Chicago of the 30s in Shanghai style, i.e. instead of Thompson submachine guns and Colt pistols, only kung fu and nothing more (+ axes, sais, shurikens, tonfas, katanas and other cold stuff =).
Initially, I was extremely skeptical about the project because of fans of the ropes Yuen Wuping in the role of action director and hitherto unknown to me Philipa Ng, who in this film is an exact copy of Bruce Lee... why the hell - it had to be done, I don’t understand. But the film turned out better than I expected.
The plot is nothing special, just another kung fu movie about fights between gangs, and about the confrontation between poor Chinese and vile Japanese + a bunch of references to Bruce Lee films. However, it is worth noting that all this looks quite adequate and the scenes between the fights are not at all annoying, but on the contrary (largely thanks to the good actors) they look quite interesting and not boring (by the way... the one and a half hour running time suited this film PERFECTLY).
As for the fights, I... liked them (I was shocked by these words). Cables are present, but not as many as usual in films Yuen, they are mainly used to ensure that the opponents of the main characters fly away from their attacks (i.e. no one flies on the roofs and no one soars in the air). This makes me happy. The choreography of the fights is a mix of traditional stage kung fu (which is quite suitable for the surroundings of Shanghai at the beginning of the century) and modern tricking (which should attract the current generation of fighting game fans). The result was decent (though not outstanding), although fans of Raid-style bloody massacres have nothing to catch here. The cameraman and editor also didn’t lose face, although at times I wanted to say, “Move a little further away.” Well, okay, I won’t quibble. In general, as I said above, I liked the fights.
Let's move on to the actors: There are no complaints about the supporting actors, everyone coped with their roles quite well. Sammo there is not much in the film, and he is laconic here, but his character turned out to be extremely pleasant and kind (for fans: there are fights with his participation, but they are few). The main characters deserve more attention:
Ma Yun Zhen (Philip Ng) – a kind of mixture of Bruce Lee characters from Big Boss and the Way of the Dragon. A naive and kind guy who only knows how to fight, goes to Shanghai for a good life, but at the same time he is categorically against gangs and does not want to participate in their showdowns.
Qi Long (Andy He) is the exact opposite of Ma. He also came to Shanghai for a beautiful life, but at the same time he gladly uses his martial arts skills to achieve what he wants. In a short time, Qi became a crime boss, taking over half of Shanghai. A typical scumbag for whom there are no barriers or rules (except those that he himself sets).
Philip and Andy coped with their roles well. Despite the fact that their characters are initially quite banal and cliched, over time they become more interesting. Their friendship is quite understandable and, frankly, the scenes when they have fun together and spar are the best episodes of the film. Therefore, I have absolutely no complaints about them; both are quite interesting to watch.
Now let's move on to the cons:
I didn’t really like the SPL-style ending (all that was left was to infect the main character’s girlfriend with an incurable disease), but this is more a matter of taste (I’m still a fan of more positive endings).
Philip Ng, who is the spitting image of Bruce in this film. Why did they do this? It’s just that such roles can ruin an actor’s career (doubles are always less interesting to the viewer than the original). Do not do it this way. And I also don’t understand the fact that the creators are constantly “pulling the blanket” on him. On the first posters there is only Philip (sometimes even THREE Philips =), and Andy’s name is not even written, in the first teaser there is only Philip, and not a word about Andy. It seems to me that this is not fair to On, whose character is by no means less important in this film.
Andy On, whom Chinese filmmakers for some reason don’t want to let show everything he’s capable of. This is the third time he has been given the same role (MMA, Special ID and Shanghai) - the role of an arrogant asshole, which he plays in a very formulaic manner (most likely due to the script, not his acting skills). Fortunately, in the end they allowed it to unfold both in terms of the game and in terms of battles, although in the end it... was still lost in a sense. It's a pity.
As for the action: I didn’t like the scenes when the main characters throw a punch, start yelling and run at each other in slow motion; in my opinion, this is morally outdated (although this may be a matter of taste). I didn’t like that sometimes they went overboard with accelerations and some moments of the fights looked more like running from Benny Hill, and not like a fight to the death. + besides Andy and Philip, there are practically no worthwhile and memorable movie fighters, and those that try to be one... they don’t succeed.
In general: a good film that is worth watching for all fans of this genre. In my opinion, “Once Upon a Time in Shanghai” and “The Raid 2” consistently share first place as the best fighting games of 2014. Both films are not without their drawbacks, but there are still more pluses, and they are more significant. By the way...one gets the impression that those who didn't like Raid 2 will like Shanghai (and vice versa), because... These films are very different in style, even though they belong to the same genre.
PS I still don’t understand what year the film takes place (the clothes and cars are too modern for 1904) and how you can calmly walk and talk when your chest is pierced through with a sword. =D
Author: Pavel Belba
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Tags: Once Upon A Time In Shanghai, Mao Jun Jie, Sammo Hung, Philip Ng, Jiang Luxia, Chen Kuantai, Andy He, Yuen Wu-Ping, Yuen Chongyan
Tags: Once Upon A Time In Shanghai, Mao Jun Jie, Sammo Hung, Philip Ng, Jiang Luxia, Chen Kuantai, Andy He, Yuen Wu-Ping, Yuen Chongyan
I found the film boring. The fights are certainly not bad, and “pierced by a sword” is most likely a tribute to the heroic action films with Bruce Lee and other figures - but some kind of unfinished film, the script is perhaps bad. By the way, the main character did not resemble Bruce Lee, but Jim Carrey in a dumber and dumber way.
"...it infuriated me that instead of running to save people, he would slowly approach with pathos, then cry over his murdered comrade...and then immediately kill the murderer."
- I also did not understand this message to the viewer. Catch up on drama? So everything is already more than caught up!
And frankly, I’m tired of looking at unkillable characters. It's kind of boring.
I partially agree, and the film itself will be bigger, BUT I was killed by the plot and the actions of the main characters.
The Temple of Hades, built by the Japanese to defeat the Chinese, then turned out to defeat the whites, and then completely...take over the world. Perhaps this is a jamb of translators. But still.
The main character initially could have saved everyone by organizing an uprising, but he decided to play by the rules of the main villain, which is why a lot of prisoners died. + It infuriated me that instead of running to save people, he would slowly approach with pathos, then cry over his murdered comrade... and then immediately kill the murderer.
It’s generally unclear why the hell they took Mullins; his physical capabilities are not used at all.
PS I haven’t seen “The Wrath of Vazhra”, I don’t think it will be any better.
In my opinion, the battles there are more interesting. Especially the fight between the main character and one unkillable weirdo on a wooden structure above the lake. Absolutely brutal!!! But again - the cables spoiled a lot.
I thought since this is a "movie" on the level of Raid 2 on your personal list, it must be a worthwhile film. But as it turns out, I was wrong.
PS I haven’t seen “The Wrath of Vazhra”, I don’t think it will be any better.
I didn’t talk about EXCELLENT, but I did consider normal (especially compared to this year’s competitors).
I talked about this.
They didn't call me.
I agree with this. But the first one improved a little over time, and the second... this was clear even from the trailer and posters.
I didn’t notice the operator’s paralysis; sometimes I came too close - yes. If my memory serves me right, then in the same Raid 2, the operator at times made mistakes more noticeably and more often.
1) The presence of cables was clear from the trailer.
2) I mentioned them.
3) Fight choreographer - Wu Ping. His name is synonymous with “cable fighting” =)
This is what I seem to have forgotten to mention, my problem. Although, on the other hand, graphics are always a problem in Chinese films.
And this is...a matter of taste. For me, "Wrath of Vazhra" is much worse, but some people like it better. Happens. =)
Where did Comrade Belba review the excellent fighting game in “Once Upon a Time in Shanghai”? Yesterday, there were 7-10 minutes left until the end of the viewing, so I turned it off. I couldn’t watch this nonsense on the screen anymore. Everything was shot sooooo tastelessly and poorly with sometimes fast frames......the whole film is complete nonsense! The characters are undeveloped (and therefore many of their actions are puzzling), Andy He re-acts the entire film, and the other Mr. parodies Bruce Lee....pfft. The operator with paralysis of the arm is generally fired, the cables and computer are also unnecessary. graphics with unrealistic flying/homing shurikens and hammers.
Briefly speaking! UG, not a movie! And that's putting it mildly!
Got it, I'll try to solve my problem. =)
As far as I understand...he is the one. In my case, the rollback is Open Office, which does not even know what grammar and punctuation are. (sorry for being off-topic) =)
No, I meant to roll back to 2007 or 2010 Office.
2013? Then roll back. ;)
At the beginning of the film they say that “in 1903, Shanghai was a dream...” And a little later, it seems, 1904 appeared. Although these may be translator errors.
Why did you decide that it was 1904?
There specifically the 30s of the XX century.
Ward is silent like the last partisan. =) I'll take it into account, I'll try better next time. The only thing I’m unlikely to move away from any time soon is () and... I can’t write without them (although there are suspicions that this may infuriate some people)
I don’t want to seem like a malicious grammar Nazi, but it was worth running the text in Word, the errors and blunders were too noticeable =(
I liked the film, although the second Raid evoked much more emotions in this regard. But definitely a solid four (IMHO).
Can you give more details???
AAAAAH....shame on me!!!
I really liked the film) it reminded me of “The Raid 2”, only it’s in China and takes place in the 30s. And by the way, Raphael had tridents. not Michilangelo!
Kurata famously uses sais in Lucky Stars
“Stupid foreigners” (c), what can we take from them? =)
Magic Crystal is a cool movie. Only Rothrock and Norton have a ton of doubles.
And the battles accompanied by mournful music are killing me.
Speaking of Shanghai, at the end there was a fight using Sai (Michelangelo’s tridents from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles =) So, the fight itself didn’t really impress me, but I thought that it was a complex tool for effective use in movie battles, but no... I came across a cut battles from the Magic Crystal, so at the end Richard Norton famously uses sais against Rothrock and Lau.
youtube.com/watch?v=oSAWiI-59UA
Damn, there are no fans, but haters and trolls have already appeared... eh, life isn't fair. =(
Ice, Jaidev unsubscribed in the next thread, you can contact him. =D
"Bah! All the faces are familiar!" And the phrases... There are no complaints against Jaidev anymore? ;)
And here he is again, the great reviewer Pavel “Palba” Belba!!!