Unconventional Learning Experience: Even if the series runs on Rule of Cool and Artistic License History, it still neatly covers the final years of Imperial China.
The fact it was directed by martial arts legend Sammo Hung, who also choreographed the fights, also helped. For Jet Li fans, the sixth film in which he returned and took the film into a new direction.For those who liked Vincent Zhao's performance as Wong Fei-hung, the fifth film is arguably better than the fourth due to the return of Rosamund Kwan as Aunt 13 and Tsui Hark in the director's chair.Retroactive Recognition: Marvelous as Donnie Yen's performance as Anti-Villain General Narlan Yuenshu was in the second film (in which he actually won the Best Supporting Actor Trophy of the Hong Kong Oscars in 1993), nobody expected him to rise to the success of portraying another famous martial artist, Wing-Chun master in the Ip Man series almost 15 years later.Averted by Max Mok who replaced Yuen Biao as Leung Fu after the first film.Aunt 13 returned in the fifth film however. To a lesser extent, Aunt 14 who replaced Aunt 13 in the fourth movie.Jet Li was brought back in the sixth and final film as a result. Vincent Zhao's turn as Wong Fei-hung in the fourth and fifth was not well received by audiences, despite giving a decent performance.Infiltrating the White Lotus to engage Fei-hung, Narlan even succeeds in eliminating his friend before attempting to steal a book of revolutionary names to clandestinely eliminate them. Gaining a respect for Wong Fei-hung in a sparring match, Nap-lan later fakes an attack by the fanatic White Lotus cultists to give himself an excuse to search the British consulate for rebels, murdering the consul when he sees through the ruse. Magnificent Bastard: Once Upon a Time in China II: Narlan is a military officer hunting down members of a revolutionary sect that seek to replace the Qing dynasty with a republic.It's every film after the first two that receive more and more criticisms and accusations of Sequelitis. First Installment Wins: A mild subversion in that both the first and second films in the series are loved and highly praised.
#Once upon a time in china movie#
While the first movie did display some moral nuance by having the European priest try to help Wong Fei-hung and showing how not all Chinese were good through the actions of the Shaho Leader and his gang, the second film is still seen as doing a much better job of delivering a message of universal reconciliation. Even Better Sequel: Many fans consider the second movie to be just as good as the first, if not better, largely due to the presence of Donnie Yen as the main villain and delivery of the message that not all Westerner are bad.
Basically, he's the Darth Maul of the franchise.