Legend of a Fighter (1982)

Considered by his controlling father to be too weak to inherit the secret Huo family kung fu style teachings, fourth son Huo Yuan Chia (Leung Kar-yan) nevertheless secretly watches and learns what he needs to. Naturally, because he's the hero of the story, he grows to be shit-hot at martial arts.
It starts out a little ropey and the comedic (perhaps even political?) mocking of stereotypes do it no favours, but Dir. Yuen Woo-ping's Legend of a Fighter gets better and better as it goes on, giving Leung Kar-yan (aka Bryan Leun) ample opportunity to demonstrate remarkable skills. It's very much in the spirit of a Bruce Lee movie, so fans of his may want to check it out.

3½ defenceless eggs out of 5

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

Fire Dragon (1994)

If you watch enough Woo-ping films, you'll see trends. It would even be possible to create a graph of when action scenes occur, when character building occurs and when comedy occurs; those last two would occupy the same space some of the time. Fire Dragon fits that formula, but being predicable doesn't mean it's boring. It stars Brigitte Lin as an assassin with some nifty sword skills and some dangerous pyrotechnic skills. If she can't achieve her goal with force, she'll find another way.
The set-up enables Yuen to get crazy with wires as only he can. It's not his best work, but should satisfy fans eager for more.

3 fistfuls of glitter seeds out of 5

Tai Chi Master (1993)

Aka: Twin Warriors

It saddens me that when most people hear the name Yuen Woo-ping the first thing they think of is The Matrix (1999). I love The Matrix, but what he achieved with actors only partially trained in combat is a mere shadow of his ability; for the real Woo-ping you need to go to his Chinese films.

Every bone-crunching and ankle-busting flight of fancy in Tai Chi Master was achieved in-camera with no CGI. If that wasn't enough you also have Jet Li, the greatest movie martial artist of his generation, and Michelle Yeoh who is arguably the most graceful. Jet is on top form, using his innate ability to be both effortlessly bad-ass and endearingly naïve simultaneously.

4 pole dances out of 5

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow was Yuen Woo-ping’s directorial début. It stars Jackie Chan as an abused Kung Fu school dogsbody who befriends an old beggar (Woo-ping's father) and begins to learn self-respect; it’s a role that changed Jackie’s career forever, for the better.
It’s an old school Kung Fu flick, so expect plenty of silly exaggerated sound effects, crazy zooms, and comedy that's dated badly, but the finesse, timing and physical ability of the cast members is astonishing. The training scenes in particular are classic stuff.

3 animal strikes 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

The Matrix Revisited (2001)

A feature-length documentary that gets behind the scenes and into the very heart of the making of The Matrix (1999). It delves into production methods, influences, philosophy, SFX and the trials experienced by cast and crew during production.
You get to see Yuen Woo-ping at work, which was a real treat for me.
The film also functioned as a kind of promotion vehicle for the then unreleased sequels.
It'll be of great interest to film students and Matrix fans, but I don't imagine Joe Public will get overly excited by it.

3½ simulacra out of 5

Fist of Legend (1994)

Good guy Gordon Chan remade Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury (1972), and through careful writing managed to surpass the original in many ways.
Jet Li took on the Chen Zhen role, making the character less two-dimensional, less consumed with rage, and much more emotionally aware of the consequences of his actions. Jet’s wireless martial arts ability flourished under Yuen Woo Ping’s instruction making the action scenes equally as legendary as Bruce’s own, and a hell of a lot more violent.
The film earns a place on the list of remakes that don’t suck.

4½ invading ants out of 5

Red Wolf (1995)

aka: Hu meng wei long / Fu maang wai lung

Master choreographer Yuen Woo-ping directs a story of terrorists on-board a cruise ship. His usual flair for action scenes means he gets creative with the environment during combat, but the enclosed space limits what he can do with camera movements. It becomes clear very quickly that the film would've better suited John Woo’s talents.

2½ rooms of ice and fire out of 5

Wing Chun (1994)

Michelle Yeoh kicks some bad guy butt and makes it look effortless.
Along the way there are some moments of slapstick comedy and innuendo for shits and giggles. The film is a kinetic blast of masterful action set pieces produced and directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Action choreography by Woo-ping and Donnie Yen. That’s really all you need to know to want to watch it.

4 belly busters out of 5

The Banquet (2006)

aka:  Legend of the Black Scorpion / aka: Ye yan

The Tang Dynasty Royal court is in disarray following the death of the Emperor, and foul play is never far away.

The Banquet is a lavish historical piece that will either astonish or bore depending on your disposition. It takes much of its aesthetic cues from Zhang Yimou’s wuxia trilogy and adds a tragedy element that leaves you in no doubt as to its Shakespearean influences.

A balletic sequence near the beginning proves yet again that Woo-ping's choreography is as inherently graceful as it is dramatic.

4 swords that make noise in empty air out of 5