Watch Once Upon a Time in China II For Free

Too much of everything

Nice effects though.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The exposition or inciting incident felt to me like the beginning of FROM Russia WITH LOVE. I was filled with excitement to once again be entering the world of Wong Fei-Hung in this return to his adventures. I was more than ready to pick up where last we left our hero. But this time there are protests in the streets as Wong Fei-Hung travels to a seminar on medicine with Aunt 13 and the White Lotus Sect prepares under the mantle of religious ceremony to expel all Western influence from the provinces of China.There is even more substance with regard to thematic content as children become involved in this explosive mix of cultural upheaval and political intrigue. At the seminar on medicine, there is a scene where the merits of Western and Eastern medicine are clearly demonstrated in a lecture given on the central nervous system. This scene alone is worth the price of admission as it continues to develop the theme of East-West confluence in a meaningful way.This thematic thread once again runs throughout the narrative with touches of light humor and more serious overtones that inevitably lead to the baroque martial artistry of action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Donnie Yen makes his appearance in this film as military officer Nap-Lan Yun-Seut, and the combat scenes between him and Li represent the height of visual interest as they both brilliantly display their martial arts prowess. The supporting characters are even more fully realized than before and we are securely in the second part of a sequel that promises in its own way to rival and perhaps surpass the renown of Sergio Leone's The Man With No Name Trilogy.There are scenes with children here that give the story more poignancy. This is paralleled and inter-woven with ceremonies where gods are entreated and appealed to strenuously for supernatural support. When Wong Fei-Hung enters the Temple of the White Lotus Cult in order to finally confront its leader High Priest Kau-Kung as played by Hung Yan-yan, we actually get a taste of meditation about the nature of divine power mixed in with martial acrobatics. There is even a passing indirect reference to Myamoto Musashi's quote about how we must not rely on the gods. Even the saga of Christ is viewed from the Eastern perspective of the hero and this adds to the richness of the narrative in a brief, incidental way.When Wong Fei-Hung finally draws the curtain back on Kau-Kung's religious antics and trickery, there is wailing and grieving galore among the followers of the White Lotus Cult. Even Wong Fei-Hung finds his friends causing death and one in particular finding for his toils martyrdom. The stakes are even higher this time for those who seek the light of knowledge as they are pitted against those who wish to enshroud themselves in the warm embrace of mysticism and blind faith. How will our hero prevail in an atmosphere where there are no easy answers and the force of pain and death makes its own argument?

Jet Li returns as legendary Chinese patriot Wong Fei-hung. Here Wong finds himself reluctantly forced to switch sides and to hinder pro- Chinese terrorists bent on massacring Europeans, since the result might be revolution for China! Driving the white from China's shores will have to wait...Like the first in the series, this is an ambitious, historically accurate and very good looking production. Some viewers have complained about the film's complicated plot, finding it distracting and hard to follow. A passing knowledge of Chinese history and politics does help, but really, there is enough exposition as the story plays out to keep the attentive viewer apprised of the various intrigues. Indeed, the complicated plotting is a welcome change from martial arts movies with just enough plot to barely hold themselves together between punch-ups, and it is nice for once to have a REASON for all of the fighting. The movie sprawls all over historic China's rural areas, cityscapes and dockyards, and the period look is quite convincing, thanks to some excellent exterior cinematography.The script is lively, mixing adventure and intrigue with a little comedy and romance, and is well played by principals Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan as Wong Fei-Hung and his Aunt / girlfriend.

When we last saw Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li), he emerged as a hero to his people in fighting against the invading foreign forces that were wreaking havoc in his hometown. By part 1's conclusion, he has also come to realize that his country is going through inevitable changes and that acceptance to western cultures is the best possible answer to the dilemmas. Like Wong's change in view, part II shifts from its predecessor's themes of nationalism and self-strengthening to an exploration of cultural and ideological tolerance. With all that said, Once upon a time in China II is one of those rare sequels that manages to cast a shadow over its original and brings the franchise to a new height. Li once again delivers a towering performance reprising his role as Wong. Although there's very little development to the character since the last time we met him, we are immediately won over the second he raises his first kick to the sound of the beautifully familiar score. Accompanied by Aunt 13 (Rosamund Kwan) and his mischievous student Leung Foon (Max Mok replacing Yuen Biu of the original), the trio travels to Canton only to find a town ravaged by chaos and violence. Instead of foreigners being the chief baddie this time, the White Lotus Sect and its zealous leader priest Kung (played wonderfully by Xiong Xin Xin) takes over as the story's primary antagonists. First introduced by a breathtaking prologue, they are portrayed as a fanatical cult bent on eradicating all foreigners and those that follow foreign ways, even going as far as murdering little children. One of the film's most refreshing features, however, was the inclusion of a complex villain in the form of Donnie Yen's Charismatic Manchu military commander/imperial guard General Lan. Despite being pitted against our heroes, he is a man that is hard for the audience to despise when he's telling his men not to hurt civilians or having a brief heart to heart with Wong on their country's chaotic state. Once upon a Time in China II is without a doubt the pinnacle of the series and quite possibly the career peak of everyone involved especially for one Tsui Hark. After this, it is the slow decline for the former new wave auteur who would attempt to dip his hands into mainstream Hollywood (only to stink up his CV with Double Team and Knock Off) before taking a stab at the recent trend of big budget wuxia epic only to come up with the woeful Seven Swords. If any of you were unfortunate enough to have seen those movies I've just mentioned, I can guarantee that Once upon a Time in China 2 is the perfect antidote for you.

Of the three original films by Tsui Hark concerning Wong Fei Hung, this is certainly the best. The construction is tighter than Once Upon a Time in China I, and, although the third film is my personal favorite, this second film does not lapse into martial-arts-film-genre cliché as does the third.Of course that means that, in order to transcend its genre, paradoxically the fights of the second film have to be razor sharp - and they are. The fight scenes in this film were the best up until its time. The final duel between Jet Li and Donnie Yen is staggering, all the more so for being crafted as to appear utterly realistic. Dam', that wet rope flying at the camera scared the bejeezus out of me! But since the film presents kung fu so convincingly, for that very reason we can take it in stride, as just another element in the film's complex interweaving of traditional culture and modern politics. The film is really about the birth of a new nation, which has yet to be invented - the Republic of China, represented by its highly respected progenitor, Dr. Sun Yet Sen, the only revolutionary figure admired equally by Nationalists and Communists alike. And it should be noted here that Sun Yet Sen strongly believed that the only way the Chinese could rid themselves of Manchurian dictatorship was by adopting the Modernist culture of the West that the Manchurian's utterly loathed and feared.That, too, is paradoxical. To regain a traditional (pre-Manchurian) Chinese identity meant for Sun Yet sen adoption of a post-Manchurian Modernity - which, unfortunately, as all now know, looks an awful lot like the US. Which is perhaps why the originally intended climax of this series of films was to be Once Upon a Time in China and America (a plan disrupted by personal disagreements between Jet Li and Tsui Hark).Well, in any event - does the viewer have to know all this to enjoy the film? No; the film is constructed to work on its own as a glance back at an historic moment of decision which could only be completed in another decade. Thus its sense of incompleteness and hanging threads is actually part of the very fabric of the story.By the way - hopefully you will watch this film a second time - please note how much Tsui Hark accomplishes on what must have been a comparatively small budget! I mean, he's only got a couple back lot sound-stages, but he manages to reconstruct an entire world of 19th century China for us - that's really quite amazing!