"True Legend" Yuen Woo-Ping Returns

Synopsis: Su Can, a talented military officer, has retired from service. Enjoying a quiet life with his wife Ying and son Feng, Su wholeheartedly pursues his dream of reaching the highest levels of wushu skill.

But Su's happiness is matched by his step-brother Lie's desire for vengeance. After Lie is promoted to Su's old post, he plots to destroy Su's family. Su and Ying are left for dead, and little Feng is taken to Lie's estate.

With the help of Ying and a kind doctor, Su slowly recovers from his crippling injuries, but he is driven to the edge of sanity by his grief. Every day, Su travels into the wilderness to battle with the invisible "God of Wushu," struggling for the strength to rescue his son and reunite his family.

True Legend marks acclaimed fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping's return to directing, after an absence of nearly fifteen years. His outstanding contributions to films such as Drunken Master 2, Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Fearless have made him a celebrity among fans of Hong Kong action cinema.

By any standard other than Yuen's own, the fighting sequences in True Legend are superb. Even when the story is a fantasy, actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li have shown that the physical skills on display can be real; but whatever kung fu talent is possessed by True Legend stars Vincent Zhao, Andy On, and Jay Chou, is obscured somewhat by the "modern" (read: gratuitous) use of slow-motion and camera angle changes.

True Legend feels like two movies in one. Its thirty-minute epilogue, in which Su learns drunken boxing and battles a gang of Caucasian strongmen, is entertaining but discordant. A cameo by the late David Carradine only adds to the confusion. Fortunately, both of these two movies are action-packed. True Legend isn't the best movie of the year so far, but it is the best kung fu movie.

Chris Marshall is a freelance writer. His articles can be found on Martial Development, and in other publications.

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