1993 was a very busy year for Hong Kong cinema, where producers were exploiting the mega successes of certain movies. In case of HEROES AMONG HEROES, it was made in the midst of producers milking the tremendous success of Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA starring Jet Li. Yuen Woo Ping was the action director of its' 1992 sequel, and also worked with Jet Li on Wong Jing's own spin-off version of the franchise; LAST HERO IN CHINA. So it was only logical for Woo Ping to ride the ongoing milking as well, and this movie was one of them that he directed.

HEROES AMONG HEROES features Wong Fei Hung -- played by Mainland Chinese actor Wang Jue -- but the central character of the story is actually Beggar So Chan, brilliantly portrayed by Donnie Yen. Beggar So Chan is associated with wine, and thereby for being an excellent practitioner of drunken boxing. In so many ways, this movie pays tribute to Yuen Woo Ping's classic DRUNKEN MASTER because it has Wong Fei Hung and Beggar So Chan as the central characters. This version of the characters are totally different, where both often get in conflict with each other and only teaming up much later. This gives the movie a lot of opportunities to showcase several fight scenes that should please many kung fu movie viewers.

Donnie Yen is excellent as ever being a unique, versatile action performer. But his acting performance here deserves to be mentioned. Because unlike so many of his movies from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s it looks like he actually tries to act with conviction. This was of course after his successful turn as the main villain in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2 that required him to stretch his acting skills to play such immersive roles. Funny thing is that this movie is not so much on diverse acting and a story with depth. Yet we see Donnie utilize what he learned from the aforementioned movie, and also from other high-profile movies such as DRAGON INN, BUTTERFLY & SWORD, and IRON MONKEY. So it's good to see him challenge himself with his acting skills, for a change. Other good mentions goes to Xiong Xin Xin as the main villain, and Mainland actor Wang Jue flawlessly playing Wong Fei Hung. All three of them showcases their MA skills to near perfection when there's no over-abundance of wirework involved.

HEROES AMONG HEROES ends up being a good movie on its' own, thanks to everyone involved.

Rating: 7.5/10