Once Upon a Time in China – Wong Fei Hung (1991)

Directed by: Hark Tsui | 129 minutes | action, drama, adventure, history | Actors: Jet Li, Biao Yuen, Rosamund Kwan, Jacky Cheung, Steve Tartalia, Kent Cheng, Jonathan Isgar, Yee Kwan Yan, Mark King, Shun Lau, Kien Shih, Chi Yeung Wong, Ma Wu, Kam-Fai Yuen, Shun- Yee Yuen, Yuen Kam Fais

Jet Li portrays the doctor and kung fu master Wong struggling with the inevitable modernization of his country. Dressed in a long braid and dressed in traditional clothing, he understands that his venerable kung fu will eventually lose out to the modern weaponry of the Westerners. It is the beginning of the inevitable end of the world as he knows it. But as an old-fashioned warrior who cherishes the traditions and old values, he does his best to hold back the decline for as long as possible. In the end, however, he has no choice but to capitulate to Western culture.

The English title refers to Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968) and ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984) by Sergio Leone, but the story is too thin to stand a comparison with those films. Still, there are plenty of interesting topics.

Chinese workers are being recruited en masse to work in America. Blinded by the fortunes made by wealthy Chinese subcontractors in gold-paved America, the population pours in. Once aboard the ships heading for the rich west, they turn out to be nothing more than slaves who are brutally exploited to the point of death. Large-scale trafficking in women is also a crime from which a lot of money is made by unscrupulous money wolves.

The function of language is discussed in an effective way. Some Chinese speak English and some Americans and British speak Chinese. If you can understand what your opponents are saying without them knowing you understand them, you obviously have a big head start. If, on the other hand, you cannot understand each other, the language barrier is only an obstacle to mutual understanding.

The content of the film may not be that strong, but the images are simply beautiful and the choreography of the fights inimitable, such as in the scene where Wong fights his great opponent Yim (Yee Kwan Yan). They balance on a series of loose ladders that they maneuver through the free space, resulting in a wonderful ballet.

‘Once Upon a Time in China’ has tense and sad moments, but also leaves a lot of room for jokes, such as a bird being roasted in its cage by the magnesium that is used too lavishly as a flash for a photo. And as for the masterfully executed battles, Jet Li is the master. That’s the way it is and nothing else.