The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

1993 ""
The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk
The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

7.1 | 1h46m | en | Adventure

The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant.

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7.1 | 1h46m | en | Adventure , Action , Comedy | More Info
Released: March. 04,1993 | Released Producted By: Orange Sky Golden Harvest , Eastern Productions Country: Hong Kong Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant.

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Cast

Jet Li , Josephine Siao Fong-Fong , Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo

Director

Man Hung Lau

Producted By

Orange Sky Golden Harvest , Eastern Productions

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Reviews

Jared Mitchener Believe it or not, this was the movie that introduced me to Jet Li. I was immediately hooked. I've read reviews that discredit the dub into English, but I found it easy to overlook this -- in fact, I found it to be somewhat hilarious. This film has all the makings of a great movie. There are no sub-plots that do not get resolved. The servant who always bawls whenever Jet Li's character get's set to go away for a minute or two is downright hilarious. That's one of the unique things about this movie: with so much drama they managed to make a hilarious movie, as well. As usual, the kung fu is extraordinary. In particular, there are a few scenes in which the opponents face off and the camera takes a moment to pause and let the viewer see the poses from a brilliant perspective. This will always be one of my favorite Chinese films.
bob the moo The Fong family live under the rule of a land-grabbing Governor who is keen to be liked by the people – despite being challenged by an underground movement for Chinese freedom called the Red Lotus Flower Society. When the Governor offers the hand of his daughter to the man who can defeat his wife in combat, Sai-Yuk Fong enters, only losing the fight on purpose when he spots who he thinks is the daughter. His mother enters (dressed as a man and passing herself as Sai-Yuk's brother) in order to win and, in doing so, accidentally wins the heart of the Governor's wife. With the Fong's already in trouble for this imaginary brother turning down the daughter's hand, things get worse when the Emperor comes to town to expose and destroy the members of the Red Lotus – a group that Father Fong is a key member of.As the plot summary suggests, this is a very busy little film with a plot that is very simple but at the same time filled with lots of little things going on. In a way this is a problem because many of these things are by the by and only serve to fill a movie who's basic plot is 'Fong fights with bad Emperor', but here it doesn't matter so much because this patchwork of little events fit well into this basic frame of a story and make the film enjoyable. Each little bit works well to create a film that is actually fun to watch. The script throws up plenty of well written lines – not jokes, but actions and dialogue that is witty and fun to listen to. I was caught up in the light tone it had for the most part and really enjoyed it; only in the final quarter does the tone turn harder and it is done a bit too suddenly for the film's own good – damaging the sense of fun it had garnered up until then. Aside from this, the overall plot is nothing more than a frame and I can understand why some viewers would be bothered by both the lack of firm foundations as well as the comic tone.For me though, the comic tone was a big reason I loved it – just like I felt it made Once Upon a Time in China 3 so much fun to watch. With physical action, the humour could have been lazy slapstick but it wasn't; instead it is witty dialogue woven into the story through funny characters. The physical work is good too – just not for comedy though. The fights are impressive and make good use of the actors' skills as well as effective wirework. Much is made of the fights in trees of Crouching Tiger, or the lake fight of Hero but, while these look beautiful, it is a lot more fun to see the fight here that occurs on top of a crowd of people! There is no one fight that stands out as a really great one (indeed the climatic fight is probably the least of the film) but generally they are all of a high standard and are great fun to watch. Li is a great martial artist and he makes it all seem so natural and easy; he also shows that he is a leading man of great charisma and presence – something that the swaggering 'gangbanger' movies he has made in the US have not allowed him to show. He is likable, serious, fun and charming and this film shows why (along with the physical skills) he has become such a star. Siao is just as good and is very funny, even with her 'romance' is just filler. Chu is solid as Father Fong, the Governor is an enjoyable clown even if the Emperor lacks real menace. Performances were hard to judge for me as I saw the dubbed version, but the dubbing is not that bad and, while not great actors, the voice talent (as the credits call them) all do well to capture the tone and style of their characters – certainly the dubbing fits with the jocular tone of the majority of the film. Overall this is a really fun film. Admittedly not a really great film but certainly one that I will enjoy watching several times again. The script is funny and witty for the most part and the serious turn doesn't do too much to detract from this. The fights are good and the plot is busy and lively, even if some of it is just filler and the actual narrative flow is not all it really could have been. With Jet Li back in people's minds recently, now is as good a time as any to revisit this film and enjoy it for what it is – a well written and fun film that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Proud_Canadian Joel Silver has said the Jet Li doesn't need special effects because Jet Li is a special effect. Fong Sai Yuk is one of his better films. It's typical of Hong Kong films by having some romance, drama, comedy, and action. Basically it's an Indian movie without the singing and martial arts substituted for dancing. The fight scenes are well choreographed with a moderate amount of wirework. If possible get a Hong Kong version that has subtitles rather than dubbing. The American version "The Legend" is about four minutes shorter than the original and there's a subtle joke that's missed in the American version: Sai Yuk is questioned by the authorities for fighting and afterwards tells his friends that he gave an alias. He starts out by saying the alias he gave was Wong, at this point he does a stance and the Wong Fei Hung music starts to play suggesting that he used the name Wong Fei Hung (another character he's played in films) when he completes the name Wong Jing. Now Wong Jing is a famous Hong Kong director who has directed Jet Li in a number of films. He is also called the "Madman of Hong Kong" for the outrageousness/strangeness of some of his movies. It's a little inside joke if you know Hong Kong martial arts films. Another scene they cut from the American version is Sai Yuk praying in the morning to protest to his future father-in-law his captivity. The American DVD has a better transfer than most Hong Kong DVDs and the translation is pretty good but if you want the whole film then go to Chinatown and get an original.
InzyWimzy Wow. After seeing this, Jet Li is truly awesome. But he's not the only one who shines here.Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) is a young man who yearns to compete and backs it up with amazing kung fu. Jet is more carefree in this one and doesn't hesitate to fight. Josephine Siao plays his mother and she's such a character!! Any scene with her and Jet are just too funny! Michelle Reis plays the beautiful Ting Ting and has very good chemistry with Jet in the film (lucky guy!). Her dad Tiger Lu (Sung Young Chen) is quite a kooky character too and his mood swings provide for humor as well.Now on to the action. The 'marriage' contest is AMAZING as Jet and Sibelle Hu are literally fighting over the crowd stepping from head to head, shoulder to shoulder. Jet really shows his prowess throughout the film fighting with fists, feet, swords, arrows and more! Credit deservedly goes to Corey Yuen who displays some of the most creative battles I've ever seen.With a really cool soundtrack, great cast, humor and great kung fu, Fong Sai Yuk is really fun to watch.