18 reviews
This film produced by mythic Golden Harvest is based on a legendary Chinese character : Wong Fei-hung, basic figure in the Chinese folklore. He was a famous practicing of ¨Hung gar Kung Fu¨and ¨Tai Chi¨ and his character served as starring in various film from art martial history. Here is well played by Jet Li, Wong has changed his art- martial school in Canton but results he has just moved near a brothel. Wong is worried and a prostitutes attempt to lure him. Soon he's fighting exaggerated nasties, corrupts authorities, judge and a monks from a weird temple dedicated to slave-trading where are kidnapped beautiful girls for human traffic. Meanwhile, Wong is poisoned and turned deaf but is healed by acupuncture by a traveling artists. Ultimately, there take place the parade the lion against centipede dance-fight with a spectacular and breathtaking struggle with hyperbolic Kung Fu, plenty of kicks, bounds and leaps.
The Wong character, both a doctor and professor of martial art, served as starring in various movies from arts-martial cinema history. Wong figure reflects the Chinese cultural identity facing foreigner invasion that submitted China, especially during XIX century (Boxers war, Opium war). Wong was played by Jet Li in six occasions, and appears in the Jackie Chan's ¨Drunken master¨films, besides appears as secondary character in the new version of ¨Iron Monkey¨ also titled ¨Wong Fei Hung¨ with Donnie Yen. Here, Jet Li reprise splendidly his role who became him as a real star in Asian markets . Li is the biggest Asian movie star after Jackie Chan, he won Chinese national championship in the acrobatic martial art, Wushu. Jet Li, lights in his fighting , using Kung Fu special slicks : drunken boxing, tiger or crane technical though many confronting are filmed with goofy humor and silly comedy. The fights are choreographed by means of cables by Woo- Yuen Ping, author of choreography of hits as Fearless, Kunfu hustle, Danny the dog, Kill Bill and Matrix, among others.
The Wong character, both a doctor and professor of martial art, served as starring in various movies from arts-martial cinema history. Wong figure reflects the Chinese cultural identity facing foreigner invasion that submitted China, especially during XIX century (Boxers war, Opium war). Wong was played by Jet Li in six occasions, and appears in the Jackie Chan's ¨Drunken master¨films, besides appears as secondary character in the new version of ¨Iron Monkey¨ also titled ¨Wong Fei Hung¨ with Donnie Yen. Here, Jet Li reprise splendidly his role who became him as a real star in Asian markets . Li is the biggest Asian movie star after Jackie Chan, he won Chinese national championship in the acrobatic martial art, Wushu. Jet Li, lights in his fighting , using Kung Fu special slicks : drunken boxing, tiger or crane technical though many confronting are filmed with goofy humor and silly comedy. The fights are choreographed by means of cables by Woo- Yuen Ping, author of choreography of hits as Fearless, Kunfu hustle, Danny the dog, Kill Bill and Matrix, among others.
My introduction to kung fu movies was Jet Li's "Fong Sai Yuk", which blew me away, and I'm happy to say that "The Last Hero In China" is every bit as great as the former. Lots of good jokes (incl. bad guys with infectious fits of hysterical laughter), lots of impressive fighting - even if it's wire-aided -, lots of enjoyable acting, and an uproarious climactic fight scene at the end; rooster vs. centipede!
The story, starring the legendary kung fu doctor, Wong Fei-Hung, is an old-fashioned romp which is perfectly suited to Jet Li's acting talent and charisma. The rooster costume he dons at the end, and the fighting style he invents, are hilariously entertaining, and he pulls it off with flying colors. This is the sort of thing Jet Li does best.
8 out of 10.
The story, starring the legendary kung fu doctor, Wong Fei-Hung, is an old-fashioned romp which is perfectly suited to Jet Li's acting talent and charisma. The rooster costume he dons at the end, and the fighting style he invents, are hilariously entertaining, and he pulls it off with flying colors. This is the sort of thing Jet Li does best.
8 out of 10.
There are two reasons to see this movie: (1) the fighting is quite good, and (2) the translation is good enough that English-speakers will get the jokes.
This is a comic digression from the "Once Upon a Time in China" series. Jet Li again plays Master Wong. He is down on his luck, and so moves to Hong Kong to open a school in a run-down neighborhood. The austere and dignified Master Wong tries to protect his randy students from the corrupting influence of the brothel next-door, while investigating a gang of perverted Shoalin monks who have been abducting young women. In one great fighting scene, Master Wong is so disdainful of a convict with whom he is fighting that he refuses to stand up from his chair to defend himself (instead he conducts the whole fight with his butt in the chair).
A hilarious and fun movie, if about 10% too long.
This is a comic digression from the "Once Upon a Time in China" series. Jet Li again plays Master Wong. He is down on his luck, and so moves to Hong Kong to open a school in a run-down neighborhood. The austere and dignified Master Wong tries to protect his randy students from the corrupting influence of the brothel next-door, while investigating a gang of perverted Shoalin monks who have been abducting young women. In one great fighting scene, Master Wong is so disdainful of a convict with whom he is fighting that he refuses to stand up from his chair to defend himself (instead he conducts the whole fight with his butt in the chair).
A hilarious and fun movie, if about 10% too long.
- el_nickster
- Feb 26, 2004
- Permalink
This film is amazing. The choreography work by Yuen Woo Ping is simply breath taking. Gnong Kau Chai as Legate Officer Lui in my view steals the film as possibly the best bad guy ever. His maniacal laughter and dialogue is but one of many good things in this film, another of which is Jet Li's gracious and best performance as Wong Fei Hung. Tak-Hing Kwan who for so many films had played the same character could feel as if he has successfully passed on his mantle to Li. The comic aspects of the film elevate this from Li's other films as Wong Fei Hung. The use of Wong's theme song ("Under the General's Orders") is my favourite thing about the film, especially when used by the hookers whose brothel is nest to Po Chee Lam (Wong Fei Hung's martial arts school). In a year in which Li made Fong Sai Yuk 1 and 2, Tai Chi Master. If Jet Li was a fine wine people would say 1993 was en excellent year.
- Leofwine_draca
- Dec 7, 2018
- Permalink
Review: I quite enjoyed this funny authentic movie about a monk whose investigating the mysterious disappearance of girls in his village. With the help of some of the people in his Kung Fu class and a brothel owner, don't ask, they find out that there is much more going on in there village then they expected. For a person that doesn't like subtitles, I actually didn't mind reading the well put together script which was witty and full of twists and turns. It's not very often that you see Buddha monks living next to a brothel in a authentic oriental movie and the different characters made the film funny and a joy to watch. Once again, the flying fighting scenes spoil the action, but after watching a few Jet Li movies, I'm kind of getting use to it now. Enjoyable!
Round-Up: One of the things that made me laugh in this film was when they were fighting and naming the styles that they were using. It really reminded me of the old Kung Fu movies that I used to watch when I was young. I didn't get the point of the corrupt police officer who kept on laughing all of the time or why they were feeding people a deaf drug but maybe I missed some of the plot whilst reading the subtitles. Anyway, it's definitely worth a watch if your into movies in this genre.
Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: HK$18million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a Buddha monk whose investigating the mysterious disappearance of girls in his village. 6/10
Round-Up: One of the things that made me laugh in this film was when they were fighting and naming the styles that they were using. It really reminded me of the old Kung Fu movies that I used to watch when I was young. I didn't get the point of the corrupt police officer who kept on laughing all of the time or why they were feeding people a deaf drug but maybe I missed some of the plot whilst reading the subtitles. Anyway, it's definitely worth a watch if your into movies in this genre.
Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: HK$18million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a Buddha monk whose investigating the mysterious disappearance of girls in his village. 6/10
- leonblackwood
- Dec 5, 2014
- Permalink
- hayabusa-1
- Sep 26, 2006
- Permalink
The Last Hero In China is a movie vehicle for Jet Li. He once again returns as Chinese folk hero Dr. Wong Fei Hung, but does so with in a Wong Jing production, which means this won't be taken too seriously as a film and there will be lots of dumb jokes and slapstick. However, The Last Hero In China will not qualify as a highbrow , artistic martial arts film, I still found this to be quite enjoyable for what it is and I found the film as a whole to quite hilarious and insane. This kung fu romp has our good doctor move his school to a poor neighborhood, which Wong Fei Hung later learns is now next door neighbors to a brothel. However, he has bigger problems as he must contend with corrupt officials and rogue Shaolin monks kidnapping local girls and forcing them into prostitution abroad. This sect is led by Gordon Lui and has awesome fights between him and Jet Li. The fight chroeography is top notch and no joke and staged by Yuen Woo Ping. The action is top tier and there is a whole lot of it. At this point Jet Li has played Wong Fei Hung several times and did really well both grounding and carrying the film. While Jet Li played it mostly straight, this is the only film you can see him in a chicken suit fighting guys in a centipede suit. While this lacks the class and artistry of Tsui Hark's Once Upon In China series, this is a lighter turn in the other direction and is good, off the wall entertainment with some 1st rate kung fu fight sequences.
- dworldeater
- Nov 24, 2018
- Permalink
Man, this has to be up there with Kung Fu Cult Master...
It's Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung with a twist....it's got a lot of laughs. There are a lot of characters in this one and with a guy named "Mr. Pimp", you can't help laughing! The overcrowded training scene in Po Chi Lam is so funny when this poor guy keeps getting accidentally knocked out of the dojo. Wong's students Fu and So (who really earns the name Bucktooth in this one) add levity and do some decent fighting too. The villain is hilarious with that classic evil laugh. Not to be missed, do not forget to see Jet's rooster style. C'mon, you know Jet Li is the man if he can do that scene and still looks hardcore.
Did I forget about the great fight scenes? (thanks to Yuen Woo Ping) See Jet take out a guy while seated in a chair!! Who else can take down three guys at once on only ONE jump?? Definitely watch the battle between Jet and kung fu great Gordon Liu (a passing of the torch). Cheung Man fights as well and is just great to look at.
Director Jing Wong knew what he was doing and this film definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. Add Jet Li, fights done by Yuen Woo Ping, Anita Yuen (whatta babe!), Cheung Man, and a lot of humor and you have one heck of a movie!!
It's Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung with a twist....it's got a lot of laughs. There are a lot of characters in this one and with a guy named "Mr. Pimp", you can't help laughing! The overcrowded training scene in Po Chi Lam is so funny when this poor guy keeps getting accidentally knocked out of the dojo. Wong's students Fu and So (who really earns the name Bucktooth in this one) add levity and do some decent fighting too. The villain is hilarious with that classic evil laugh. Not to be missed, do not forget to see Jet's rooster style. C'mon, you know Jet Li is the man if he can do that scene and still looks hardcore.
Did I forget about the great fight scenes? (thanks to Yuen Woo Ping) See Jet take out a guy while seated in a chair!! Who else can take down three guys at once on only ONE jump?? Definitely watch the battle between Jet and kung fu great Gordon Liu (a passing of the torch). Cheung Man fights as well and is just great to look at.
Director Jing Wong knew what he was doing and this film definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. Add Jet Li, fights done by Yuen Woo Ping, Anita Yuen (whatta babe!), Cheung Man, and a lot of humor and you have one heck of a movie!!
First of all, I'd like to make it clear that I'm commenting on the "Deadly China Hero" version of this movie, which apparently is several minutes shorter than the "Last Hero In China" version. The latter may be a decent movie; the former is just as bad as "Kung Fu Cult Master", if not worse. No self-respecting adult can possibly enjoy this silly trash; no kid can possibly understand it. There is much more wire-fu than kung-fu here: when people are in the air, they either float or they go UP, not down. As for the plot, it's something about evil monks and kidnapped women and a mysterious temple and a lion-dancing vs. centipede-dancing contest...it's totally impossible to follow. Oh, and the picture quality is awful. I don't know about "Last Hero In China", but "Deadly China Hero" is a "zero stars" movie all the way.
I was surprised at this movie. It seemed so unlike all the other Wong Fei Hong movies starring Jet Li. There were several hilarious gags in the movie, really funny stuff, but I also had a real problem with the casting for the role of Fu. Why they chose somebody who isn't a young rascal like the character has typically been, instead going for someone who looks much older than Jet Li, is beyond me.
The kung fu in this movie is pretty good, but the movie itself is overly comic. It's good, but not what I was prepared for in a Wong Fei Hong movie.
The kung fu in this movie is pretty good, but the movie itself is overly comic. It's good, but not what I was prepared for in a Wong Fei Hong movie.
- PartTimeCritic
- Mar 11, 2023
- Permalink
Refreshing Chinese style humour, new to me, worth dozens of predictable Hollywood "blockbusters", because this is something we don' see everyday. I'm ignorant about kung-fu movies, but happy to see something new. I read a review that criticised the ending. That is very strange because at the end the good fighting scenes and the refreshing absurdities are married.
Compared with recent Jackie Chan movies, the makers of this movie seem to have some pride. The choreography is artistic and both the added music and the music that comes with the plot work well. I don't think the producers said "Let's make another Jet Li movie."
Compared with recent Jackie Chan movies, the makers of this movie seem to have some pride. The choreography is artistic and both the added music and the music that comes with the plot work well. I don't think the producers said "Let's make another Jet Li movie."
Jet Li reprises his role as martial arts legend Wong Fei-Hung in this movie that is not part of the original series featuring Li, but a film that gives a comedic twist to the story where Fei-Hung stumbles upon a kidnapping scheme after unknowingly opening a martial arts school next to a brothel.
Like previous Fei-Hung movies, this film has plenty of martial arts action and breathtaking battles, including the fight between the lion dancers and the giant human-controlled centipede. While Jet Li stays true to form as the serious, wise and powerful Wong Fei-Hung, this film also has a good dose of humor, courtesy of actor Chan Pak-Cheung, who plays pimp-turned martial arts wannabe Mass Tar Cheung, and actress Kingdom Yuen, who plays the brothel madam. A host of other all-star actors can be seen included Sharla Cheung, Anita Yuen, Dicky Cheng, Gordon Liu and members of Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan's stunt team - all giving us some top-notch acting performances.
The plot is pretty solid and gains momentum as the movie progresses, with a captivating story and classic good guy vs. bad guy elements. Just about everything is thrown in this movie - action, adventure, drama (which the story could use a little more of), comedy and period costumes/settings - all resulting in pure entertainment.
Grade B+
Like previous Fei-Hung movies, this film has plenty of martial arts action and breathtaking battles, including the fight between the lion dancers and the giant human-controlled centipede. While Jet Li stays true to form as the serious, wise and powerful Wong Fei-Hung, this film also has a good dose of humor, courtesy of actor Chan Pak-Cheung, who plays pimp-turned martial arts wannabe Mass Tar Cheung, and actress Kingdom Yuen, who plays the brothel madam. A host of other all-star actors can be seen included Sharla Cheung, Anita Yuen, Dicky Cheng, Gordon Liu and members of Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan's stunt team - all giving us some top-notch acting performances.
The plot is pretty solid and gains momentum as the movie progresses, with a captivating story and classic good guy vs. bad guy elements. Just about everything is thrown in this movie - action, adventure, drama (which the story could use a little more of), comedy and period costumes/settings - all resulting in pure entertainment.
Grade B+
- OllieSuave-007
- Nov 10, 2014
- Permalink
The movie over all was good besides the fact you had to read. It was lacking something it had fei-hong as a sort of priest. It didn't have him as one who would easily get into trouble. his drunken style lack any of his original forms for instance no miss or angel Ho, he use tiger and crane. Not what SEED taught him.
Apr 2021
Jet Li in last Hero in china, also starring the lovely Man Cheung and we get Nat Chan too.
Definitely played for laughs, but the martial arts is good too, Jet Li is Wong Fei Hung as he is in the Once Upon a time in china films.
Its a great film and watch out for Gordon Liu.
10 out of 10.
Jet Li in last Hero in china, also starring the lovely Man Cheung and we get Nat Chan too.
Definitely played for laughs, but the martial arts is good too, Jet Li is Wong Fei Hung as he is in the Once Upon a time in china films.
Its a great film and watch out for Gordon Liu.
10 out of 10.
- gorytus-20672
- Apr 21, 2021
- Permalink
It was an amusing movie, Jet Li's pretty much the same as he is in all his movies, but I don't think he's suited to a comedy that might be best for a Jackie Chan-style actor... all the same, his "Rooster Style" is really funny to watch!
- Phantom_Stranger
- Oct 28, 2003
- Permalink