Li, Jet DVD - Page 8

Last Hero in China

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Li, Jet

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

a big present in the final fight 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Not widely regarded as an extension of the "Once Upon A Time In China" series, "Last Hero In China" tends to go unmentioned as far as guilty-pleasure entertainments go. I believe that the film's quality (though the Wong Jing humor is debatable) is right on par with the series, as once again Jet Li braids his hair to assume the identity of Wong Fei-Hung and rip some naughty miscreants a new one. Yes, Jet Li is in the role NOT Jackie Chan, as Amazon's blurb mistakenly implies. Though both actors have personified the role, it is in this film's final fight that I finally got to see Jet Li's bout at Drunken Boxing for my first time ever (thus the review's title). If he does it in older movies, I haven't seen it yet. But he demonstrates the stance with all the effortless acrobatic ability his legions of fans have grown accustomed to. Plus, Yuen "you only wish you could choreograph action like me" Woo-Ping offers us a shot at Fei-Hung delving into Chicken Style against a ten-man centipede, plus numerous other wire-fu goodies that'll put a stoned grin onto any viewers face.
No real special features on the disc to even mention save the inherent but ever-necessary widescreen, but then again I own the HK version. The only drawback...? Where's Auntie 13 (Rosamund Kwan)? She writes Fei-Hung a letter in the movie, but that's all we get. Sigh... But enjoy -- this is as ridiculously fun a movie as you could want from Sir Jet.

Editorial Review:

Jet Li reprises his role as Martial Arts Master Wong Fei Hung in this unofficial sequel (and parody) to the Once Upon A Time In China series. In this film, Wong needs a bigger school for his students. At first, good fortune seems to come his way when he finds a larger building for a lower price. However, this rapidly changes when he finds out that his next door neighbor is actually a brothel. Besides this, Wong has to deal with a group of perverted monks who are kidnapping girls to sell into slavery. They're in cahoots with the new chief of police (so to speak), a maniacal loon who is really fronting for the boxer rebellion. On top of all of that, foreigners are selling bogus medicine that causes hearing loss to Chinese children, and a father and daughter kung fu team are searching for their lost daughter/sister.

Contract Killer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Jet Li in Action/Comedy; the Action can be good, but the 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

comedy isn't that good . . .

1998 R-rated Hong Kong Martial Arts film (set in Hong Kong, with Japanese criminals; R-rated for violence and some language). Also known as "Sat sau ji wong," "Hitman," and "King of Assassins."

DVD Features: The DVD contains the movie and some special features. The movie can be heard in English (Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround), or Spanish (apparently no Chinese option), and has a "English for the deaf and hard of hearing" subtitle option. The special features are: Director and cast filmographies, film trailer, "Jet Li Bonus Trailers" ("The One," "Meltdown," and "Legend of The Red Dragon"), and a photo gallery.

Credits: The movie stars Jet Li (Fu; "Romeo Must Die," "Once Upon a Time in China"), Gigi Leung (Kiki; "A True Mob Story"), Simon Yam (Kwan; "Casino"), and Eric Tsang (Ngok Lo; "The Accidental Spy"). The director is Tung Wai (also known as Wei Tung; "Fox Hunter"). Written by Chan Heng Ka, Vincent Kok, and Cheng Kam Fa.

Plot: Jet Li is a contract killer (or an ex-soldier willing to kill for money) after an assassin of a Yakuza boss. The boss had set up a reward for the one who catches his killer. A reward of One Hundred Million Dollars ($50 million for catching killer, $50 million for finding the ones who hired the killer).

Review: Like "Romeo Must Die," this film uses rap music as its movie music. Unlike that "Romeo" movie, I've never heard of this Jet Li film, and am confused by it. Due to the lack of Chinese language options, and based on the type of movie music, the movie seems as if it was intended for USA release (or rerelease), but I've never heard of it (though the movie appears to be badly dubbed and I believe that at one point, Jet Li's voice changes (odd they wouldn't have Chinese language option)).

I think that the movie is supposed to be something of a comedy, and there are some funny moments, but the humor seems a little off (especially considering the enormous blood spillage). This movie is not at all like I expected. I expected Li to be, and act, like an assassin. Instead he is mostly a novice (a skilled one, due to be an ex-soldier), and seems at first to be incompetent (maybe "slow"). Despite these comments, the actions scenes are interesting, while the comedy scenes, for the most part, are not (and the evil guys have some neat tricks).

The acting was average, the plot was somewhat interesting, the action scenes were good, but the comedy and music were, mostly, off-putting. Overall, I would give the movie 3.20 stars.

Editorial Review:

A hit man attempts to find out who executed a Yakuza boss.

Hero [UMD for PSP]

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 444 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

3 Layered Cake 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

In terms of movie reviews, I believe there are far superior reviews than ones I can conjure up for the film. This movie, along with The Fountain, are two of my favorite visual films of all time. The complexity of the film is layered three fold - 1. The physical 2. The emotional and 3. The philosophical.

The first layer is comprised of mixing martial arts, combining wire work against traditional weapons of war - the spear, the sword, the bow and arrow. For those who actually follow Chinese martial arts movies, there are some basic moves that are considered "flash moves" - moves that performed in dramatic fashion and style, which provides a viewer with distinct visual enhancement (and for you more vocal movie watchers, these are the moments where you go, "daaaaaaamnnn" or "that's gotta hurt") Zhang Yimou's direction was not to overdramatize these moves, he instead carefully incorporated them into the Choreography, enhancing but never overshadowing the plot itself, thus never fitting the genre of a traditional martial arts movie.

On a side note, you may or may not know that all stunts were performed by the actors themselves, some of whom have little or no training in how to wield a weapon. In the "making of" section, Jet Li commented on this particular challenge, "it would almost be as if I have no training in Ballet yet took a five day crash course before going on stage for my first performance." Zhang Ziyi was brought up as a dancer, Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow) and Chen Daoming (King) are traditionally dramatic actors, Tony Leung (Broken Sword) hasn't done wirework for some ten years. The only two people who are known for their martial arts skills are Jet Li and Donnie Yen, who (outside of Jackie Chan), are considered two of the best martial artists in the business. The physical demands of these actors and actresses need to be recognized before this review moves further.

The second layer is the emotional. Comprised of the loneliness of a king (Chen Daoming) who has never met his equal, an Nameless Soldier (Jet Li) whose quest for vengeance compels him to assassinate the king, the orphan (Broken Sword) and his quest to find a "home" with Flying Snow, the turmoil and jealousy triangle involved between Flying Snow, Broken Sword, and Moon and finally the deep emotional bond between Broken Sword and Flying Snow. The latter theme is beautifully demonstrated when they try to sacrifice themselves in the place of the other in a staged fight with Nameless. Broken's Swords' deep love for Flying Snow is demonstrated in his mentoring of her swordsmanship, but his deep love of those "Under Heaven" demands his sacrifice of his love for Flying Snow.

The complexity of their relationship also resides in a conflict of philosophical proportions - Flying Snow's need for vengeance in order to find peace, and Broken Swords' discovery that peace is found where there is no weapon either in hand or heart. His understanding compels him to not kill the king, at the cost of Flying Snow's love. Such an understanding leads me to the third layer of the movie - the philosophical.

When viewed through an ethnocentric Western lens, I can see some aspects of the film validating the "dictatorship" form of government formerly employed by China. However, my rebuttal is that the film's direction is FAR deeper than that. The film responds to a form of government that Plato called the Philosopher King. One of his most cited ideas is "[A] true pilot must of necessity pay attention to the seasons, the heavens, the stars, the winds, and everything proper to the craft if he is really to rule a ship" (The Republic, 6.488d). Plato claims that the sailors (i.e., the people of the city-state over whom the philosopher is the potential ruler) ignore the philosopher's "idle stargazing" because they have never encountered a true philosopher before. In this case the Philosopher King is the King himself. His wisdom is demonstrated by his attention to the essential characters of Flying Snow and Broken Sword, his real vision to stop the warring of the 6 Kingdoms and unite them under a single rule, his effort to unify China under a single language, and his attention to the winds and spirits using candles. Unfortunately, "without war there can be no peace" as the saying goes, the King's governing skills as a philosopher are not demonstrated here, (it is demonstrated in actual documented history however) his skills at conquest are.

Moreover, contrary to a Western, individualistic society, the Chinese and East Asian countries are collective in nature, which means that people tend to view themselves as members of groups and sacrifice to benefit the group, never to the needs of individuals. Baring that in mind, the sacrifices of Broken Sword and Nameless are not validations of the particular form of government, but are in the name of peace. In their review of the words Tian Xia (Under Heaven) drawn in the sand, they have discovered that their sacrifices are for the peace of the 6 kingdoms and the millions of people who would be united "Under Heaven." Such is the reason that the King cannot be killed, such is also the reason they (and even the King) are willing to give up their lives to find that peace. In an Eastern perspective, such sacrifice is what bares the title of the movie, "HERO"


"Swordsmanship's first achievement is the unity of man to sword. Sword becomes the man, man becomes sword, and even a blade of grass is a weapon. The second achievement is when the sword exists in one's heart. When absent from one's hand, one can still strike an enemy with bare hands. But swordsmanship's ultimate achievement is the absence of the sword in both hand and heart. The swordsman embraces the world and everything in it. He does not kill and maintains peace instead."

Editorial Review:

HERO

Kiss of the Dragon / Transporter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Awesome Action Movie 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

You cant go wrong with any Jet Li Movies. This one is one of my Martial Arts favorite, since it's very realistic, and you can appreciate the amazing martial arts moves! As the story develops, Jet Li is the real under-cover chinese Bushido Sensei and takes on the whole gang of corrupted French cops in order to save face.

Highly recommended to all! The supporting actress, Bridget Fonda does an expectacular performance in her role and deserves an academy award from Hollywood! We need to see Fonda in more movies!

Editorial Review:

Disc 1: Kiss of the Dragon WS Disc 2: Transporter WP

Unleashed (R-Rated Widescreen Edition)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 147 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Keep the leash off... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you like Jet Li's brand of high action martial arts films then `Unleashed' will work for you, in parts. The reason I add the `in parts' part is because the film is not a straight action film by any means. The action here is intense and it is brilliantly choreographed, but the bulk of the film is a much slower paced exploration of one man's mental upbringing and the chance he is given to rethink his life.

Walking into `Unleashed' (the original title, `Danny the Dog', was much better in my humble opinion) I was expecting something shocking, brazen and violent. I got that, but only in calculated segments. In fact, after some brutally explosive scenes of violence the film cools down for quite a while, while Li's character, Danny, starts to find his inner `human'.

The film tells the story of Danny, a lethal fighting machine trained from infancy basically to live like an attach dog. He wears a collar that `holds him back', but when he ruthless owner (a gangster named Bart) unleashes him, he turns into a savage killing machine. By chance, Danny meets a blind man named Sam who unlocks a desire to live more civilly, so when he finds the opportunity to escape he does just that. Danny winds up living with Sam and his step-daughter Victoria, where he learns to trust and love and just live. Bart wants his prize fighter back, and so he sets off in hot pursuit of him.

Then there is more violence.

Honestly, and this is coming from someone who prefers a good story as apposed to a hodgepodge of action scenes, the middle section of this film just doesn't really work. The entirety of this film is HIGHLY unbelievable, but the center section is just preposterous. I think what makes it more so than the outlandish violence is the fact that you half expect your `action' films to be improbable. In fact, you relish in action sequences and fight scenes that push all boundaries and exploit your senses. On the other hand, you want a little more reality in your drama. You want to `believe' it, and this film doesn't give you that. The relationship formed between Danny, Sam and Victoria is just too unbelievable for its own good.

That, and the fact that Bob Hoskins MAKES this movie, and he disappears when Danny finds his `new' home.

Yes, acting wise, this film rests on Hoskins shoulders. Li is a capable action star and a decent actor, but he is nothing special (and the whole dramatic element of this film fails him). Freeman suffers from a poor character, and Kerry Condon is just, well, there. Hoskins, on the other hand, is all sorts of seething brilliance. I mean, he is Oscar brilliance here (I have him on my personal Supporting Actor ballot). His sheer vileness is outstanding as he crafts a sinister character that is the farthest thing from a mere caricature. He is a living, breathing monster...and you BELIEVE him. I wanted him to be in every scene. This may be one of the greatest `villain' performances of the decade, resting EASILY next to the likes of Ledger's `Joker', and miles better than Bardem's expressionless hit-man.

In the end I recommend this film, but with reservations. I give it a C+, verging on a B-. See it for Hoskins and for the gritty explosiveness of the fight scenes, but don't expect to love this movie. It is uneven, but in the end it is worth a gander, maybe even two.

Editorial Review:

A man raised like an animal and trained to be a ruthless killer escapes his master and attempts to lead a normal life.

The Legend

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Martial arts matinee idol Jet Li Lin-Kit, who made his U.S. debut as a bad guy in Lethal Weapon 4, portrays a real life turn-of-the-century Cantonese patriot, the dauntless Fong Sai-Yuk. This is a much more blunt and straightforward effort than Tsui Hark's flamboyant Once Upon a Time in China films, but codirectors Ann Hui (Song of the Exile) and Yuen Kwai (Yes, Madam) deliver many lively and funny sequences. For U.S. viewers, the revelation of the film will be Josephine Siao, a Cantonese film star of the '60s, in both comedies and high-flying swordplay films, who plays Fong Sai-Yuk's martial mother. Siao disguises herself as man to enter a martial arts competition and ends up winning both the prize and the heart of a high official's daughter--mostly because the girl has never met a hero with so much poetic sensitivity lurking just beneath the surface. Chu Kong (Sidney in John Woo's The Killer) plays Fong Sai-Yuk's father as an anti-Manchu patriot so unbendingly upright that he's a bit of a prig, and as the action heats up, political stakes emerge more clearly. In the grand finale, Fong Sai-Yuk squares off against a Manchu killer played with great panache by newcomer Chiu Man-cheuk. --David Chute

The Legend of the Swordsman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The best version yet of this WILD-FAST CrAzY Kung Fu movie!! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

There are like 3 versions of this movie: 1- The Legend of the Swordman, 2- Swordman II, 3- Swordman II Special Edition (this one).

The first version has the best image and sound quality but the language is only in English and the violent scenes are edited, the second version has only the chinese languages and it's uncut but the dvd is not so easy to control, this version has only the chinese languages, it's uncut and easy to control but the image and sound were not SOOO remastered.
Maybe the perfect version will be released from Dragon Dynasty.

The movie is GREAT if you like japanese ninjas fighting chineses in a CrAzY way, but don't expect that Jet Li will be the one man army! This movie is more like fighting together as a team.

WARNING: In this movie, most of the BEST fighting scenes are at midnight! I hope that doesn't bother you.

Adios.

Editorial Review:

Global action megastar Jet Li unleashes all of his devastating martial arts power in this thrilling tale of a reluctant warrior who becomes a timeless hero! A young swordsman, Ling Wei (Li), and other followers of the Sun Moon Sect are making a journey to the mountains to abandon the violent swordsman's life. But upon arrival, they find their people are at war! With their leader, Master Wu, captured and the clan pushed out of their village, Ling must lead a desperate counterattack in hopes of freeing Master Wu and ending the reign of the supernaturally powerful Master Asia and his Highlander clan before it's too late! Packed with incredible martial arts choreography, this endlessly hard-hitting epic is another exciting addition to the phenomenal Jet Li Collection

Chop Socky - Cinema Hong Kong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Good summary of the "Kung Fu Flick" 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I remember back inthe 80s, saturday afternoon kung fu movies on TV, the Kung Fu triple feature matinees at the local downtown theater. These old school films remain some of the most entertaining and thrilling movie experiences to date(even inspite of all that CGI!).

Chop Socky explains the story of how Chinese cinema was born with emphisis on the martial arts movies. It offers a good ecapsulated overview. Taking you through the early 1920s up to the present day. My only gripe is that it was too short. Not enough in the special features. There also should have been more on the Shaw Bros Studios. After all... they WERE fung fu theater during the 70s and 80s! Despite that, this is a must to own if you call yourself a fan of the genra.

Editorial Review:

In this action-packed original co-production from the Independent Film Channel, filmmaker Ian Taylor takes a behind-the-scenes look at the stars, fighting styles and weaponry of Hong Kong cinema from its earliest beginnings to the latest big-budget epics. Through rarely seen film clips, detailed scene analysis and in-depth interviews with martial arts masters such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and John Woo, CHOP SOCKY: CINEMA HONG KONG provides an in-depth portrait of Hong Kong's wholly original and undeniably unique contribution to world cinema.

This is Kung Fu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Almighty Chief Executive One-Stop Kung Fu Must-Have!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is the Kung Fu documentary you've been searching for. It has it all. Watch it over and over again. It's mind boggling that this documentary was even allowed to be made, let alone seen by western eyes. It exposes the heart, soul, and spirit of
traditional Chinese martial arts, seemingly covering the entire range of Kung Fu styles. Enough praise cannot be given. This documentary set the standard by which I will judge others from now on.

where were the dinosaurs??? 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 29 people found this review helpful.

well, as much as i appreciate the effort shown on Jet's part to do a wholesome kung fu documentary, i really must protest the total lack of dinosaurs. What the heck? you really can't expect a decent, God-fearing American to sit through hours of this mindless drivel when there are no dnosaurs present... honestly... Good kung fu, totally worthless special effects, the one lizard that i happened to notice looked like it was an iguana just chilling on the set, i mean, did they even want it to look like a dinosaur? Sometimes i think they didn't... that's how bad it was.
Trust me, if you are looking for kung fu action without the dinosaurs, you're wasting your time. If you're not retarded and want some Rex Kwon Do, you know that you should be looking for some real action.

yes this review was a joke. I'm bored. I haven't actually seen the documentary, but i'd like to.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Tai Seng Entertainment Release Date: 09/26/2000 Run time: 83 minutes