Armour of God (1986)

When it's not being an advert for Mitsubishi, Jackie Chan's first outing as treasure-hunter Asian Hawk is a mix of comedy and action culminating in a fun-filled finale that despite being choreographed and rehearsed feels completely spontaneous. It's a testament to Chan's likeability that we can celebrate his ingenuity and daring even though he's stealing and selling at auction holy relics that he has no claim to whatsoever. The titular 'armour' is a collection of five such pieces, which Hawk and his two companions (Alan Tam, Lola Forner) must first acquire and then deliver to an interested party.
Most of the bad guys (dressed in giveaway bad-guy black robes) are idiot fodder that exist to be punched, but there's a trio of more memorable ones.

3 frisbee plates out of 5

Project A: Part II (1987)

Undeterred by actual near death whilst filming the first Project A (1983) film, Jackie's back behind and in front of the camera for more of the same that's... well... more of the same. If you didn't like the first one, then you'll find nothing here to change your mind.
Jackie's direction makes some very difficult set pieces seem effortless, and I don't just mean the action scenes.

3 hiding places out of 5

Dr. Wai in the Scriptures with No Words (1996)

Two stories happen simultaneously in this bizarre adventure. One is modern day harsh reality, while the other is an historical, pulp fictional adventure story. Jet Li’s character in the modern era is the writer of the other, wherein he becomes the hero of his own imagination, the titular Dr Wai: Adventure King. Modern Jet uses the fantasy world to compensate for his real world troubles. All goes well until the story gets some co-authors that create a very Gilliam-esque situation with a Chinese twist.

NOTE: Two versions of the film exist. The one I watched was the original Ching Siu-tung version (aka Hong Kong Dir Cut). Tsui Hark was hired to reshoot a large part of it for an International Cut, making it more linear.

2½ mighty pens out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)

aka: Once Upon a Time in China 6

Look at the poster art! Jet Li is back as Wong Fei-Hung! Yay!
Sadly, that's where the celebrations end because this final entry in the OUaTiC series is an abomination. Sammo Hung directs and choreographs an uncharacteristically lazy Tsui Hark script, filled with characters that have no reason to be there other than to advance the clichéd plot. Reversing the cultural situation and blending the Martial Arts film with the Western is an interesting idea, but it's never fully capitalised upon.
Jet made worse films than this when he went to America, but surely this must be his worst Hong Kong film?

1½ English speaking native Indians out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China 5 (1995)

OUaTiC Part 5 is a reunion of sorts with Porky Wing, Bucktooth So, 13th Aunt, 14th Aunt, Clubfoot, Foon and Wong Kei-ying all sharing screen space! The only one still missing is Jet Li, meaning Vincent Zhao plays Wong Fei-hung for the second time. Tsui Hark resumes directing. Yuen Bun goes back to fight choreography duties.
Despite being spread thin over the many characters, and again lacking the weighty politics of the early entries, the plot is richer than part 4.

3 kung-fu pirates out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China 3 (1993)

Wong Fei-Hung can kick seven shades of shinola out of a bad guy, but he’s a genuine amateur when it comes to romance. That part of his character is further explored in the third instalment, making it a lot funnier than the previous two. Tsui also remembers to layer the laughter with tragedy, because one without the other is only half a story.
The wire-work is once again exceptional and builds to an amazing finale that won’t disappoint fans of the series.

3½ Lion Heads out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992)

OUaTiC 2 was the 100th film to depict the life of Wong Fei-Hung, so they needed to do something special to mark the occasion. Both Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan reprise their respective roles. They got Donnie Yen to join in the action this time; he gets frenetic with his pole.
The first half focusses mainly on character development, and the second half on action. There was no way they could surpass the ladder scene from the previous film, but they gave it a damn good try.

3½ needles in the face out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Jet Li takes on the role of legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung. He tries desperately to hold onto traditional values while an ugly foreign presence threatens to tear China apart.
The feeling that an era is ending fills the film with poignancy and is perhaps most evident in Shi-Kwan Yen’s magnificent performance. He’s not the star of the show, but he’s the one that draws my sympathies most.
OUaTiC was my introduction to Tsui Hark's film-making style and remains the benchmark by which I measure all his other works.

4½ shadowless kicks out of 5