This kung fu movie has all the markings of a film from the early 1990s: cheesily dated fashions, cheap music and some really bad hairstyles. What seems really surprising for a film set in America with an American supporting cast (including up-and-coming fighter Billy Blanks in a brief part) is the Chinese involvement: not only does noted director Tsui Hark helm the movie, but soon-to-be action idol Jet Li also stars in the leading part. Sadly, the level of entertainment this film offers is surprisingly low and a long way from most Hong Kong martial arts films, which reaffirms my long-held belief that Tsui Hark is an overrated director who makes more misses than hits.
The plotting is simplistic in the extreme, basically consisting of an old and failed kung fu teacher getting beaten by a gang of thugs until his pupil comes back to set things right again, and the scripting isn't much better, offering up a clichéd gang of Mexicans (who absurdly take Jet Li on as their teacher after failing to rob him!) and characters who have no reason for existing and who aren't explained fully either - just who the heck is the young girl who looks after Uncle Tak anyway?
The film veers wildly from comedy to hard-knuckle action and back again, a fault which seems to be due to the laughable dubbing which turns most of the dialogue into humorous (or not, as the case may be) wordplay. The actual martial arts sequences are also in short supply, at least until towards the ending where we get a nice big fight on the top of a tower block followed by a great stunt of a man falling for ages from the roof. I also enjoyed a brief battle on a bus, which has a great and gruesome gag involving a shotgun backfiring on the owner which has to be seen to be believed. Sadly the martial arts are never as graceful as in most Hong Kong movies, and in fact even worse than your bog-standard Van Damme flick; they just lack the style and finesse to make them enjoyable, and their lack of appeal is a big blow to the film.
Jet Li fans may also be disappointed by the star's undistinguished appearance here as the young, idiotic baseball cap-wearing 'Jet', a happy yet dumb character closer to the type of good-natured fools that Jackie Chan plays so well than the brooding, hard-as-nails heroes (and villains) he would portray later in his career. Sadly, Li's skills as both a serious actor and a serious martial artist are wasted in the film, as nothing he does is at all memorable.
The only real display of talent from Li is during the final one-on-one against villain Jerry Trimble where he gets to show off a few nifty manoeuvres. Trimble himself is imposing as the villain but overacts a little too much for my liking, although Yuen Wah does good work with his befuddled and flawed teacher and Crystal Kwok is fine as the annoying female buddy - although perhaps sometimes a little too annoying! And no, sadly, the Pamela Anderson created in the cast is not THE Pamela Anderson, but instead a middle-aged woman with glasses!
NB. I've recently had the pleasure of revisiting this movie via the Hong Kong Legends DVD, so in its original language and widescreen format. It turns out to be a heck of a lot better than I remembered. The problems still exist, but the fighting has aged a lot better than I expected and the action more plentiful than it previously seemed. It's basically Jet's version of the KARATE KID story, but the mix of goofy comedy and hard-hitting fights somehow works and Tsui Hark's putting a lot of effort in. It pays off.
The plotting is simplistic in the extreme, basically consisting of an old and failed kung fu teacher getting beaten by a gang of thugs until his pupil comes back to set things right again, and the scripting isn't much better, offering up a clichéd gang of Mexicans (who absurdly take Jet Li on as their teacher after failing to rob him!) and characters who have no reason for existing and who aren't explained fully either - just who the heck is the young girl who looks after Uncle Tak anyway?
The film veers wildly from comedy to hard-knuckle action and back again, a fault which seems to be due to the laughable dubbing which turns most of the dialogue into humorous (or not, as the case may be) wordplay. The actual martial arts sequences are also in short supply, at least until towards the ending where we get a nice big fight on the top of a tower block followed by a great stunt of a man falling for ages from the roof. I also enjoyed a brief battle on a bus, which has a great and gruesome gag involving a shotgun backfiring on the owner which has to be seen to be believed. Sadly the martial arts are never as graceful as in most Hong Kong movies, and in fact even worse than your bog-standard Van Damme flick; they just lack the style and finesse to make them enjoyable, and their lack of appeal is a big blow to the film.
Jet Li fans may also be disappointed by the star's undistinguished appearance here as the young, idiotic baseball cap-wearing 'Jet', a happy yet dumb character closer to the type of good-natured fools that Jackie Chan plays so well than the brooding, hard-as-nails heroes (and villains) he would portray later in his career. Sadly, Li's skills as both a serious actor and a serious martial artist are wasted in the film, as nothing he does is at all memorable.
The only real display of talent from Li is during the final one-on-one against villain Jerry Trimble where he gets to show off a few nifty manoeuvres. Trimble himself is imposing as the villain but overacts a little too much for my liking, although Yuen Wah does good work with his befuddled and flawed teacher and Crystal Kwok is fine as the annoying female buddy - although perhaps sometimes a little too annoying! And no, sadly, the Pamela Anderson created in the cast is not THE Pamela Anderson, but instead a middle-aged woman with glasses!
NB. I've recently had the pleasure of revisiting this movie via the Hong Kong Legends DVD, so in its original language and widescreen format. It turns out to be a heck of a lot better than I remembered. The problems still exist, but the fighting has aged a lot better than I expected and the action more plentiful than it previously seemed. It's basically Jet's version of the KARATE KID story, but the mix of goofy comedy and hard-hitting fights somehow works and Tsui Hark's putting a lot of effort in. It pays off.