HERO

"This land doesn't know a real hero. Yet."

This post will be my third mention of a Jet Li movie (sorry), but I can't help remembering all the good movies he's made, not to mention the questionable ones too.
However, this movie deserves mention because it took films like CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON to the next level, both in action choreography and in the intellectual depth of the story.
HERO tells the story of one man (Jet Li), who defeats the legendary Kung Fu masters of a region in China in order to gain an audience with the Emperor. But don't let this simple script description fool you, there is so much beneath the surface that it would be rude of me to unveil any of it here.
Needless to say, this movie is outstanding, not only for its magnificent action but also for its drama, character depth and realism, and revolutionary scenery; a rare quality in Kung Fu movies, or any movie for that matter today.
Released in 2002, HERO stars Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi and Donnie Yen.



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ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (1)

"Never was a hero needed more..."

For all the martial arts fans out there, if you haven't seen this movie, then you've missed out on an important landmark in this genre.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA(1) is the story of real life hero Wong Fei Hung, who stood up against the westernization of China in the early 19th century. Played by Jet Li, Wong Fei Hung sets out to defend his aunt and the rest of China in the only way he knows how; with Kung Fu.
Despite it's somewhat generic script, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA(1) expands beyond the common Kung Fu flick and into the realm of emotions, politics and personal beliefs, shaping itself into a complete, groundbreaking movie.
Packed with incredible action by Jet Li in his prime, this film is a staple of the martial arts genre, as are its two successors to a lesser extent. Don't bother with the 4th and 5th installments of this series, their not worth it and seriously degenerated the uniqueness of this true story.
Released in 1991, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA(1) stars Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan. Directed by Hark Tsui.



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THE HITMAN

I haven't seen a movie this interesting in a long time. Surprising and fairly recent, THE HITMAN (1998) reels you in so that you are constantly wondering what will happen next, and are even more dumbfounded when the next scene starts to play out.
I can't even begin to understand how someone wrote a script with this much irony and dry humor built in, but they did. The whole premise of the movie is based on just that, a juxtaposition of irony and humor culminating in start to finish consistency in theme. It was unbelievable to watch.
Jet Li stars as a rookie hitman who can't seem to find any work, has a mother to support, and worst of all is possessed of a kindly character. (see, the irony already begins by positioning killing as an acceptable, commonplace profession). The humor begins when Jet Li is paired with his would be 'agent', and enters a race to find another killer (ironically enough), with $100,000 hanging in the balance, while being ruthlessly pursued by other professional hitmen and a police inspector (Simon Yam, of KILLZONE) who won't let up.
Excellent action, great humor (although subtitled) and a mesh of rich culture and charm so rare in Kung Fu movies, THE HITMAN delivers a solid front for anyone who loves real Hong Kong action style movies.



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