Once Upon a Time in China II

This felt like a spinoff since we only kept two of the actors from the first movie and 3 of the characters overall. I especially missed Porky and Toothbrush So, especially since the first movie left them with so much potential. Still missing a useful female character since the aunt spends her time as a damsel in distress, despite some hints of teaching her martial arts. I was amused by the white-robed fundamentalists burning a cross. Fav scene: yet another ladder fight, this time on tables.

A great sequel to a great martial arts movie. It's even better than the first in my opinion. Superb action scenes that use wire-fu but who cares. It's an absolute riot and downright fun.

Like the first, the plot centers around the right and/or wrong of xenophobic foreign policy. (Did I mention this was a kung fu movie?) It's also better than the first, since its commentary on the rise of religious fundamentalism in troubled times is just as poignant (look to a ridiculously awesome montage at the half-hour mark). The fight scenes are best here, thanks to a young Donnie Yen. A film surprise in sequel's clothing.

Yen and Li are quite possibly the most badass people ever put on film.

A bit stronger than the first installment, perhaps made better by being a little more serious, even though there are still ridiculous scenes (the Jenga-table "altar" for one). The choreography is very good, and who can resist the "big boss" battle of Yen and Li?

Here's an example of a sequel that exceeds the original in almost all respects. It's got a more streamlined plot, and the comic relief that makes up most of the film before the climactic fights is better. The two extended fight sequences that end the film ... Li vs the White Lotus Sect and Li vs Yen ... are really extraordinary and highlight just how wonderful Yuen Wo-Ping's choreography is when he's given free reign.

Viewed May 6, 2021.

A martial arts teacher (Jet Li) protects his students and his aunt (Rosamund Kwan) from a mercenary.

- 4/27/13

83.000

A treat to see Donnie Yen fighting Jet Li. The film has the comedic charm of older movies, but still manages to pull off being serious when it needs to.

Very Nice Movie

Once Upon a Time in Chana II is my favorite of the series. Jet Li once again gives a good performance in the lead roll, and the supporting cast is great. In this episode we see Fei Hung fighting the White Lotus society who are using violence, even against Chinese, to drive the Europeans from China. The action is great, the story is great, and we get to see Donnie Yen costar.

Old school Jet Li at his finest.

More of the same with Jet Li standing up for the Chinese people to resist the intrusion of foreign politics. Incredible action throughout, sadly Jet would only make one more film in this series before turning over the starring role to Vincent Zhao (Man Cheuk Chiu).