Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 02/13/2007 Summary: one of the best sequels Fong Sai Yuk II is one of the best sequels to a major hit that is worthy enough to stand alone on its own merits. Great action sequences mixed with funny romantic comedy elements make for compelling cinema. Josephine Siao Fong-Fong displays her comedy chops in her fine performance as Fong‘s mom. Jet Li Lian-Jie shows he is no slouch when it comes to being as funny as he is charming. 1993 was a big year for Li as he appeared in six films, each more compelling than the previous. The two Fong Sai Yuk films mark Corey Yuen Kwai’s best work since Saviour of the Soul and it’s sequel. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 04/04/2006 Summary: Outstanding Slam-bang great fun (though a bit gory at times), and even better than the first one. Hilarious contest between Fong's (Jet Li) girlfriend (Michelle Lee) and a princess (luscious Amy Kwok), whom he needs to win over for political purposes. The scene where Fong makes advances to the princess is a scream. Jo Siao is great, as always, as Fong's wild and loyal mother. Fong, at one point, claims the title of Canton's Young Man Of the Year and - a rare event - Jet Li even manages a modest amount of smiling in this pic. The finale, a fight to save Fong's mother from hanging (above a teetering pile of chairs) is one of THE all-time climactic battles in HK filmdom (the equal of any of Jackie Chan's best), and was copied in the just-as-good Tai_Chi_Master. OVERALL : Excellent comedy/action, a definite must-see. Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: Arshadnm6 Date: 04/09/2005 Summary: Good Sequel... but no Crowd Pleaser!! Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) has only just joined the Red Flower Society when he is faced with numerous problems which involve getting a new love interest (Amy Kwok) whilst wooing her to get the secret identity of Master Chan’s (Adam Cheng Siu-Chow) heritage. Meanwhile, Fong Sai Yuk retains his first wife Ting Ting (Michelle Reis), which poses marital problems aplenty. Fong Sai Yuk’s mother (Josephine Siao) reunites with an old flame (director Corey Yuen) and gets her own separate and parallel storyline. Also, Fong Sai Yuk gets on the wrong side of another master in the Red Flower Society to set-up a deadly confrontation with him in a similar hostage crisis styled final fight (involving his mother this time as opposed to his father in the previous movie). Everything about this movie is improved compared to ‘Fong Sai Yuk I’, especially the action scenes, nevertheless the comedy is somewhat overdone in this outing. Here, the one-versus-many action scenes (which include the use of swords) look just as good as the one-on-one encounters due to some nifty and innovative work by action directors Corey Yuen Kwai and Yuen Tak being on the same page and choosing good surroundings for these. The costumes are just as good as in the first part, the atmosphere is much more playful here and the choice of locations is spot on. Again, Fong Sai Yuk is the talk of the town by awed friends and jealous enemies alike and the Manchu dynasty is not dealt with in this movie unlike the first part. Consequently, the movie is not as well developed as the first part and does not get any sense of urgency injected into it until much later on. Moreover, Fong Sai Yuk’s mother, Ting Ting and his new love interest seems to carry an unnecessary and time-crunching role throughout the movie. This high-budget movie does not carry such a claustrophobic feel throughout the movie and seems to be in touch with the extras in the movie. Also, the misplaced appearance of a possible Mushashi Miyamoto (Legendary Samurai of Japan) leaves audiences begging for a showdown between him and Fong Sai Yuk but left unsatisfied with the potential over his appearance. Overall, this movie has fewer subplots and shocking twists and is not as well developed as the first part in terms of storyline (and it shows!!!). However, the movie is no disappointment and carries good entertainment value with other side actors contributing more to this movie as in the first part. An entertaining 1990’s martial arts old-style movie which ends with an unsatisfactory feel of lack of accomplishment for Fong Sai Yuk’s sake. Overall Rating: 7.3/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: balstino Date: 05/15/2003 Summary: Makes a great double bill... The story moves on from the first film in a nice way. Similar style but with new material, maybe a little more hectic! It's not as good as the original but still pretty funny! Watching both movies together makes for an excellent double bill.

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 04/27/2003 After the success of the original Fong Sai Yuk it was inevitable that a sequel would be produced. FSY2 carries on a little after FSY left off, with Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) now a junior member of the Red Flower Society. He's taken under the wing of resident coward Li Guobang (director Corey Yuen) and given special favour by the society chief (Adam Cheng). This earns him the enmity of the rebel element of the society, who seek to take control from the chief and turn the society to less patriotic ends. Fong Sai Yuk's love interest (Michelle Reis) has followed her man, and it's not long before his mother (Josephine Siao Fong-Fong, for many the real star of FSY1) turns up to make sure her son is getting by. When Fong Sai Yuk is sent on a mission to recover a secret box from the Japanese, he meets a beautiful governer's daughter (Amy Kwok) who falls for him. Since the box ends up in her dad's hands, Fong Sai Yuk is sent on a mission he never expected - to seduce the daughter and get the box back. FSY2 is a little more serious than its predecessor, since Fong is now caught up in the nation's politics from the start of the film. It still spends plenty of time on comedy, however, with Josephine Siao providing most of the laughs. The film tries to squeeze in many of the elements that made the first film so popular, without simply doing a retread of the plot. It still ends up feeling rather less fresh as a result, though. There's slightly less action in FSY2 than in FSY1, suggesting it was probably made to a tighter schedule. There's some good sequences though, with the highlights being Jet Li fighting on a river with a paralyzed Amy Kwok stuck to his back and an inventive finale. Jet Li seems to have fun in the role, which he has often said is the character he can most identify with. The rest of the cast also fit their characters well, but for me the best performance was from Amy Kwok. This cute actress seems very talented, but appears to have been in very few movies. Perhaps she does more tv work. The film fails to quite capture the broad spectrum of emotions that the original evoked, and doesn't provide any set piece moments that are quite as memorable. It's definitely a lesser film, but still pretty good. It's worth mentioning that this was the first HK film I saw, and it was enough to turn me into a passionate fan, so even if it doesn't hold up as well now that I've seen a lot more, it is certainly an entertaining work that shows the unique style of film-making you only get with any success in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, Fong Sai Yuk 1 & 2 have both been screwed over when it comes to DVD releases. The original releases from Universe were basically Laser Disc transfers with burnt in subtitles and poor matting. So Universe released remastered versions which are... even worse. Subtitles are removable at least, but the picture quality is dreadful - totally washed out colours and absolutely no detail, with trails absolutely rampant in darker scenes. This is nothing compared to the sound mix though, which is surely the most incompetent sound mix I've heard. New sound effects are added to the original mono with absolutely no regard to consistency and minimal effort to synchronise them with the on-screen action. Levels and pans are all over the place. This most obviously affects the action sequence, but it is bad enough to seriously rob those scenes of a large part of their impact. I can't imagine how somebody listened to this and thought "I've done my job well, I'm finished now". The film itself gets a recommendation - 7/10 I guess - but the DVD is best avoided if possible. Unfortunately there's not much in the way of alternatives right now (the dubbed and cut US release as THE LEGEND 2 obviously isn't even worth considering) - I'm just glad to have it recorded from UK television. Even recorded long play it's a vast improvement on the DVD. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: xiaoka Date: 04/14/2003 Summary: compared to the first one... a pile of crap my friends and i watched this in the theaters back in 93 with great anticipation, we all loved the first FSY and were expecting something as good for this one. it was such a let down that I hadn't bothered watching it again for 10 years... now on DVD I'm disappointed again... it's not particularly good... the plot is crap, fighting isn't anything special... worst of all it basically ruins the first one! there's this great romance between Jet and Michelle Reis and this one basically ruins it... kwok oi ming is cute and all, but michelle reis is michelle reis! if you loved the first one, you're better off avoiding this one (unless you can't get enough of the mom... which I definitely can get enough of...) Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 01/27/2003 Most of the principle players from the first film return in this disappointing sequel rushed into production in an attempt to hit pay dirt twice in one year. While "Fong Sai Yuk II" contains few if any damning flaws (aside from Jet Li's newly acquired feminine scream) everything you see and hear really amounts to nothing more than a retread of circumstances already covered by its predecessor. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 11/23/2002 Summary: Jet Li at his 1000% best The first Chinese movie I saw in the U.S., Fong Sai Yuk 2 brought back sweet nostalgic memories and feelings. I was absolutely mesmerized by this movie as a kid. And the way Universe treated it on DVD with butchered music and scenes is no worse than Disney cutting 10 minutes out of the movie and dubbing it. Jet Li, the most charismatic Chinese actor, has never appeared more charismatic. His charm is overwhelmingly evident. The supporting cast is also excellent, with Josephine Siao and the villain being the most outstanding. I love this movie because it has so much to offer. Despite an awkward plot and missing details within, the martial arts is as good as it gets - better choreographed than part 1; the music is hauntingly memorable - ladies get your cleanexes! There's plenty of humor, though not as particularly funny as the first 1. The story is bittersweet, heartbreaking and emotionally provocative. It really can't get better than this. Actually, it can. This movie is without a doubt packed with flaws, the most painful being Adam Cheng "erasing" Jet Li's kung fu. In the movie, Jet Li already got the box that Adam wanted, but the writers obviously just wanted to audience to feel more for Jet Li so they made sure he got abused as much as possible. The result is several very confusing moments. So this near-perfect movie still had room for improvement. Overall, the writers didn't do a good job. They tried too hard to get the audience involved with the story, resulting in a lot of emotional scenes, which is generally nice but do not match the merit of FSY 1. Still, this movie holds a special place within the author. [10/10]

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 08/16/2002 Summary: Not bad...but Not exactly a fan of either the original film or Jet Li himself, I was always cautious when I saw this for the first time as I expected it to be worst than the first. However, although the messy production of the original dragged it down, that main problem was sorted out in the sequel. It looks a lot better. The main problem with the second though is that ridiculously stupid jokes take over the film once more, but luckily the action is improved (not that the first had bad scenes or anything). Though saying about the comedy, the serious parts of the film were much better (the first one had way over the top acting – especially from Jet Li…he’s simply awful at acting). Overall, I’m still a bit weary to recommend either of the films, so I won’t. I’ve seen it several times now over the years, and it never seems any better each time I watch it. But I can understand why some fans of Jet Li would like it. [3/5]

Reviewed by: resdog781 Date: 07/24/2001 Summary: better than the first! I thought this movie had it all. Amazing kung fu from Jet Li and the bad guy with no eyebrows who plays Mr. Yu (and Ma Ling Yee from New Legend Of Shaolin!) two unbelievable cuties (Michelle Reis and Amy Kwok) and some great comic relief and tearjerking moments from Josephine Siao. This includes the same cheesy HK slang humor that I didn't get (but my dad apparently did) and this one has one of the most amazing climactic fights in any HK movie I've ever seen! In an attempt to rescue his mom, Fong Sai Yuk blows through a bunch of Mr. Yu's evil henchmen in something I can only describe as a John Woo sequence with swords. ;) Oh yeah...And did I mention the two cuties already? Only a badass like Jet Li can get away with marrying both of them...

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 05/05/2001 Summary: Pretty good A continuation of the first movie but not as good but very close!! i wont' say much since there are so many reviews but worth watching!! 7.5/10 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: tcooc Date: 12/15/2000 Summary: Was the REALLY Fong Sai Yuk a BAD or GOOD guy? I really want to know if Fong Sai Yuk know what he got him self into, 'The Red Flower Society' was the first of its kind to be know as the TRIAD {watch the Young and Dangerous series if you don't know what TRIAD mean}. So my guess is that Fong Sai Yuk is a triad member {a good one of couse} but anyway a very excellent film.

Reviewed by: Warnerl Date: 08/25/2000 Summary: Funnier than the First One I found this movie alot funnier than the first one. Definitely good action towards the end.

Reviewed by: David Harris Date: 06/09/2000 Review courtesy of Jet Li UK - The Official Jet Li UK Fan Club (www.jet-fans.co.uk) Made in the same year as the first film this was also directed by Yuen Kwai and is essentially more of the same but when the original was so good that is no bad thing at all. This sequel is in general lighter and funnier than its predecessor. There is a slight made-under-constraints air to the film (maybe money but more likely time) but that gives it a tension that adds to the film. Asides from the comic elements the action is also up to the standard of the first film. Siao Fung Fung returns as Fong Sai Yuk's mum and most welcome she is too as she is one the funniest actresses I have seen in a Hong Kong film ever. There is a classic scene where both her and Sai Yuk's nerves are "frozen" and the only way they can become reanimated is to get stung by a bee - the two of them are trying to blow the bee onto one another when Sai Yuk blows too hard sending it right down his mums throat (cue face pulling) ! Whilst not as good in some respects as the first the script does if anything have a greater clarity. The story revolves around The Red Flower Society (and Sai Yuk's conflicts with the villain of the piece Mr Yu). Sai Yuk is ordered to embark on a mission where he has to court a girl in order to find out a secret. Then his wife finds out and is less than pleased as you might imagine..... Sai Yuk accuses Mr Yu of being a traitor but without the evidence to back it up has to pay for his accusations. He is struck about the hands and feet but the chiefs blows are measured and don't inflict maximum damage. The secret turns out to be that Chen Jialou (chief of The Red Flower Society) has a link with the Manchu's. He is thrown in jail and that is the cue for Mr Yu to assume control which was his ultimate aim. Fong Sai Yuk learns a skill (which in this case is being blindfolded while having eight swords tucked into your belt) with which to combat Mr Yu and his cohorts. It goes without saying the he lays waste big time to Yu's minions (this is one of the great scenes of the film - a major ass kicking). Having administered the final beating Sai Yuk's mum comes out with one of the all time classic lines : "Why are villains so dumb ?" The final scene is hilarious. Sai Yuk's wife and the woman he was ordered to court both appear to have a Fong family heirloom which turns out to be a Jade bracelet which his mum has by the dozen which leads to Sai Yuk making a quick escape with both women in pursuit. Whilst the final showdown is slightly disappointing it remains a worthy sequel (remember that the majority of sequels suck to a greater or lesser degree). The first was worth getting and so is this !

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 This is, obviously, the second installment of Fong Sai Yuk. As such, it has some top of the line martial arts action, but the story was so weak it took a lot of enjoyment out of watching it. The fighting itself is great, but the reason for the fighting was totally absent. Good for pure action. (7.75/10) [Reviewed by Dale Whitehouse]

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL A kung-fu adept (Jet Li) volunteers his talents to the Sun Flower Clan, but corrupt officials (and several cuties) stand in his way. Solid fighting sequences are capped by a dazzling finale: our hero's mother is about to die in a hangman's noose, and Fong Sai Yuk has to juggle a column of chairs under her to keep her from falling, all while fighting an army of villains! (3/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 7