A plot was hatched by Prince Shing to take revenge on Wong Fei Hung for humiliating him. The Prince recruited 8 top martial arts exponents from various countries in Asia, led by a renegade ex-Shaolin priest who was expelled years earlier from that temple.

Wong Fei Hung was forced to fight these challengers after his family’s memorial tablets were taken away. One of the challengers poisoned Wong Fei Hung causing him to lose his sight and could not continue the fight. Wong’s disciples fought in his name and ended up victorious but severely injured.

Fei Hung’s father, Wong Kei Ying came back and reprimanded his son for not understanding priorities and risked their lives for pieces of wooden memorials. He forced them to break all those memorials into pieces to realise the true nature of things.

In the end fight, Fei Hung was able to defeat the over confident renegade priest, who in defeat chose to end his own life.

Starring Vincent Zhao in the titular role.

Confucius the movie starring Chow Yun Fat is a non movie. A huge chunk of screen time just shows him wandering from state to state, unwelcomed by one and all.

In the 6th century BC, China was a patchwork of feudal kingdoms and states, vying with each other for supremacy. Kong Qiu was born in the kingdom of Lu, where the court ruled in name only and the real power was in the hands of 3 major clans of the state. Kong Qiu’s reputation as a social and ethical thinker led the ruler of Lu to appoint him to a ministerial role with the aim of re-channeling the power back to the ruler of Lu.

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Drunken Monkey

Drunken Monkey is that rare oddity of a movie for the aficionado of exotic Chinese martial arts style featuring Monkey Fist and its variation Drunken Monkey Fist.

The story starts with Man Bil (Liu Chia Liang) and his brother Man Pao leading an escort of valuable goods. They both work for the Chun Yuen Escort Agency run by Master Yui Hoi Yeung (Chi Kuan Chun). Unknown to Bil, his brother is in cahoots with Master Yui to smuggle opium into the provinces. One night while they were resting in an inn during an escort Bil saw his brother behaving suspiciously and a stranger and accepting a parcel. As Bil was approaching Man Pao to question him, a stranger appeared suddenly and they  fought briefly before the stranger identified himself as Inspector Hung Yat Fu (Gordon Liu) from the capital Nanking on his way to Canton to investigate reports of opium smuggling. The inspector borrowed a horse from Bil for his journey.

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A loving homage to the 1973 Bruce Lee kung fu classic Chinese Connection, updated with increased production values, a Romeo and Juliet-style romantic subplot, and a more temperate view of the Japanese enemy. A martial arts protege (Jet Li) leads his classmates in revolt after their teacher is poisoned by the invading Japanese. The final fight scene is arguably one of the best of all time. Fights choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, action director of The Matrix.

This is by far my favourite retelling of Jing Wu Meng’s Chen Zhen, this time acted by Je Li with an awesome display of his superb martial arts skills. This version is unique for 2 reasons: 1) this is the only version with a happy ending where Chen Zhen gets thru this alive, 2) the Japanese in this movie are not all portrayed as bad. His Japanese love interest and her uncle are both shown in a very positive light  Don’t read this if you do not like spoilers. And believe me when I say this is the best version of the Chen Zhen story.

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Jason Wu Jing returns with a bang again. This time he’s the good hearted hired killer Bo who head over to a small island off Hong Kong where a triad leader is hiding. His job is to kill and return with the head. This is a revenge killing by his hirer.

Bo  easily kills and takes the head but he cannot get off the island when it’s closed down in a typhoon warning. Last ferry brought some hoods sent by the triad leader’s Japanese wife who was unable to contact her husband. They found the body and was instructed by the dead triad leader’s wife that the missing head must be recovered at all cost. As the gangsters comb the outlying village, Bo befriended a local policewoman, Holly,  when he helped her rescue a cat that had climbed up a tree. Later, Holly confronted 3 strangers in a small eatery on suspicion that they were wanted robbers and a fight ensured. Bo saved her and subdued the 3 robbers.

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