I consider this one of Jet Li's finest period action flicks to date. I know that a lot of Asian cinema aficionados would probably disagree with my assessment and say that his best role was Wong Fei Hong in the Once Upon A Time in China . Just hold on to your horses and hear me out. I'm sure all of you are familiar with Jackie Chan and his brand of Kung Fu humor. Jet Li pulls this off with ease in this flick. He is of course helped tremendously by the presence of veteran actress Siu Fong Fong, who gets to flex her comedic chops. Their chemistry sparklers on the silver screen as mother and son as they get into all sorts of scrapes. Who can forget the hair on fire scene where she gets Sai Yuk to twirl her hair with red hot tongs, or when she poses as Sai Yuk's elder brother Tai Yuk to win back the honor of the Fong family name? This very fight causes Ting Ting's mum Siu Wan to fall in love with Tai Yuk, believing that he really is the elder brother of Sai Yuk!
The first half of the movie is a fun light hearted romp with Sai Yuk and his mum clowning around, and Sai Yuk winning the heart of the girl Ting Ting, played by Michelle Reis. There are so many amazing fight sequences, like the wooden pyramid fight, organized by Tiger Liu for the Ting Ting's hand in marriage, or the fight on the bamboo poles suspended over an estuary? The fight choreography is amazing. As the rules of battle states that the winner is the one that touches the ground, both fighter's use the heads and shoulders of the crowd of onlookers to stay afloat.
The second half of the movie takes a darker turn when Sai Yuk discovers that his father is a rebel working for Chan Kar Lok. They then become fugitives of the law, being pursued by Chiu Mun Cheok's character. They also implicate Ting Ting's family as they try to hide in plain sight. The dinner scene with the in laws and the imperials has to be one of the funniest scenes with the Fong's pulling faces, hiding behind food and ducking under tables to avoid being seen. Dad is ultimately captured and put on the execution block as he refuses to disclose the names of the rebels. In the final showdown, Sai Yuk battles against Chiu and time to save his father. Dad is ultimately saved and Sai Yuk is taken in by Chan as he follows in his father's footsteps.
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