Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
Reviewed by: hktopten on 1999-12-21
To start off, I like Westerns, which exactly is what this film is, a Chinese Western. Unlike the other Lunar New Year flick directed by Sammo Hung Kam Bo which shall remain nameless to protect fanboys and girls everywhere, the characters were actually fleshed out and well acted, and the story actually made me WANT TO SEE the action. I like Chiu Man Cheuk as Wong Fei Hung, but Jet Li proved why he's the Wong Fei Hung a lot of people prefer (I of course would still rather see Master Kwan Tak Hing). The only bone I have to pick is that the part in which Wong Fei Hung living among the Native Americans weren't detail enough. The usual cast is very likable as usual (Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam, Xiong Xin Xin and Chan Kwok Bong). It's always a joy to see Richard Ng Yiu Hong, and Patrick Lung Kong who is much better here than in Black Mask. It's also interesting to see characters like Billy and the Sheriff in a series which earlier made all non Chinese out to be villains. Overall, it's short, direct, fun, definitely worth a watch.