Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
In late 19th-century Canton, legendary hero Wong Fei-Hung battles foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee returns from America totally westernised, Wong assumes the role of protector. This proves difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local governments. As violence escalates, even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?
Once Upon a Time in China is a landmark wuxia film that reinvigorated the Hong Kong martial arts genre with its thematic ambition — blending nationalism, colonial anxiety, and cultural identity into a crowd-pleasing action vehicle. Tsui Hark's direction is kinetically inventive and the wire-fu choreography by Yuen Woo-ping is genuinely exceptional, setting a new visual template for the genre. Jet Li's physicality and charisma anchor the film, though the supporting performances are uneven. The plot weaves political commentary with melodrama effectively, if not always elegantly. Its novelty is its strongest suit — the film's fusion of historical epic, ideological debate, and acrobatic action was singular for its time and enormously influential. The ending, while dramatically satisfying, follows genre conventions without particular surprise.