Iron Monkey (1993)

A familiar set-up of a masked individual who steals from the rich to give to the poor; in this case the stealing is from a corrupt government official who hoards gold and obsesses over capturing the generous hero of the people.
The big difference is that it's a HK martial arts movie directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Combat is wildly impressive but very much on the fantastical side. The acting and ofttimes even the structure play second fiddle to it. But the skill of the performers is undeniably masterful, even from the film's youngest star, Angie Tsang (Tsang Sze-Man) as Wong Fei-Hung. Despite its failings elsewhere, Iron Monkey is a defining classic of the 90s martial arts genre.

4 named stances out of 5

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983)

A Chinese action/fantasy film from director Tsui Hark set in the fifth Century on Zu Mountain, a place of strategic military importance. A soldier longing for peace stumbles into a world of magic, comedy, flying demons, scary white sheets, swords (many), virgins, skulls, and er… eyebrows. It's completely bonkers but was hugely influential to the supernatural xianxia genre. Tsui himself would go on to use the same techniques many times in later years to better effect. I'm not as fond of it as I am of some of those later films, but I acknowledge its importance and won't contest its place in film history.

3½ colourful battles out of 5

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013)

Unfortunately, no one stopped Tsui and so he made a sequel that's a prequel to The Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010). It was inevitable, I suppose, seeing as how the first one made millions of dollars for many pockets. It’s another CGI-heavy actioner with wild reasoning, aka 'detective' work. Some islanders want to bring down the entire Tang Dynasty. Elsewhere, on a more personal scale, there's a Beauty and the Beast scenario that plays out exactly like you imagine it will. The film looks pretty, but it left me colder than a witch’s tit and dropped a similarly sour taste in the mouth.

1½ cups of tea out of 5

The Master (1989)

A student travels to America to meet up with his martial arts master but finds trouble when he gets there. The story is like a Bruce Lee plot that's been updated with some comedy and romance. Jet Li in a Tsui Hark movie is usually a sign of quality, but The Master is very far from their usual standard; it just about managed to avoid a press of the stop button.
It's also a complicated mess of different languages and dodgy dubbing. I had three choices with the audio: 100% Cantonese; 100% English; or the only one that made any sense had each person speaking their own native language but the English dubbing of the American actors was appalling.

2 many si-fus 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

The Blade (1995)

Tsui’s remake of SB’s The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) isn't his usual kind of wire-fu makeover; he simply adds his vision to an existing story, creating a layer of tragedy and gritty determination that feels like a brutal fist in the gut. It even leaves a lingering ache.
His camera blitzes through shadowy dwellings and hearts set ablaze by vengeful longings. When one person gets what they want, another person is left torn apart.
It’s a great film with masterful editing but is perhaps much too bleak thematically to be enjoyed often.

3½ links in the chain out of 5

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)

Dee is a kind of Chinese Sherlock that exists in a world based in reality that has a large dose of fantasy heaped on top. He’s tasked with uncovering the cause of some seemingly supernatural murders, all the while juggling political beliefs that differ from that of his employer.
Dee was a real individual (Di Renjie) that lived during the Tang Dynasty, but I'm confident in saying he couldn't do the things he does here.
It’s Tsui Hark through and through, but it has problems. The most obvious being the great Sammo Hung choreography gets smothered by a thick layer of unnecessary CGI; it does a good job hiding the wires but it cheapens the final product.  Stop with the CGI, Tsui; please, please, please stop.

2½ cases of extreme sunburn 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 4 (1993)

Jet Li left the OUaTiC series to go make Fong Sai Yuk. Rosamund Kwan also left. Vincent Zhao took over as Wong Fei-Hung. Yuen Bun, who served as martial arts choreographer on the third film, took the director chair so that Tsui could write and produce only.
Can a film series survive that kind of disruption? Surprisingly, yes! If it wasn't Wong Fei-Hung I'd have my doubts, but the character endures even if the star changes. A familiar supporting cast, familiar locations and the now synonymous music all help it feel genuine. What lets it down is having a story that needed more emotion.

3 coloured lanterns 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

Green Snake (1993)

A Chinese martial arts/romance/fantasy film based on the ancient legend of Madame White Snake, which is reportedly well over 1000 years old.
This version sees two female snakes take on human form and in so doing learn what it is to love as both human and snake.
It could have benefited from having ten minutes shaved from its middle section, but as a Tsui Hark fan it was great to see him use colour and light so abundantly. I even enjoyed his over-reliance on colour filters as they gave the world a wispy, ethereal quality that suited the story perfectly.

3½ trouser snakes out of 5

New Dragon Gate Inn (1992)

aka: Dragon Inn

A remake of King Hu's earlier Dragon Inn (1967) film. A power hungry eunuch, in employ of the Emperor but acting without his consent, sends his secret Black Arrow Troop to capture and kill the children of an army commander so that his goal of ruling China can get underway.
A quick scan of the people involved lets you know that you're in for a kinetic, balletic storm of action. It's a comedy/action wuxia adventure that takes some time to get going, but like all good wuxia films the ending is simply amazing; it even manages to do things that I'd not seen before anywhere else.

3½ drifting duckweeds out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation (1997)

aka: Xiao Qian

Animated version of this. The basic plot is the same but the location has changed. It's now in a town very like Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which it predates by four years!
It’s full of inventive creatures that would have been impossible to do in live action. The live action is much better. Still, it has the honour of being the first ever Chinese animated feature from Hong Kong.

2 death liners and tree demons out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)

aka: Sien Lui Yau Wan III: Do Do Do

A new setting and new characters mean this is a sequel in name only; if they'd changed the title before release no one would've noticed. It’s still good and still worth watching. It has monks, tree demons, exploding people and all the cool shit we've come to expect from these kinds of films. It’s a good thing it ended here, though; there were bits of CGI creeping in and too much of that crap would've been a huge mistake.

3½ bitches and money are always trouble out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990)

aka: Sien Nui Yau Wan II: Yan Gaan Do

If the first film made you grin then this, more of the same horror comedy kung fu nonsense with a travelling magical Buddhist monk added to the mix and the comedy level raised a little higher, will have the same effect.

It lacks the same level of emotional content as before, but when the swords start flying it's possible to forgive it for that.

3½ one thousand year old bugs out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

aka: Sien Nui Yau Wan 

If you like Tsui Hark films you’ll like ACGS. He's only producer, but it does everything he usually does and does it well. Night shoots, fire, low camera angles, wire work, swords, super jumps and general badassery. The finale is worth the price of admission alone. Add to that the wonderful Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong as the achingly beautiful ghost of the story and you've got a classic of the Wuxia comedy ghost story genre.

4 biggest damn tongue I ever did see out of 5