A pair of lifelong friends are expelled from their Shaolin temple after being accused of cheating. Tienbao becomes a powerful and oppressive military leader while the other, Junbao, (Li) joins the rebels. Only the discipline of Tai Chi can help Junbao defeat his former friend. Includes some of the most spectacular martial arts .. Read more
| Starring | Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Yuen Cheung Yan, Lau Shun |
|---|---|
| Director | Yuen Woo-Ping |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
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A pair of lifelong friends are expelled from their Shaolin temple after being accused of cheating. Tienbao becomes a powerful and oppressive military leader while the other, Junbao, (Li) joins the rebels. Only the discipline of Tai Chi can help Junbao defeat his former friend. Includes some of the most spectacular martial arts fight scenes ever filmed, including a huge finale with a cast of thousands.
| Starring | Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Yuen Cheung Yan, Lau Shun, Chin Siu-Ho, Yuen Kit Ying, Fennie Yuen |
|---|---|
| Director | Yuen Woo-Ping |
| Studio | HOLLYWOOD PICTURES HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: not available Production year: 1993 |
| Format | DVD |
The first and as of yet only pairing of two of the biggest names in Hong Kong film, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, this boasts enough breathtaking martial arts action to allow you to overlook the clumsy storyline. Friends Li and Chin Siu-hou are monks and martial arts experts who part ways after a clash with their temple's leaders. Faced with an oppressive ruler the ambitious Chin is quickly won over to the dark side, leaving Li and new love Yeoh to lead a small group of rebels to a climactic showdown. Recent Li and Yeoh converts will be gobsmacked by the astonishing fight virtuosity on show and the cloying slapstick of the film's quieter moments.
Effective martial arts drama with many spectacular fights.
I watched this film in chinese with subtitles when it was first released and I was blown away by how good it was. But now I'm saddened to see some bright spark decided not to include the original chinese language sound track, which means the film has lost a lot of its atmosphere. The English dubbing is so tedious I had to switch off before making it half way through. This is a prime example of how to destroy a classic film.
Sheer entertainment from beginning to end! Excellent fights beautifully choreographed and executed with great skill. Jet Li at his best! Story wise the characters are alot more complex than they usually are in films of this genre and we get to see the two leads' characters develop as they have to deal with the world outside of the shaolin temple.