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Reviews
Wu du (1978)
Flawless Chinese Storytelling at Work
Seldom do I ever encounter a film so completely fulfilling that I must speak about it immediately. This movie is definitely some of the finest entertainment available and it is highly authentic. I happened to see the dubbed version but I'm on my way right now to grab the DVD remaster with original Chinese dialogue. Still, the dubbing didn't get in the way and sometimes provided some seriously funny humour: "Poison Clan rocks the world!!!"
The story-telling stays true to Chinese methods of intrigue, suspense, and inter-personal relationships. You can expect twists and turns as the identities of the 5 venoms are revealed and an expert pace.
The martial arts fight choreography is in a class of its own and must be seen to be believed. It's like watching real animals fight each other, but construed from their own arcane martial arts forms. Such level of skill amongst the cast is unsurpassed in modern day cinema.
The combination provides for a serious dose of old Chinese culture and I recommend it solely on the basis of the film's genuine intent to tell a martial arts story and the mastery of its execution. ...Of course, if you just want to see people pummel each other, along with crude forms of ancient Chinese torture, be my guest!
Wo hu cang long (2000)
An immersive film, in every aspect.
I walked into the movie theatre not knowing much (having only seen the trailer), but I had high expectations. Those expectations were blown out of the water just ten minutes into the movie. Not only are the action sequences beautifully orchestrated, they only supplemented an excellent love story. I was thoroughly surprised by the acting in the film, with the three main characters turning in great performances. The ending left me speechless, and when I exited the theatre just about everyone had the same look of amazement and deep thought as I did. Philosophically, the film poses some very important ideas on love, regret, and teaching. Overall I highly commend this film, and will be seeing it again soon enough. It's been maybe 5 hours since I saw it and I'm still thinking about the ending. Hope you enjoyed the film as much as I did.