai Chi Chuan.
While the governor is traveling to Beijing to see the empress, he encounters Junbao and Siu-lin who defeats his niece the soldiers guarding him. With the governor captured as a hostage, they go to the army camp and demand Tienbo to surrender his wealth and his power. Due to his arrogance, Tienbo declines and starts to fight Junbao thinking that he is still the inferior fighter. To Tienbo's surprise, however, Junbao is now fighting using the heretofore unseen style of Tai Chi Chuan. Because the style relies less on size, power, speed and strength, Junbao is able to fend off Tienbo with ease. Seeking an additional advantage in their fight, Tienbo kills the governor in order to gain complete control over the troops surrounding them. Siu Lin intervenes and convinces them not to listen to Tienbo as he just betrayed their leader. Seeing this (and also the way Tienbo utilizes his troops as battle fodder), the troops back off and leave Tienbo's fate to Junbao. After a stunning series of parries and blows by Junbao, Tienbo is defeated and ultimately killed due to his reluctance to accept fate and admit defeat.
After the fight Siu-lin and Junbao go their separate ways with Junbao returning to the Shaolin temple and establishing his own school to teach Tai Chi Chuan.

Tags: revenge, entertaining, violence

Review:
There are some minor flaws, like a times you can see wires, or things just look really fake, but it doesn't really take anything away from the film and is very entertaining.
"Twin Warriors" is one of the best martial arts films I have seen, there are at least 20 different fight scenes all of them spectacular.
Jet Li does a good job of acting here, he isn't as serious as he usually is, Michelle Yeoh who proved she could kick ass in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" shows her skills here as well.
The action scenes for the most part are believeable, a few of them go over the top but other than that I was totally into them, if you're looking for pure martial arts action with a decent story and acting, give Twin Warriors a look..
This movie has it all: friendship, love, betrayal, corruption, murder, and comedy, not to mention the kung fu Style of Shaolin which will never cease to amaze, bewilder, and captivate the viewer.The plot itself is simple and easy to follow.
Things come to head when Chin Bo takes things a little too far during a kung fu initiation, attacking a master with some of the master's own secret kung fu moves.Forced to leave the temple Junbao and Chin Bo are forced to live as street entertainers, demonstrating their kung fu and ability to absorb punishment for money.
It is a well made tale of an ousted Shaolin monk who through hardship and madness, learns the ultimately taoist T'ai Chi Chuan.The thing I love about this film, (and you'd have to be a geek to go with this} but I love the fact that he learns T'ai Chi through his own hardships, not from a sifu (teacher), and the typical sifu or friend who dies is his friend, who, instead of dying, turns evil with power.The entire movie is a great representation of Taosism (yin, yang, good and evil}.
Good guy gets defeated, learns a new style of Gong Fu and defeats the bad guy, but then again, isn't that what Star Wars took 3 films to accomplish?Anyway, my opinion of this film is tainted by the fact that I'm a taoist, but the action is top notch, nobody flies for no reason, all the characters (even the comic relief) are fleshed out.
If you like martial arts, and even a little comedy, watch this Yuen Woo Ping classic.The opening Tai Chi training scene is so well done (see how everyone's movements are in sync) and sets the standard for the film.
The Shaolin "Luo Han Pole" formation scene must be watched in slo-mo to really appreciate it.Jet does an awesome job as Junbao and his martial arts is amazing.
From the spinning table scene fight to battling an army of soldiers, Yeoh really demonstrates her fighting prowess and acting ability as well.Being that this was the first Jet Li film I've seen, it's one of my all-time favorites.
One of my favorite Hong Kong actors, Jet Li, does what I call his best film in "Tai Chi Master."  Starring alongside Michelle Yeoh and a dozen other folks whose name I forgot, Li plays Junbao, a monk whose best friend betrays him and becomes a ruthless whacko.
While some parts are just too cheesy to mention, i.e. people flying around and some ridiculously hokey-looking effects (you can see the cable attached to a guy's back at one point), the best fights take place with just good ol' Jet Li, a pole, and an army of bad guys, where there is no room to fly around or do the ultra-powerful Buddhist Palms.
And then gets ready for the best fight scene ever which was going on for like really long time.
Good Wuxia Fun. As a t'ai chi player, I watched this film hoping to see a lot of t'ai chi (I'd already started running scenarios in my head where the brash young Jet Li learns t'ai chi from Michelle Yeoh).
Of course this mix will probably be insufferable to anyone who isn't into wuxia, but if you like the kind of martial arts films where combatants call out the name of the move they're about to do, you'll love this.
Twin Warriors succeeds as a martial arts film because it keeps us entertained with almost a constant stream of highflying action sequences.
However, due in part to poor dubbing; the drama scenes between the fights are laughable.The story follows that of two friends, Chin Bo and Juanbo (Siu-hou Chin and Jet Li), two monks that becomes friends at, and later get thrown out of a Shaolin Temple.
They meet a young woman, Siu Lin, and start to help her out but, after thinking about the future, the two friends go their separate ways  with Chin Bo becoming a soldier and Junbao falling in with Siu Lin and a group of rebels.With Hero currently being touted all over the place as the greatest thing ever, I thought I'd just avoid the multiplex hype and view some older Jet Li films, one of which was Twin Warriors, as it is known in the UK.
As such he does well to produce some exciting fights that demonstrate how good wire work can be  only once or twice does he hit a bad note (Junbao's bouncing head butt was more silly than exciting).
None of the fights really stand out as being one of the greats, they are often too contrived and and are (surprisingly) rather flatly filmed at times; but they are still enjoyable and are certainly a lot more fun than the stuff that Jet Li has been reduced to in his American films in the past few years.
Sometimes dubbing is OK with this but here I didn't think some of it was very good and they messed with the characters by the manner of their delivery  the Emperor was the worst, he was done by some guy giving a very bad Peter Lorre impression.Overall this is an enjoyable film from a martial arts point of view but it really isn't that great.
I saw this movie (the original Tai Chi Master version) based in part on the recommendations on this site and I was sorely disappointed.I'm a big fan of Fist of Legend (Jet Li and Siu-hou Chin) and thus had high hopes for this one, but the fights here are not nearly as entertaining (not even semi-realistic or convincing), the plot is not really bad but the silly (badly done) wire fu makes the movie seem unintentionally silly..
The fighting sequences in this movie are top-notch, and are some of the best choreographed scenes I've seen in a long time.
I think that Wachowski brothers also loved this film because "The Matrix" has some almost identical fighting scenes, but who can blame them when those scenes here are among the best martial art scenes ever filmed.
That said, I don't remember when I last saw a movie as relentlessly fun and Twin Warriors (the American title of the film apparently called Tai ji Zhang San Feng in Hong Kong).
Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, who's now best known as the master behind The Matrix's martial arts sequences, Twin Warriors adds a new twist in every battle, whether it's Yeoh turning a broken bar table into stilts, or Li deciding to fight an entire skirmish using only his head.
Yeoh is similarly weak when she isn't fighting and she spends a bit too much of the movie being victimized to actually be doing her full duty as a twin warrior.Still and all, as films of this genre go, it doesn't get much better than this.
Junbao eventually joins forces with other concerned rebels in confronting the tyranny of the evil Governor (Jian Kui Sun) as well as Chin Bo, a newly minted general."Tai Chi Master", also known as "Twin Warriors" in North America, is an invigorating example of this genre.
(Yes, you can sometimes see the wires holding performers in the air or pulling them along, but not often enough for it to really be a problem.) The comedy is frequently hilarious, and it's quite a joy to see action icon Michelle Yeoh bust out some comedy chops as her character Siu Lin turns to drink as a way of trying to forget about an unfaithful husband.
Siu-Ho Chin is excellent as the antagonistic Chin Bo, letting power go to his head, abusing his soldiers, and betraying his former friends.The film gets fairly gory at times, and the English translations of the Asian dialogue do contain some profanity.
It tells an adult story without ever getting too, too unpleasant."Tai Chi Master" has its over the top moments, but it does have some heart in addition to the action and humour, and the poignancy of a long friendship gone sour, so fans of the genre are sure to enjoy it.Seven out of 10..
The world is cruel, you don't meet force with force.'Soft' - sudden enlightenment in the mountains, madness and gibberish as meditation, coupled with a series of visual meditation in the exercise doll centered low, spinning ball and transference by wave, all of which are also keen in-sights into taiji structure.And 'hard' again in the rousing finale where he defeats hordes of opponents - nevermind the far-fetched fiction, look for the noticeable transition in Jet Li from previous kung fu into now fluid motions, circular evasion and low stances.It works much better for me than Once Upon in China or the later Crouching Tiger, where again you will see Michelle Yeoh and a lot of taiji.
This movie's other title "Twin Warriors" might be more appropriate title for this movie, as two ex-disciples goes separate ways one becoming the military general, and the other a rebel.The story takes place in Shaolin temple where two disciples Jun bao (Jet Li) and Tian Bo (Siu- Ho Chin) joins as a child apprentice monk.
As a wushu athlete my self I understood the movements the hong kong action stars have to endure so I can relate I was present during the filming of this movie it was fascinating how the director uses thin wires to create special effects that cost millions in the US try to get the the uncut U.K version.
The authentic dialogue is lost even though DVD has the ability to give the VIEWER the option of the way he/she wants to watch the movie.It is widely known that real Kung Fu fans would much rather have the real dialogue along with subtitles, than some bad english dubbing.
If you want to see this movie (and you should) find the one that said "Tai Chi Master" or "Tai ji Zhang San Feng" (the real title), and pass by "Twin Warriors" unless you love English Dubbed flixs..
I love this movie, Its my Buffy Of Martial Arts Movies, The only Martial arts film what comes close is Jet Li's Legend Of The FistIt's the kind of film you will want to watch over and over again because its that good..
The endearing innocence which Jet Li brings to his character, and the fluidity of his "Taoist boxing", real or assisted (remember when he acted like the punching bag, swinging around and knocking his weight into his opponent as if he had concentrated all his weight in his feet?) The picture and sound are much lower quality than other Yuen Woo-ping movies within a year's radius (Iron Monkey, Wing Chun), but it's difficult to notice such superficial markers of quality when the pacing, emotional power and action of the movie so surpass the era's other offerings.Another of the movie's fine points is the natural flow of its few comic sections.
While Fist of legend is clearly Jet's best film of the 90's TCM is a great runner up.The film is the story of two shoalin students who are thrown out of the temple and after a life time of friendship end up on the opposing sides of a rebellion.
The story while very, very loosely based on the life of Tai-chi's inventor , trades a serious story for Humor which is done effectively.Perhaps one minor problem is the best fight scene comes early in the film.
But it moves quickly and contains some wonderful martial arts scenes.Michelle Yeoh interests me very much as an actress.
Regardless of the way you watch Twin Warriors, the film is just not good although I must admit the bad synchronization on part of the American distributor made it worse at times.
Review: I always like watching these martial arts movies that show the Buddha monks training.
The epic fight scene at the end was brilliant because you have seen these two close friends grow apart but Jet Li has managed to keep his discipline to his art.
Enjoyable!Round-Up: In this film, you really see different sides to Jet Li. At the beginning, he's very vulnerable and he totally looks up to his best friend.
A classic concept for all Kung Fu fans.I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about 2 orphans who are close friends through there childhood but then they grow apart because one longs for power and money.
It's not worth more than 6/10, but I give it less in order to balance things since it was rated pretty high by a lot of people that clearly haven't seen too many good movies, especially from this category *sigh* Yes, Jet Li does play in this movie, but that doesn't mean it's a great one.
I had plenty more fun watching Lone Wolf staring Chuck Norris to be honest :) This movie is a disappointment to the genre and it makes the Shaolin monks look pretty bad overall..
It was simply a fantastic martial arts movie...Think along the lines of a mixture of Gordon Liu's Master Killer, Michelle Yeoh's Wing Chun and The Iron Monkey.
This film isn't half bad, there's quite a lot of story, plot and rich characterisation - especally in the main characters - but the whole thing tastes like a lighter version of Star Wars.The version I saw was heavily dubbed and thus every mannerisim, quote and line got me thinking of star wars - for example, Jet Li's best friend goes to the dark side - the evil white heared emperor tells Jet Li's friend-turned-evil that he must crush the "rebellion" in order to celebrate the emperor's rise to power.There is quite a lot to marvel about - the fight sequences are good, but the SFX and the wire-fu is incredibly sloppy - you can see every wire in every scene - it is really annoying - but it is enjoyable non the less.Overall: 5/10.
Woo Ping Yuen has done some of the best martial arts movies in Magnificent Butcher(1979), Dreadnaught(1981), Iron Monkey(1993), Tai Chi Master(1993), and Wing Chun(1994).
Jet Li shows grace and style in the final fight scene between Junbao and Chinbo.
Michelle Yeoh kicks mean butt in this one, too...she has such a lovely grace when she fights, as does Jet Li.
Junbao recovery is due to learning the art of Tai Chi to face off against Tienbao with the help of Siu Lin. The story is very good and tragic, its almost like a Chinese Macbeth, a man turned evil by the pursuit of power, and his friend the only one to stop him.
Yuen Woo-Ping does an amazing job directing the movie and choreographing the fight scenes.
The chemistry between Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh is solid; Siu Lin is a great friend and ally.
Twin Warriors is amazing, top notch performances and brilliant full force action scenes, along with great music make this film a Hong Kong classic many will and have enjoy!***** 5 stars Ryojin20 favorite!.
Nonetheless, the fight scenes are sometimes incredible, and at other times somewhat ridiculous.Jet Li takes on an entire army in this movie, armed only with a length of bamboo.
I was expecting "Tai Chi Master" to be an entertaining and dramatic martial arts movie.
The only problem with the film is the (very) noticeable wire work, especially in the final sequences, but this doesn't spoil what is a very fluid and beautiful film to watch.Jet Li seems more self-assured and amiable here than he did in the ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA movies, and he's ably supported by a strong cast that includes an excellent Yuen Cheung-Yan as the unlucky Reverend Ling and ass-kicking Michelle Yeoh as the feisty female lead.
This Hong Kong action film follows the lives of Junbao and Chin Bo who grow up learning Kung Fu in a Shaolin temple.
Jet Li is on great form as Junbao and he is ably supported by Michelle Yeoh as a fellow rebel.
Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody wanting plenty of martial arts action and lots of laughs.This comments are based on watching the 'Tai-Chi Master' version of the film in Cantonese with English subtitles..
If you're here to watch a Jet Li film with mind blowing action, you've come to the right place.
There is some fantastic Tai- Chi in this movie, with Jet Li at his best.
ONE of the BEST martial arts films you will ever see!.
The only thing western is the English dubbing, which is cheesy yet funny to listen to.I cannot give enough praise on this movie as it is but you will have to see Tai ji: Zhang San Feng (a.k.a. Twin Warriors) for yourself, even if you are not into Kung Fu movies or even if you don't like foreign films.
The first scenes; set in the temple, are the best seen in a long time and give a real sense of power for the style.
This is a review of "Tai Chi Master" starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.Two shaolin monks grew up together practicing martial arts.
I think they have done this so many times the fake actions looks natural to them.I don't know what the fascination with michelle yeoh is.