America's Kung-Fu Is No Good!

Hong Kong superstar Jet Li is the villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (as if you didn't know it already). Hopefully this otherwise un-needed sequel will spur some interest in Jet's older HK films ala' Jackie Chan. Li, whose popularity rivals that of Chan in Asia, is quite simply one of the most graceful, poised, and charismatic leading men in the history of cinema . Unfortunately while Chan's films are more universal in their plots, Li's best films are those which are so foreign that they may frighten U.S. audiences with their baffling creativity, originality, and "anything goes" sensibility. The New Legend of Shaolin is one of these.

Directed by filmic madman (even by HK standards) Wong Jing, NLOS is a quintessential Hong Kong martial arts extravaganza. Jet is a stoic and peaceful Shaolin master who, despite his passive nature, is constantly forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat. His entire clan wiped out by a tyrannical baddie, Jet manages to save his infant son and vanquish his foe (aforementioned baby strapped to his back all the while). A man with no family and no land, Jet travels the countryside for years, training his son (the phenomenal Tse Miu, a ten year old kid who could kick the crap out of Mike Tyson) in the ways of Shaolin. In a typically twisting plot that swings wildly from comedy to action to tragedy and back again, Li must join forces with a mother/daughter scam artist team to defeat the resurrected bad guy (you see, he was almost dead but he took a healing potion that turned him into a scarred, poison-spewing demon/man with ten times the strength of a mortal . . . This is the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say HK films are "foreign"). Several jaw-droppingly spectacular fight sequences later, you turn off the VCR, heart pounding like you just got off of a rollercoaster, and say "Holy cow. That was the most insane, exhilarating cinematic experience I've ever had. Please give me more."

I'm not kidding. If you think that Steven Seagal is a martial artist, you owe it to yourself to seek the truth: Jet Li is superhuman. And New Legend of Shaolin is a great movie. Even the Hong Kong Film Awards (the Academy Awards of the east) nominated it for "Best Action Choreography" for two years in a row (Man, I'm living in the wrong country . . . can you imagine an Oscar for best Action Choreography?)! Words cannot do justice to the sheer scope of the story or to the carefully choreographed and executed fight sequences. This film is a living comic book, a realization of your wildest imaginings made real. If you consider yourself an action film fan, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that New Legend of Shaolin will radically alter your definition of the word "action." And for those of you out there that immediately think of Shaw Brothers/Five Deadly Venoms when you hear the words "kung-fu," prepare to re-shape your perceptions. If you haven't seen a HK martial arts flick made after 1980, you don't know kung-fu like you think you know kung-fu.

Jet gives his usual stern and moral character performance. Tse Miu is living proof that big explosions come in small packages. Chingmy Yau (the director's girlfriend and popular cinema idol) is typically spunky and brassy as "Red Bean," the conniving criminal who falls for the virtuous Jet. And Red Bean's mother is a great example of how in HK films women are often powerful fighters and the elderly grow spiritually and mentally stronger as they age.

This is a great movie, folks. Suspend your disbelief for just an hour and a half. Embrace the no-shadow kick, the poison magic demons, and the lady who can fling needles faster and more accurately than any M-16 rifle. Heck, if you believe that Bruce Willis can single-handedly take out a high-rise full of terrorists, then a flying kung-fu master ain't that ridiculous. Got your curiosity piqued? Good. If you're unfortunate enough to live in a place without a decent video store or a Chinatown (and that's most of you), you can buy your very own copy of New Legend of Shaolin direct from the distributor, Tai Seng Video through their excellent website. It's $39.99 for the VHS tape or $89.95 for the laser disc. Both are widescreen and subtitled.