Scarecrow-88 Wang Fei Hung will have to contend with a White Lotus Sect which wants Taiwan's independence free of "foreigners". Along with Aunt 13 and servant Foon, Wong is attending a special convention which brought together American physicians along with Chinese to understand the body's anatomy, when the White Lotus Sect attack the conference with flaming arrows. In Canton, the Telegraph House is the town's link to the outside world which is why it's a constant target of the White Lotus Sect. We see the outside modern influence in music, cuisine, and even dress(Aunt 13 whose western clothes, once she enters town, earn the ire of citizens, including unruly children). When a picture is taken of a White Lotus ceremony, Aunt 13 is almost captured.What Hung didn't realize is that a new leader is emerging, his abilities at raising an army in Hong Kong and elsewhere successful, Sun Yat Sen, a doctor he met at the convention where foreign scientists/doctors were killed. The language school massacre(where Chinese students learn other languages outside their own), changes Wong's perspective on the White Lotus Sect. Stuck with school students who hid from the Lotus attackers, Hung attempts to find refuge for them in Canton's City Hall to no avail. The British Consulate may be the children's only hope. In the consulate this is where Hung is introduced Christianity. Sun's expertise are in demand, knowing western medicine, when a flood of British injured need mending thanks to the Lotus attackers, Hung will be called upon to use his Chinese methods to help the wounded and hurt as well. Without enough anesthetics, Hung's acupuncture could be an affective tool to help those worse for wear. Luke, Sun's assistant also speaks English, is a definite asset due to Hung's inabilities to establish communication with the westerners.If martial arts fans can just remain attentive your patience will be rewarded. The bamboo stick fight between Hung and City Hall Commander Lan is just a taste of what is to come. There's the White Lotus exchange with Hung, Foon, Aunt 13, and Mr. Luke in the British Consulate.The speed of Jet Li is awe-inspiring, not to mention his body's athletic movements are "poetry in motion". Such as the Showdown at White Lotus Temple as Hung fights an army of soldiers(who are equipped with swords)with an umbrella! Check out how Tsui Hark uses tables stacked on top of each other to form a temporary altar for Priest Kung using wire fu and clever camera work.Balancing acts on plankboards. Dust kicked up off the wood floors. Faces socked in the kisser by deafening blows. Spinning torsos narrowly escaping the end of sharp blades. Long cloth used as a means to escape a nasty fall from high up. Hung's desire to show the followers of White Lotus that Priest Kung's religion was false, not carrying a message of peace but of violence, willing to go the extra mile to prove that they are beholden to a lie.Lan is after Luke and Sun, considering them international criminals. There's a name book hidden in the wall of a market and it is important that Luke retrieve it before meeting Sun on the pier out of Canton.If their previous battle wet your appetite, Lan and Hung's combat in the warehouse of the market should be a feast. Bamboo has never been used so effectively(or destroyed in such a fashion)as it is here. And Lan's "cloth stick" is a humdinger. Wait until you see what a bamboo splinter to the throat can do! It's all about a revolution for the Chinese people with Sun the proposed hero and Hung is the one who aligns himself with this rising leader to help in the process. Lan is the one who will do whatever it takes to see Sun fail. Li is a dynamo as the legendary cult figure Wong Fei Hung, his abilities on display for us to enjoy. What a privilege to watch such a talent in all his glory, a phenom Li is. Tsui Hark proves here he can make an epic when he's inspired. Definitely a Pro-Chinese message, though, very evident throughout.With Rosamund Kwan as Li's love interest, Aunt 13, Donnie Yen as Lan, Siu Chung Mok as the comedy relief Foon, David Chiang as the courageous Luke, and Tielin Zhang as Sun Yat-Sen.

lastliberal This is a sequel to "Once Upon a Time in China," otherwise it probably would be called "Once Upon a Time in China II." This film opens with an under-the-credits reminder of the first film's most fascinating sequence, a ladders-and-lofts battle between the hero and the bad guy that is truly astonishing. You will also see some kick-ass action in this film. We are talking about the Chinese Steve Spielberg when we talk about Hark Tsui.Forget the story. Of course Master Wong becomes mixed up with corrupt politicians, desperate revolutionaries and uptight Brits. There's even a cult of religious fanatics stirring up trouble. But, you drive yourself crazy trying to figure all that out. Just sit back and enjoy some incredible action.

njwrstlr Jet Li does an excellent job on his Kung Fu he is an extraordinary and gifted martial artist . As a fan of his I'm trying to download the movie as I have purchased the Once Upon a Time in China 1 and Oncce Upon a Time in China 3 . I just cant live without having the complete set of all three movies. The movie has several great fight scenes and develops around a few angles or parts of the story. One of them is the love affair he has with his cousin Lilly and the other is Heung Fei Hungs' fight against a religious cult that has a leader who claims to be indestructible . The Leader is in fact a fraud who tricks his followers into believing he is bullet proof by using a metal type armor under his robes; out hero finds this out and stops the charlatan cold in his tracks. I personally enjoyed this movie immensely. A fan in America

Huang_Gai I will NEVER understand while so many people hold this movie in disdain.Once Upon a Time in China II is the sequal (yup, who would have guessed) to Tsui Hark and Jet Li's classic Once Upon a Time in China. Wong Fei Hung is travelling to Canton to give a speech about the technique of acupuncture to foreign doctors. Unfortunately, an anti-Western cult is in the throws of rebellion, destroying and burning anything foreign. Wong Fei Hung makes an uneasy alliance with a military commander (played by the AMAZING Donnie Yen) as well as revolutionary Sun Yatsen, who is at odds with the commander.Jet Li shows his brilliance once again as Wong Fei Hung, using many moves that will make you wide-eyed in surprise. His acting itself is nothing short of brilliant. Unfortunately, the character Wong Fei Hung is rather one-dimensional, not really changing his demeanor or attitudes throughout either this movie or the first one.Max Mok replaces Yuen Biao as Foon, which in my opinion is a travesty, as Yuen Biao is just as good, if not better, than Jet Li. Max Mok, though, plays his role very well.Donnie Yen, whom I'm a huge fanboy of, is best as a villain, which he is in this movie. Donnie Yen's first scene in the movie is a stunning one, with him training in a field of bamboo poles and lanterns, where he displays an eye-popping visual of literally turning a piece of cloth into a staff-whip of deadly power.Rosamund Kwan, who's name I probably misspelled, reprises her role as Cousin Yee (english version), or Aunt 13 (chinese version). Her character is of course attracted to Wong Fei Hung ("cousins by marriage, not by blood," according to her in the last movie) and manages to add some romance to the movie.Xin Xin Xiong makes an impressive debut to the series, playing Kung, the possibly insane leader of the White Lotus clan. He is supposedly impervious to sword, axe, and firearm. (Xiong goes on to play the Capoeria-using Clubfoot in the rest of the series)I do not have any real qualms about the movie, as everything is told with well-organized scenes and is not boring for a minute.I also do not understand what people have against this movie, saying that it is "blatant propaganda for the Chinese." I say to them:Think about it, the Chinese were taken advantage of an forced to change, as well as forced to give up most of their land and natural resources, they were heavily taxed and given little autonomy. It sounds like a certain country if you ask me. A country that won independence from Great Britain in the 1700s. Add to the fact that even now, that certain country holds an "effortless superiority" complex towards every other nation because they've been told about how great they are and how inefficient, corrupt, or "evil" other countries are.Original vs Dubbed version: The Original Cantonese version has some great acting, especially for a Chinese flick. The Dubbed version uses the same actors from the first movie, which aren't terribly bad, and for the most part, the lip-synching is not that bad.I think I'd give the movie a 7/10, as so far, the only other martial arts movie I've seen better is Iron Monkey (which is far from perfect as well).