Rise of the Legend (2014)

Plot summary (story synopsis): China, the closing decades of the 19th century. Wong Fei Hung (Eddie Peng) infiltrates the Black Tiger gang, which is led by the villainous Lei Gong (Sammo Hung). Wong Fei Hung's  plan is to destroy the gang from within, by stealing their silver and killing not just Lei Gong, but his lieutenants  - his three adopted sons - as well.

He earns his place as Lei Gong's fourth adopted son by killing the leader of the rival Northern Sea gang. From this privileged insider position, he learns the location of the keys to Lei Gong's silver vault.

With the help of childhood friend Fiery (Jing Boran), love-interest Chun (Wang Luodan) and courtesan Orchid (Angelababy), he schemes to steal the silver, as well as free 300 slave laborers that Lei Gong has kidnapped and kept hidden.

***

Rise of the Legend is an entertaining kung fu movie, combining the visuals of Wong Kar Wai's the Grandmaster, with above-average fight choreography (not quite up to the standard of Donnie Yen's Ip Man, but close). All wrapped up in an engaging Robin Hood tale.

Comparisons will be made with Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China, which also tells the story of the legendary Wong Fei Hung, but that's not what I'm going to do. I'll be honest and admit that I don't remember much about Once Upon a Time in China except that it had some goofball humor and that Wong Fei Hung's plucky mother stole the show. (I'm also not a big Jet Li fan - his smugness gets on my nerves.)

Eddie Peng? He does fine, despite not having Jet Li's martial arts background. He fights convincingly and plays off well against Sammo Hung. There's also some chemistry between him and the elegant Wang Luodan.

The visuals are gorgeous. From the authentic-looking wooden buildings and interiors, to the beautiful lighting by cinematographer Ng Man Ching, Rise of the Legend looks good. Especially outstanding is the high-contrast lighting in the one-man-against-hundreds fight in the first act of the movie, when Wong Fei Hung has to fight his way through a Northern Sea horde after killing their leader.

The plot from scriptwriter To Chi Long is surprisingly complex for a kung fu movie, and manages to hold your interest throughout the movie. So this isn't your standard kung fu movie, with a thin story serving mainly as an excuse to serve up some fight scenes.

The fight choreography is a mixed bag, but mainly good. You do see some Hung Gar moves at the start (the Southern kung fu style used by the real life Wong Fei Hung) - which is not something you often see in kung fu movies. Look out for the claw hand (instead of clenched fist) - used for grabbing wrists, open-palm strikes and take-downs. Stances are wide (compared to say, Wing Chun, which shares some moves with Hung Gar), trading off mobility for stability.

There's also the famous double punch, probably Hung Gar's signature move - one high, one low, delivered to the side (the far arm arches over the fighter's head and he bends over sideways, making this look like an ornamental move, but it's a legitimate combat technique).

Unfortunately, most of this is seen at the start of the movie. Hung Gar techniques are slowly bled from the fight choreography until the final showdown between Wong Fei Hong and Lei Gong, regresses to the bland punch/block/kick of your standard kung fu movie. No combination moves, blocks from the outside of a punch, off-axis attacks, arm locks, wrist grabs.

So, points for having some real Hung Gar, but not top marks because this is not consistently applied. (Donnie Yen's first Ip Man movie was more purely Wing Chun but faltered a bit too. It's still the best kung fu movie in years, however the second movie stinks.)

The movie's title implies that the filmmakers intend to make a sequel. I hope they do.