Following the success of the kinetic martial arts flick THE LEGEND OF FONG SAI-YUK, Jet Li re-teamed with director Corey Yuen to offer a second helping of fun which pretty much recreates all of the successful scenes of the first flick. There's the outlandish comedy, poor US dubbing, thumb-twiddling romantic interludes, and, it goes without saying, tons of martial arts goodness. People fight in the air again just as in the first film, Jet Li walks down the street blindfolded and battles off numerous black-clad assassins, and there are all kind of good scenery-destroying antics. One fun aspect of the film is the appearance of the director in an acting role, he was clearly looking for a violent death and ends up getting it.
Speaking of violence, THE LEGEND OF FONG SAI-YUK 2 certainly isn't for kids, upping the gore level considerably. I'm not talking on the level of BRAINDEAD here, but there are tons of breaking bones, blood spurts, and other nasty goodies that will no doubt delight action fans who enjoy these kind of special effects for what they are. Yuen has assembled many returning cast members, especially memorable is Josephine Siao as Jet's mum, who has even more slapstick here than in the first film! (is that possible?) Sadly, Jet's tubby assistant only gets a one-scene cameo, but it's nice that they thought of him anyway.
Li himself is excellent in the martial arts sequences, though he seems to struggle with the heavier drama; still, this matters not, when there's so much ass-kicking going on around him. I especially loved the big bald villain of the piece, whose head seems about to explode all the time, and the climatic showdown between him and Li is excellent, making great use of the wire work. Imaginative touches – such as the 'nerve blocking' – round off what is altogether a very pleasurable film.
Speaking of violence, THE LEGEND OF FONG SAI-YUK 2 certainly isn't for kids, upping the gore level considerably. I'm not talking on the level of BRAINDEAD here, but there are tons of breaking bones, blood spurts, and other nasty goodies that will no doubt delight action fans who enjoy these kind of special effects for what they are. Yuen has assembled many returning cast members, especially memorable is Josephine Siao as Jet's mum, who has even more slapstick here than in the first film! (is that possible?) Sadly, Jet's tubby assistant only gets a one-scene cameo, but it's nice that they thought of him anyway.
Li himself is excellent in the martial arts sequences, though he seems to struggle with the heavier drama; still, this matters not, when there's so much ass-kicking going on around him. I especially loved the big bald villain of the piece, whose head seems about to explode all the time, and the climatic showdown between him and Li is excellent, making great use of the wire work. Imaginative touches – such as the 'nerve blocking' – round off what is altogether a very pleasurable film.