Director: Xiaosong Gao
Starring: Chun Wu, Geng Han, Barbie Hsu
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: New Video
Run Time: 97 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A
The box art for this film claims to have its action scenes choreographed by Sammo Hung (“IP Man 2”) and to me, that sets my expectations high. I am not sure that Sammo actually did work on this film because the fight scenes were lame and do not entertain at all. I found to film to be slow moving, very incohesive and basically a love story with a very few action sequences that take place during an opera. Sound entertaining to you?…doubtful.
The film deals with issues of honor, love and revenge set in Shanghai in the 1920’s. We follow two brothers who set out to seek revenge for their master’s honor. After years spent in martial arts training, the two brothers establish themselves in the Shanghai opera scene in order to get vengeance. They meet a beautiful actress and the three of them get tangled in a complex web of love, lust, deceit and betrayal.
Overall Wu Chun known for “14 Blades” and Han Geng known for the recent “Beginning of the Great Revival” don’t really feel like action heroes. They don’t seem to be like guys who can kick some ass, especially when they are performing in operas. Lastly, the film contains no special features besides the Mandarin Chinese audio track. Skip this film and checking the “IP Man” series if you haven’t already.
