Review courtesy of Jet Li UK - The Official Jet Li UK Fan Club (www.jet-fans.co.uk)

This second sequel to the classic original has a lot to recommend it but as the two previous films are two of the best in the entire Hong Kong catalogue it falls a little short of the high standards set by those films. Director Tsui Hark brings his considerable skills to the table but it seems like he felt it was a case of deja vu which it was (twice in fact) and it appears he was tired with the subject matter (at least as far as film making goes).

The fact that he bowed out of the directors chair after this one (as you all know Jet bowed out of the series after III only to return for "Once Upon A Time In China & America") seems to confirm my theory. Asides from the "Lethal Weapon" films I can't recall any series of films being directed entirely by a single person so three films and then goodbye isn't so bad !

The story really kicks off when Wong Fei Hung goes to visit his father in Beijing who runs a medicine factory. Accompanying Wong are Auntie (Rosamund Kwan) and his sidekick Liang Kuan (Mok Siu Cheung).

The meat of the story revolves around a local lion dance contest. In preparing for it the local rival factions are in danger of getting "overheated" and in steps Wong Fei Hung to try and calm things down.

As if that weren't sufficient a task for Wong he is the subject of an attempted assassination by the gang leader Zhao. Also Auntie - now his fiancee - has a "friend" from the past show up which needless to say Wong doesn't take too kindly too.

Both of the first two films were in their own way quite political and although it can be said this one is also the content is very much less resonant. There is more humour in this film than the first two which for me is no bad thing but for the more "serious" fan might prove to be an unattractive addition.

This film although being a sequel is a significantly different beast. You won't find many people who would argue that the martial arts action in this film was better or even just equal to either of the first two films.

Thankfully one of the things it does have in common with the earlier films other than the obvious is that it looks very classy indeed which is no doubt down to Director Tsui Hark and his Director of Photography on the film Lau Wai-Keung (although he didn't work on either of the first two). The music is a significant part of any film but this is particularly true of the "Once..." films (the vocal version of the theme in the first film is the stuff of legend) and in this the third film there is a alternative vocal version of the theme that we all know and love over the opening credits.

Jet scenes with Rosamund Kwan are very well played and their screen partnership is one of the high points of the film. The rest of the cast is more than competent but the film in its entirety lacks the "bite" of the earlier films which isn't to say that it's a bad film it's just that first two are two of the absolute best !