Reviews (6)

Great !
This is a classic Stephen Chow movie and one of the funniest. No doubt he is the king of comedy. He is great in the role of the hapless but cool guy (just watch the castration scene...). He is really skillful and has a vast range of expressions (well, I think you can compare him to Jim Carrey... in some ways but not in total). Though the movie has lots of sexual spoof, I think is not insulting; I read that Cantonese comicality is difficult to understand to foreign... well, I don't find it so different from the Italian one!

Some unavoidable presences in the movie: Ng Man Tat (Hoi Tai Fu) that is (I think) in 90% of SC's movies (and this is good, they are GREAT together) - Chingmy Yau (Princess Kim Ning) - Sandra Ng Kwan Yue (Sister Bond) - Man Cheung (Empress Dowanger/Lone-er).

And remember: always watch a SC's movie in the ORIGINAL language or you'll miss the best...

A parody that is a lot better than most Hong Kong films
Visually stunning parody of Hong Kong swordplay epics. Stephen Chow is a smart aleck, fast-thinking lowlife named Wilson Bond (really) who gets caught up in an incredibly tangled court intrigue. Bond starts out working for Chan (Damian Lau), Master of the Heaven & Earth Society and then he ends up on the side of Chan's target, Prince Ning (Siu-Lun Wan). Basically, in the great tradition of "Yojimbo" and "A Fistful of Dollars," Bond swears loyalty to whoever is threatening him at the moment and ends up playing everyone against everyone else while trying to figure out how to save his neck. This parody is more fun than a lot of the "serious" movies it is taking on. The DVD is letterboxed, which is great, but the English subtitles to the Mandarian language washes out from time to time. Then again, the dialogue in this 1991 film directed by Wong Jing is not exactly the strong set of "Royal Tramp." The fun continues in "Royal Tramp II" so be sure you watch both parts or you will be missing half the fun.

Stephen Chow's Best - don't forget the sequel, or the book!
This was one of the first DVDs I bought for my collection after getting a DVD player. The plot is engaging and extermely well-written, and the brilliant physical comic performances of Stephen Chow and Ng Man Tat work wonderfully even for someone like myself who needs the subtitles to follow the story.

Be aware, though, that "Royal Tramp" and "Royal Tramp 2" are a single story split into two parts, rather than just a movie and its sequel. Be sure to get both.

Also, this movie is based in the only story by Louis Cha that is currently available in translation. The title of the book is usually translated as "The Duke of Deer Mountain", but the English translation (in 3 volumes) is called "The Deer and the Cauldron", Volumes 1 (ASIN 0195903234) and 2 (ASIN 0195903250) have just recently been reprinted, and Volume 3 (ASIN 0195903277) is due out in September 2001.

Great fun!
An extremely funny rendition of the Duke of Mount Deer story. Stephen Chow is just hilarious! I got this DVD because it's classic.

Royal fun
This movie was loose based upon the 80'HK tv series starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. This is probably Chow Sing Chi best movie. I've seen some of his film's including the sequel. But this one is better. Royal Tramp is about Wai Siew Po, a nobody who tell stories in a whorehouse where his sister works. He becomes a member of the royal staff and is appointed to Hoi Kong Kong, while he still remains a rebel against the Chings. The story is redecules, but that's what we aspect from a Chow Sing Chi movie. The action is marvelous, with lots of wire works. The kung fu is absolutely fantastic. My favorite is the Fa Kwat Yu Mien Teung. Which means as much as "bone-melting-palm". ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Fantasy Kung-Fu Parody
This disc is not the best in the world, but it was interesting. Obviously transferred from a video source, the disc is extras-free and not brimming over with quality processing. The overall appearance is rather muddy, and the subtitles are both duplicated in English and Chinese, and very hard to read most of the time. No chapter access, either.

On the other hand, the DVD is Widescreen, so I give credit for that. Also, this is a very different style of kung-fu film. I refer to it as a parody because that's what it reminded me of more than anything else; a parody of fantasy martial arts films. Characters not only fly and leap like superheroes, they can also blast opponents with energy bolts, lightning, magical swords, and fantasy kung-fu strikes.

The story is a bit hard to follow. Basically, bad guys looking for a magic sword cause the death of Jet Li's parents, and attack their child with with a slow-killing strike. The result is that Jet Li cannot learn kung-fu -- if he tries, he'll die! Eventually, he is cured and becomes the Master of all kung-fu by learning the secret of the "Solar Stance" technique from a powerful kung-fu teacher. Then, Jet can take revenge on the people who killed his parents.

Along the way, he meets up with a kung-fu mistress who helps him learn even better kung-fu, another evil kung-fu mistress who wants the handsome young Jet Li for herself, an a bad kung-fu mistress who now controls the magic sword. He also runs into a confusing array of kung-fu masters, enemies, and armies. I admit that I got a bit lost trying to follow who was fighting who, and why. The ending was also left kind of up in the air, as if the film was meant to be the first chapter in a series.

Still, the fights are spectacular. Not quite up to the "Once Upon a Time in China" standards, but spectacular nevertheless. In one scene, Jet is attacked with harp strings by the evil mistress, and in another, an army is devestated by an underground assault!

Overall, the film is a lot of fun, mostly because it takes itself seriously (albeit with tongue firmly planted in cheek). Despite the shoddy processing, the disc is definitely worth the low price for Jet Li fans, or for "Crouching Tiger" fans with a sense of humor.

Bad hair day
Some people didn't like this movie for various reasons; too much wire work, confusing plot, etc. Personally, I didn't like the wigs some of the guys were wearing and I understood the plot only in broad general terrms, but I still have to give this movie 5 stars, even if it sometimes did feel more like The Lord of the Rings instead of Hong Kong Cinema. As for too much wire work or not, the fights were still great and you didn't have to wait long to see one. And as for the wire work itself...without it, we'd be back to the seventies Shaw Brothers Kung Fu theatre formulas, and while some of that stuff was pretty good, it was still one dimensional and got to be fairly monotonous after a while. Hell, even the Cantonese got tired of it. And without innovation, stagnation sets in. As for the characters...admittedly, Jet Li did look like a Chinese Luke Skywalker in his all white costume in the last fight scene, but as always his moves were a fine combination of fluidity and force, like a combination of Mikhail Barishnakov and Bruce Lee. It's always a pleasure to watch him, even if the movie you're watching him in isn't that good. Chigmy Lau (sp?) as always looked good (although her hair style made it look like she had jug handles on her head), and Tsui Kam-Kong looked unusual only because he had his clothes on (He often shows up in the softcore porn of HKC, like the Sex and Zen series and Erotic Ghost Story). And of course, last but never least, I liked Sammo's sometimes grouchy, sometimes affable, always lethal Chang Sang-Feng (FYI, in case you don't know, the same character Jet Li played in Tai Chi Master, and the Taoist monk who supposedly created T'ai Chi). His on the spot T'ai Chi/Wu Dang lesson to Jet Li at the end was both entertaining and probably the best description of T'ai chi I've ever heard in a movie; "without form, beginning or end, forget all your forms", or words to that effect. When the script allows him, Sammo can really make himself stand out on the screen. So, all in all, Kung Fu Cult Master is definately worth seeing, bizzare hairstyles or not.

Buy Kung Fu Colt Master
while i havent seen this movie, its the same as Kung Fu Colt Master. to my understanding, this version has been all chopped up and the quality is low. so speaking for the orginal, its great, it kinda reminded me of HERO, not as good of course but still like it. just without the millions invested in HERO.
if u like Hero, Storm Riders, & Iron Monkey, buy it. i'd consider this to be the first fantasy fu flick!
remember, get the ORGINAL, and that goes for ASIAN FLICKS. one word for you. EBAY !

Lord of The Wu Tang
Basically the story is about 2 swords, 1 contains (inside the sword) the instructions for the most powerful kung fu, the other contains instructions how to lead an army and become China's emperor.

But on one knows this secret. Everyone thinks these are magical swords and would give their owners invicibility.

So the fight begins for the 2 swords...

This is story a bit confusing, purely because the original story is over 3000 (3 thousand pages) long.

What makes it even more confusing is this story is a sequel to another 3000 pages Kung Fu story.

So to try and compress 6000 pages to a couple of hours on DVD would confuse any viewer unless you already know the story !

Anyway, this is the best Kung Fu story ever. It was first published on a HK news paper in the 1960s.

Most Asian males should know this story !

WRONG FREAKING MOVIE!
well I wait for many months while Lord of the Wu-Tang on DVD is on back order and put it in my DVD player and what the f**K is this, its the original blob starring steve mcqueen. I don't think I need to say more... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan gives his self-mocking humor full flourish in CityHunter, adapted from a Japanese comic book. But that doesn't meanthere isn't a solid dose of action--after a brilliantly cartoonishopening, the movie settles into a half-comedy, half-thriller variation onDie Hard, in which Eurotrash terrorists have hijacked a plush oceancruise liner and super-detective Ryu Saeba (Chan) has to stop them, aidedby his lovely, love-lorn assistant (Joey Wong, A Chinese GhostStory, Green Snake) and a beautiful undercover secret agent(Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer). Though City Hunter is short onbreathtaking stunts, there's plenty of well-choreographed hand-to-handcombat. Jackie Chan's lecherous, self-absorbed character (accompanied by aparade of girls into skimpy or skin-tight outfits) come across like agleeful parody of James Bond (slightly marred by a bit of homophobia). Allin all, a high energy romp. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Description

Martial arts master Jet Li stars in this high-kicking historical revenge spectacular as a kung fu student trained at a Shaolin monastery. Li joins rebel forces in an attempt to overthrow the ruling oppressors and is betrayed by a fellow student. ... Read more

Reviews (63)

One of the most enjoyable martial arts films of recent years
As a relatively new martial arts film addict, I have to say that I loved this movie. American martial arts films pale in comparison to Hong Kong originals such as this, and Legend of the Red Dragon proved to be a great little detour from the road of hand to hand kung fu action I have been following for some time now. The main weapons of choice here are spears and darts, and the many fight scenes are simply incredible. The laws of physics get swept right out of the window, but that's okay be me; only one or two moves here struck me as patently ridiculous, but even these were exciting and thrilling. The dubbing was indeed rather bad, but I came to this movie for action, and that is what I got.

Jet Li stars as the warrior Hung Hei-Kwun, a loyalist to the Ming dynasty; as the movie opens, we see him return to his village to find everyone there slaughtered by the Manchus - everyone except his infant son Man Ting (Miu Tse). Vowing revenge, Kwun lets his toddler (and fate) decide whether the boy lives to join his father's fight or joins his mother in death; the boy chooses wisely. A betrayal of grand proportions soon finds Kwun surrounded by enemy fighters; many a martial arts hero has wiped out a troop of baddies all by himself, but Kwun does it with his infant son strapped to his back all the while. When we next meet up with Kwun and his son seven years later, young Ting is the baddest little dude in town - a kung fu fighting machine, an incredibly disciplined young warrior, and a serious lad who probably has more self-control and wisdom than even his father. Now penniless, Kwun agrees to serve as bodyguard to a wealthy merchant, and it is in his service that he gets to know Red Bean (Chingmy Yau), half of a mother-daughter con artist team currently plotting to rob Kwun's employer. As all of this is going on, a master at the threatened Shaolin school is busy tattooing a map to the Shaolin treasure on the backs of five of his pupils in an effort to keep the treasure safe (although the fact the boys always seem to be together sort of defeats the purpose). An old enemy of Kwun's, one whom he thought he had killed, wants that treasure, and he especially wants to kill Kwun. This dude looks like he stuck his head in a pot of boiling water for about half an hour, but he is strong and invincible thanks to a witch's spell. He also drives a metal super-car, something you just don't see everyday in films about the China of the distant past. The Batmobile thing pushes the envelope way too far, but the movie is good enough to make up for the filmmaker's indiscretion.

Anyway, Kwun and Ting must fight to defeat the evil man from Kwun's past, protect the tattooed boys and in doing so save the Shaolin treasure, and deal with his feelings toward the lovely Red Bean. For the most part, he just fights. All of the action sequences in the film blew me away (but of course I'm not hard to impress when it comes to this type of action); you've got claws and darts being flung pell-mell out of nowhere, sword fights galore, and a little bit of kung fu thrown into the mix. Li and his fellow performers are lightning quick in their movements, the main female characters are a force to reckon with, and young Ting is just a joy to watch. Not only can he lick five boys his own age without breaking a sweat, he is basically an equal partner with his father, fighting right alongside him when the moment arises. Their weapons are a little on the souped-up side, but, boy oh boy, it makes for some spectacular fight scenes.

The biggest mystery to me when it comes to Hong Kong films such as this is the comedy aspect. As this movie progresses, an initially grim, sober tale is injected with increasing doses of comedy (only a small part of which can be attributed to the less than perfect dubbing). Some of it is funny, but the movie suffers a little bit in the process. Still, though, the amazing fight scenes alone make this a film that any martial arts fan should enjoy, and I might add in closing that the cinematography is also quite good, boasting one particularly beautiful scene midway through the film.

This is the dubbed version of New Legend of Shaolin
An overall decent film with good action sequences. It's just unfortunate that this isn't the original version.

Jet Li and that kid are awesome!
Jet Li playing the role of a father took a little getting used to. But once I saw the kid in action, all of my premonitions vanished. In real life he is a student of Wushu, and boy can he move.

The story was somewhat interesting, but Meng (the half robot guy) irritated me. Watching him spin and whirl around was just too much.

Jet Li is the man, but this movie is AWFULL!!
Well, lets see where does the madness begin!? Well first I have to say that I bought this movie way back when Fist of Legend first came out in 1994.(Which was a great film.) But this one was garbage. I am a HUGE Jet Li fan, he is one of the most talented martial artists to date, but the movie was awfull. First I do not like all the flying around stuff so that turned me off. The fights were very unrealistic, and the Villian had a metal car!?? Man..What is that about!!? It was More like a fantasy cartoon, that I could'nt wait to end. The movie was Very disapointing! I think it is as bad as "Kung Fu Cult Master". no, Actually that movie was better. This one was pretty bad.

And whats this I read from a review about karate in the movie???...Come on man...Jet Li does KUNG FU...and There was no karate in China back when the movie was set! I guess ignorance is bliss!

Kunfu action Theater
Yo FourHawk is the man!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not A Gordon Liu Movie
His name is on the top, and his face is there on the left and down again at the bottom, and he is in two scenes of the movie, but this is not a Gordon Liu movie. It is an Aaron Kwok movie.

The action is rediculous, sped up, and not very coordinated. The humor is poor, and mostly unfunny. The two male roles are played by very similar looking actors. One of them is introduced as being semi-powerful, but later on he doesn't use any of his power. There are subtitles over a Chinese audio track, but you can't turn them off. There are also two song number in it (I hate musicals).

This is one of very few DVDs that I wish that I hadn't bought. I own about 40 kung fu DVDs and this is in my bottom three. It is terrible, from the beginning to the end.

Wonderfully absurd
An excellent selection for a night of Chinese takeout and nonsensical kung fu. Every review on this page is absolutely correct; the film is poorly shot, the dialogue poorly translated (if at all), the action clumsy, the acting mediocre. It's so dizzyingly fragmented, it's wonderful. We could not for the life of us stop laughing. Just when we thought it couldn't get more bizarre than it had, the last scenes (I think it was supposed to be a conclusion of some sort) surpass all others in leaving the viewer completely bewildered and highly amused.

Boring, hard to follow
This movie is boring and uninteresting. There are moments of "comedy" mixed into the vague story. I couldn't make heads or tails with the story and the characters. The fights are clumsily choreographed. I don't even know what the liquid sword is. I do not recommend this film.

Legend of the Liquid Sword
It is a funny kung fu movie, that includes sing and dancing. I couldn't stop laughing throughout the movie.

Gordon Liu Only a Cameo.
Gordon Liu is in no more than 10 minutes of this film. He has just one very brief action scene and it's too quickly edited to follow. While he is always thoroughly entertaining, his talents are greatly wasted in this film. The rest of this movie is just OK, like most of director Wong Jing's movies it is one part exquisitely surreal fantasy, one part unfunny comedy. I could watch it, but not without some fast-forwarding. For director Wong Jing's best work, check out Lord of the Wutang aka Kung Fu Cult Master. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Very entertaining movie - Cult Classic
First off, BUY THE IMPORT VERSION, not the recently re-released domestic with english dub.

The way I see it, a movie is more enjoyable when you see it in it's original language.

This is a different kind of movie with just about every cheap trick to attract viewers. But it all somehow works! However, it still does not contain the uncut scenes that some of us have been waiting for. While the movie may seem longer in the domestic version than the import version (due to NTSC running slower than PAL), it is still the same movie.

This flick is definitely one you want to put on only when the kids are already asleep. . .

Beeping?
This is not a bad film, but the Cantonese audio track is messed up. I mean like what's going on? It contains annoying annoying annoying beeping when the actors talk about something I guess is too R-rated or whatever, but the subtitles reveal it. Plus it's in Cantonese so like we and the kids don't understand it anyway!!!!! But what gives with the beeping? This is just pathetic. I'm referring to the exchange between the nerdy cop and the police chief or whatever at the crime scene towards the beginning. I've never heard anyone mention this. Is this just me?

Don't bother with this lame flick!!!
Would give it -100 stars if I could.
I got this DVD as a present and all I can say is that it is not even worth re-gifting it!!! The story was mediocre, the acting was horrible, and the direction was haphazard. In all truth, I had put it on my wishlist 'cause most of the reviews were extremely positive. Now, I understand how not everyone is going to like everything. However, that idea does not excuse such a bad film.
There were a few things that could be considered o.k.: the costumes (wayy drag queen so, the ladies ended up looking a little too much like Barbie or Jem); the fighting (outrageous but pretty cool); the sets (totally cartoon-like).
If I had the power to turn back time, I would have liked to rent this DVD before buying it. Now I have no other option than to sell it 'cause I will never watch it again!!!

DONT BOTHER
Bad Acting, Bad PLot, The worst editing, The girls are never naked and the kungfu is pretty lame as well. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one.

dont bother
Not exactly what I expected from the previews for the movie. they did a better job of editing the trailers for this movie than they did for the movie itself. the plot is lame, the acting is worse and the kungfu is some of the worst done in years. do yourself a favor and pass on this one, ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

When a military officer (Jet Li of Romeo Is Bleeding and Fist of Legend) miscalculates and causes the explosive death of dozens of children on a school bus--something you'll never see in an American movie!--he leaves his position to become a bodyguard for an egomaniacal movie star named Frankie (Jacky Cheung from Bullet in the Head and A Chinese Ghost Story 2, doing a satirical parody of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee). The star claims to do all his own stunts, but in fact Li has become his stunt double. An investigative reporter (Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer) catches them switching places and decides to do an exposé. From this point on, Meltdown (also known as High Risk) turns into a Hong Kong version of Die Hard, with terrorists taking over a skyscraper in order to steal valuable jewels, as well as a couple of young lovers, a villainous kung fu master who wants to challenge Frankie, and a hip-hop soundtrack. Meltdown is a delirious romp, crammed with as much low comedy and high-powered action as three Hollywood flicks. Despite (or partly because of) some clumsy special effects, logical absurdities, and cheesy plot developments, the movie is hugely entertaining, and Jet Li is in fine charismatic form. However, be warned: though the movie's tone is light, there's some extremely graphic violence. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I should have known better .....
Thank to have bought this DVD .... The only redeeming quality of this DVD is that the women n it are faboulous although we dont get to see much of them ... I mean you see more flesh on some of the late night networks ...

Appart from the dismal subtitles that will make you roll on the floor ... ie ... they continously translate good bye with a 'Buy Bye' so you can imagine what they did to the language where there were complete sentences with more than one word .... the thing that got me were the men in this movie ... the lawyer rapist is a very displeasing characted even for a bad guy .. and the head of the triad ... is a complete idiot .....

I would say the triad in Hong Kong would probably be very very upset to be portayed by this simpering idiot .... As a final note I have no idea whatsoever where they got the title from ... considering the quality of this DVD they should change the title from 'Raped by an Angel' to just plain 'Screwed' ....

An Excellent Movie But With Problems
I rented this DVD, and I'm glad I did. While the film itself is worth four stars just from a tight script and good acting, the problems arise with the post production for an English speaking audience.
The first problem is that fifty percent of the subtitles are nearly transparent, almost impossible to read. The second problem is that full sentences are thrown up with a flash, some literally there for one second. A third problem there is that some of the subtitles run right off the screen, so you can't tell what the completed statement is.
Even worse than these problems, though, is the terrible misspellings and gramatical errors that infest this film. At one point one of the main characters and her boyfriend are running from a mob and steal a motorcycle to escape. As they begin to accelerate one of the crowd yells out "Don't go get them!" when it should have been "Don't go!...Get them!". It's little gems like this that make you stop, rewind, and decipher.
The film itself was great, but the work it made me do subtracted two stars. Do yourself a favor and rent it first.

shocking, but moral, educating, sexy
This is one of the more nasty ones of the "Raped-by-an-Angel"-series, which draws from many traditions of Slasher-film, comedy, rape-and-revenge-films, crime-stories, but with a typical "hongkie"-like-aversion to Western morality and the mark of an alternative Eastern feminism. Think about films like Scream, David Lynch (less this one, but definitely parts II and III!) or any serious (!) slasher-movies. The brutality comes in, however people will like it, for a certain reason: a girl is home alone and does sth. wrong... this is the educating message, just as in scream. But here, it's more complicated and entertaining!

Women can be sexy and still clever and feminist in the East, it seems. However, parts II and III are less brutal (only Cat IIb!), but even more sexy, I think, and more "Lynchian" (noirish pictures). Go for these ones if you are a complete softie! Besides, the director of parts II and III is a master of erotic obsessions (Aman Chang!).

Shocking and sexy, in a twisted way
Calling this a sequel to Naked Killer is a bit of a stretch - some of the actors are the same, but the feel is very different. Over the top? Oh, yes, no question, with the Asian facination with rape very obvious here. Worth a look? Well, there's a high kink factor here which cannot be ignored, but it will only appeal to certain tastes, and that's all you'll get from this flick. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Rise of the Empress Dowager
Previously, I've only thought of Tzu Hsi as the old imperial Empress Dowager who ruled China for a half century. "The Lover of the Last Empress" is not a Chinese action movie. It's a drama chronicling the rise of Tzu Hsi from imperial concubine to Empress.

There's a lot of sexual content. But the story is of a concubine whose role was to be a sexual object of the emperor.

Tsu Hsi was probably one of the most ruthless women in history. She was the mother of the new child emperor, when Emperor Hseih Feng died of illness at an early age. But Emperor Hseih Feng's edict left the regency to eight trusted advisers and empowerment of his widow Queen. Also the late Emperor Hseih Feng's brother Prince Kung had the military power in the capital. The concubine Tzu Hsi overcame them all to rise to Empress.

The movie only deals with the rise of Tzu Hsi. As a historical note, Tzu Hsi is said to have murdered her own son in order to retain power as regent by naming a child successsor.

There is a lot of bad translation in the movie. I had to rewind some of the dialog. But it is a good movie about the subject.

A good companion to this movie is a two part Chinese saga dealing with the same subject, "The Burning of Imperial Palace" and "Reign Behind the Curtain." The latter two movies were made in the early 80's.

Sexy...with a story!(*gasp*)
I thought this was a pretty good flick that had a beautiful leading actress, an actual story that go in hand with the very sexy scenes...

However, some of the violence may put off some...

Doesn't quite deliver
This historical period drama focuses on the young concubine played by Chingamy Yau who manipulates the Emperor through her sexuality and eventually takes power. The film is a Hong Kong Category III classification which suggests that it will contain far more nudity and sexually explicit scenes than it does. There are a number of supposedly erotic scenes but they fail to titillate with the possible exception of the pseudo-lesbian scene. Paradoxically the sex scenes are as tasteful as they are gratuitous. There are a couple of action scenes but not near enough to satisfy fans of the genre. The concept of the female concubine being the strong, intelliegent character while the male Emperor is shown as weak is unlikely to win any support from feminists as she only achieves power through exploiting her sexuality. There are a few surprises in the movie and it is reasonably well filmed. Anyone looking erotica will probably be disappointed as there are better films available. Those who are looking for the type action Hong Kong action typified by John Woo films would be advised to opt for a film by the aforementioned director. For fans of Chingamy Yau this film is an absolute must have. For everyone else there are worse films that you could watch, but alas, there are also a good many better. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Very entertaining movie - Cult Classic
First off, BUY THE IMPORT VERSION, not the recently re-released domestic with english dub.

The way I see it, a movie is more enjoyable when you see it in it's original language.

This is a different kind of movie with just about every cheap trick to attract viewers. But it all somehow works! However, it still does not contain the uncut scenes that some of us have been waiting for. While the movie may seem longer in the domestic version than the import version (due to NTSC running slower than PAL), it is still the same movie.

This flick is definitely one you want to put on only when the kids are already asleep. . .

Beeping?
This is not a bad film, but the Cantonese audio track is messed up. I mean like what's going on? It contains annoying annoying annoying beeping when the actors talk about something I guess is too R-rated or whatever, but the subtitles reveal it. Plus it's in Cantonese so like we and the kids don't understand it anyway!!!!! But what gives with the beeping? This is just pathetic. I'm referring to the exchange between the nerdy cop and the police chief or whatever at the crime scene towards the beginning. I've never heard anyone mention this. Is this just me?

Don't bother with this lame flick!!!
Would give it -100 stars if I could.
I got this DVD as a present and all I can say is that it is not even worth re-gifting it!!! The story was mediocre, the acting was horrible, and the direction was haphazard. In all truth, I had put it on my wishlist 'cause most of the reviews were extremely positive. Now, I understand how not everyone is going to like everything. However, that idea does not excuse such a bad film.
There were a few things that could be considered o.k.: the costumes (wayy drag queen so, the ladies ended up looking a little too much like Barbie or Jem); the fighting (outrageous but pretty cool); the sets (totally cartoon-like).
If I had the power to turn back time, I would have liked to rent this DVD before buying it. Now I have no other option than to sell it 'cause I will never watch it again!!!

DONT BOTHER
Bad Acting, Bad PLot, The worst editing, The girls are never naked and the kungfu is pretty lame as well. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one.

dont bother
Not exactly what I expected from the previews for the movie. they did a better job of editing the trailers for this movie than they did for the movie itself. the plot is lame, the acting is worse and the kungfu is some of the worst done in years. do yourself a favor and pass on this one, ... Read more

Reviews (63)

One of the most enjoyable martial arts films of recent years
As a relatively new martial arts film addict, I have to say that I loved this movie. American martial arts films pale in comparison to Hong Kong originals such as this, and Legend of the Red Dragon proved to be a great little detour from the road of hand to hand kung fu action I have been following for some time now. The main weapons of choice here are spears and darts, and the many fight scenes are simply incredible. The laws of physics get swept right out of the window, but that's okay be me; only one or two moves here struck me as patently ridiculous, but even these were exciting and thrilling. The dubbing was indeed rather bad, but I came to this movie for action, and that is what I got.

Jet Li stars as the warrior Hung Hei-Kwun, a loyalist to the Ming dynasty; as the movie opens, we see him return to his village to find everyone there slaughtered by the Manchus - everyone except his infant son Man Ting (Miu Tse). Vowing revenge, Kwun lets his toddler (and fate) decide whether the boy lives to join his father's fight or joins his mother in death; the boy chooses wisely. A betrayal of grand proportions soon finds Kwun surrounded by enemy fighters; many a martial arts hero has wiped out a troop of baddies all by himself, but Kwun does it with his infant son strapped to his back all the while. When we next meet up with Kwun and his son seven years later, young Ting is the baddest little dude in town - a kung fu fighting machine, an incredibly disciplined young warrior, and a serious lad who probably has more self-control and wisdom than even his father. Now penniless, Kwun agrees to serve as bodyguard to a wealthy merchant, and it is in his service that he gets to know Red Bean (Chingmy Yau), half of a mother-daughter con artist team currently plotting to rob Kwun's employer. As all of this is going on, a master at the threatened Shaolin school is busy tattooing a map to the Shaolin treasure on the backs of five of his pupils in an effort to keep the treasure safe (although the fact the boys always seem to be together sort of defeats the purpose). An old enemy of Kwun's, one whom he thought he had killed, wants that treasure, and he especially wants to kill Kwun. This dude looks like he stuck his head in a pot of boiling water for about half an hour, but he is strong and invincible thanks to a witch's spell. He also drives a metal super-car, something you just don't see everyday in films about the China of the distant past. The Batmobile thing pushes the envelope way too far, but the movie is good enough to make up for the filmmaker's indiscretion.

Anyway, Kwun and Ting must fight to defeat the evil man from Kwun's past, protect the tattooed boys and in doing so save the Shaolin treasure, and deal with his feelings toward the lovely Red Bean. For the most part, he just fights. All of the action sequences in the film blew me away (but of course I'm not hard to impress when it comes to this type of action); you've got claws and darts being flung pell-mell out of nowhere, sword fights galore, and a little bit of kung fu thrown into the mix. Li and his fellow performers are lightning quick in their movements, the main female characters are a force to reckon with, and young Ting is just a joy to watch. Not only can he lick five boys his own age without breaking a sweat, he is basically an equal partner with his father, fighting right alongside him when the moment arises. Their weapons are a little on the souped-up side, but, boy oh boy, it makes for some spectacular fight scenes.

The biggest mystery to me when it comes to Hong Kong films such as this is the comedy aspect. As this movie progresses, an initially grim, sober tale is injected with increasing doses of comedy (only a small part of which can be attributed to the less than perfect dubbing). Some of it is funny, but the movie suffers a little bit in the process. Still, though, the amazing fight scenes alone make this a film that any martial arts fan should enjoy, and I might add in closing that the cinematography is also quite good, boasting one particularly beautiful scene midway through the film.

This is the dubbed version of New Legend of Shaolin
An overall decent film with good action sequences. It's just unfortunate that this isn't the original version.

Jet Li and that kid are awesome!
Jet Li playing the role of a father took a little getting used to. But once I saw the kid in action, all of my premonitions vanished. In real life he is a student of Wushu, and boy can he move.

The story was somewhat interesting, but Meng (the half robot guy) irritated me. Watching him spin and whirl around was just too much.

Jet Li is the man, but this movie is AWFULL!!
Well, lets see where does the madness begin!? Well first I have to say that I bought this movie way back when Fist of Legend first came out in 1994.(Which was a great film.) But this one was garbage. I am a HUGE Jet Li fan, he is one of the most talented martial artists to date, but the movie was awfull. First I do not like all the flying around stuff so that turned me off. The fights were very unrealistic, and the Villian had a metal car!?? Man..What is that about!!? It was More like a fantasy cartoon, that I could'nt wait to end. The movie was Very disapointing! I think it is as bad as "Kung Fu Cult Master". no, Actually that movie was better. This one was pretty bad.

And whats this I read from a review about karate in the movie???...Come on man...Jet Li does KUNG FU...and There was no karate in China back when the movie was set! I guess ignorance is bliss!

Kunfu action Theater
Yo FourHawk is the man!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not as good as the original
I think this movie is way worse than the original. But it is not Chow's fault. The only reason I give it a three is because Chow is in it, and he is as good as ever. Really, his bad movies are usually not his fault. It was always either the translation, the directing, or the plot that make some of his movies bad. I don't think he wanted to do a sequel, and that is why it took him many years to finally do it. The problem lies in the director, who thought he could make more money by making a sequel. He did exactly that, but he also messed up a perfect story. The jokes were stupid and the story itself was also stupid, unlike the original masterpiece.

Such a disappointment!
Although I'll be assassinated for writing this (as others gave it such a good review), this was truly a poor film. Chow Yun-Fat deserved a better vehicle to bring back the legendary figure of Ko San. Wong Jing again shows his aptitude filling films with his usual crass comedy. It's sad to think that 'The Boss Of Dross' made such films as Last Hero In China and of course the original. Basically, if Wong Jing had released his holiday snaps under this title it still would have cleaned up at the box-office.

A TAILOR-MADE ROLE FOR CHOW
I've always been a hard-rock fan of the God Of Gamblers series. The original movie shot the coolest actor to fame all around the world spurned lots of other copycats. Stephen Chow was the Saint of Gamblers on his own, then in GoG 2, he met Knight Of Gamblers Andy Lau (Knife Chan) and became the God's disciple. In GoG Return, there was one extrememly memorable line...when the God said to Long Wu, "Knife and Sing are famous now, I'm so happy to know that." Well, I was even happier when I heard that because though this movie does not show the 2 disciples, at least they are mentioned by their master to keep the sentimental charm of the 1st 2 movies intact!=) This movie reveals the more "cheeky" side of the respectable God (remember the scene where he cut off the whirling cloth the stupid officer was holding?). I especially LOVED the part where he acted as Andy Lau, his own disciple! When Ng Sin Lin asked him to sit on the bed and face his back towards her, man....he was so charming with his forehead resting on his hand from the back view!! The whole plot of this movie is a clever one, where the God set his revenge plan exactly for 1 year, due to the last promise of his wife. At the final confrontation, he once again beats his opponent effortlessly (his acting IN THE SHOW itself indeed earns him the title as the reigning God Of Gamblers e.g pretending to sweat in fear...have that losing look on his face...etc), and shows everyone how he did it. A clever plot that starts off with a good bang and ends with a cunning joyful twist that leaves Chow leaving the gambling arena triumphant. A MUST for ALL fans of GoG.

By the way, I've created a mini-poster on the whole GoG series, where I've put images from all my GoG collection together. Awesome! If U want this poster, contact me.

A Chinese Landmark of Cool
This Saga is to Chinese people what Stars Wars was to Sci-fi nerds. Chow Yun Fat is so cool in this movie and I personally believe that everybody will simply adore Mr. Chow for his graceful charms and his rasor sharp guile. Ask any Chinese kid and they will tell you"this movie is a must" also If you have time and you like Kung fu ,movies... YOU MUST see Drunken Punch 2 with Jackie Chan . This is the best Kung Fu Movie EVER!!!!

A great movie that could have been better.
If you want to watch a movie and see how to be "cool" under intense situations...then you must watch this movie and take lots of notes. You will see Chow Yun-Fat reprise his role as "The God Of Gamblers" and you will wonder how can one actor be soooooooooo cool (especially the scene when he encounters the person that killed his wife). Ng Sin Lin is so pretty even though she plays a common looking female in it. Chingmy Yau is fine as always...especially with all the plastic surgery she's had. Whatever you do...avoid the other God Of Gamblers movies (the one without Chow Yun-Fat)...those movies suck. But what makes the movie is Chow Yun-Fat. One quote says it all, "Chow Yun-Fat is the coolest actor in the world." ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Jackie Chan at his best
i've seen many anime in my childhood. city hunter is very popular in japan and i managed to watch a few episodes in korea. i always wandered what would it be like if an anime show was converted to a movie starring real people. to my luck, city hunter starred the legendary dragon (Jackie Chan). he's not japanese and a little old but that doesn't matter. this movie is full of anime style physical and verbal humor. i can't remember a moment i wasn't laughing. and also the action sequences are awesome. jackie chan is awesome on skateboard (wheels on meals). fight scenes are cool too using his trademark agility and stunning techniques (but no jumping off walls in this movie). jackie chan used a stunt double about 3 times but only for simple things (i don't know why). i can't describe how well the action and comedy are, you just have to see the moive, it's really that good. if you like anime and you like jackie chan, then this movie is perfect for you.

Too absurd even by the Chan standard
Even a bad Jackie Chan movie turns out to be better than most of the action/comedies available, but City Hunter is an exception.

The action is hard to follow, and the humor too childish. By example, while fighting at the game room, he turns into characthers of the "Street fighter" video game, turning even into Chun Li (with make up, dress and everything) and making some of the moves as in the videogame.

It is uncomfortable to enjoy the movie when it turns so stupid. There is a good scene in which Chan, fighting inside a movie theatre, imitates the movements of Bruce Lee on the screen. But thhat scene alone is not worth the experience of "City Hunter"

this is a must see for the anime fans
This is a completely different kind of jackie chan movie. I did not see the anime of city hunter but from what i saw in the movie i bet they tried hard to keep to the series with the kind of antics the people in the movie do. I am writing this review without finishing watching the movie, but so far the movie is excellent. The voice is not Jackie Chan's though. Its some one else just like what they did with Gorgeous.

ONE THING I MUST WARN YOU ALL THOUGH IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE COVER SAYS WIDESCREEN THE MOVIE IS FULL SCREEN.

I bought this movie in best buy for 9.99 and was hoping for the widescreen like it says on the box. this is not a two sided dvd where one side is wide and the other normal. The DVD itself does not say if it is widescreen or full screen. it just say the movie name on it.

I hope this is a screw up on the part of 20th Century Fox where some dum guy mixed a full screen DVD in the widescreen box, but if it isn't then they SUCK real bad. STOP FALSE ADVERTISING to make movie off of Jackie Chan's name. But i didn't find a full screen dvd for sale even online. This is the only reason i give the DVD a 3 out of 5.

Worst. Jackie. Ever.
I have probably seen a dozen Jackie Chan movies and loved them all, City Hunter was the first movie of his to dissapoint me. The stunts are almost nonexistant and pretty lame when they do appear. The fight scenes are also dissapointing.

The worst part of the movie would have to be the rap video sequence. It was the most god awful thing that I have seen in my life.

The best part of the movie was when Jackie and his opponents are fighting in a video arcade and they all get transformed into different street fighter 2 characters. That part is actually really cool and if you are an old school fan of street fighter I would recommend renting this DVD just to see that. Other than that this is a movie to pass on.

STICK WITH HK IMPORTS "ALWAYS"
Why American production make HK movies look so cheap? First of all, they cut off so much scene, second of all ruin it by making look act so dumb by English Dubb. ALWAYS stick with ORIGINAL LICENSED HK RELEASE. Be careful with cheap imports, boots, and bulls though. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another comic interpretation movie
During a time when comic interpret movie was common in the 1996/97 era, this was one of the by-product. I think this is a pretty bad movie in general and it just really wasn't executed well. The plot is based on the comic Red Light District comic with Playman Man (played by Michael Tao) vs. But Bit Wah (played by Simon Yam). There were two hot female lead, Chimney Yao and Shi Chi but the story was poor and the entire story is rather incomplete. This one is defn not worth the money for but if you enjoy comic intrepretation movie, you might enjoy this one. ... Read more