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can't tell you how many Hong Kong period martial arts
movies I've seen, and I can't tell you how many of those involves strangers
joining a group of good rebels to fight the evil Imperial [insert imperial title
here] in a country town. It's all been done before, so much so that I think
films that fit in this category should all go under a sub-genre of its own: The
Chinese Rebels Vs. Imperial Tyrant Movie. Woo-ping Yuen's Tai
Chi Master looks as if it's going to be a movie about Shaolin, but turns out
to be yet another Chinese Rebels Vs. Imperial Tyrant Movie --
although that in and of itself isn't a bad thing.
Tai Chi Master stars period martial arts favorite
Jet Li as Junbao, a Shaolin monk who, along with his childhood best friend Chin
Bo (Siu-hou Chin), are run out of Shaolin after a tournament between Chin Bo and
another fellow student goes bad. The duo finds themselves in a town controlled
by a cruel eunuch Governor who, in the vein of all Evil Tyrants of filmdom, is
taxing his subjects way too much. The duo meets Siu Lin (Michelle Yeoh), who has
come to town to look for her runaway husband, before joining up with Miss Li
(Fannie Yuen), the leader of a group of rebels fighting the Governor's tyranny.
It isn't long before Chin Bo's ambitions come to light and he betrays the
rebels, nearly helping the Governor to wipe out the group and Junbao. The stage
is set for vengeance -- that is, if Junbao can snap out of a mental breakdown to
learn Tai Chi and get his revenge!
If there is one thing to look forward to with Tai Chi
Master it is the abundance of fights. Director Woo-ping, a notable movie
choreographer (who has since gone to do the fights on the Matrix
movies), seems keenly aware of his strengths and weaknesses. What passes for
story in Tai Chi Master is not really worth going into, since it's easily
gleaned from the synopsis. There really
is no other subplot to consider. (Re: this is not a deep movie.)
The real
reason to watch Tai Chi Master is its kinetic and chaotic martial arts
fights, as rebels, Jet Li, and others take on dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of
Imperial soldiers anywhere and everywhere. In fact, the movie is practically
wall-to-wall fighting, each one exquisitely choreographed and lasting over 5,
sometimes 10, minutes. A movie like Tai Chi Master does not pretend to be
more than it is and I appreciated its honesty.
Jet Li is very good as Junbao, the ex-monk who has to learn
how to adjust to life on the outside. Li plays a goofy and likeable character
that doesn't quite "get" the inner workings of the outside world. Of
course, he quickly warms up to his new environment with the help of Miss Li, Siu
Lin, and buddy Chin Bo. Once Chin Bo goes bad, Junbao goes through something of
a mental breakdown before discovering Tai Chi. I also have to admit that Tai
Chi Master is a funny movie, and it's funny in a way that doesn't make me
grimace. When I laugh more than I grimace at a Hong Kong movie's supposedly
"comedic" moments, I consider that a very good sign. I've always had a
lot of problems with what Hong Kong filmmakers consider funny, and thank God Tai
Chi Master was actually funny instead of just being awkward.
The rest of Tai Chi Master's cast does all right,
although Michelle Yeoh is grossly underdeveloped, as her character goes from
abandoned wife to rebel leader without batting an eyelash. I would assume such a
drastic transition would involve more than just a couple of bowls of wine, but I
guess not. Siu-hou Chin (Chin Bo) is appropriately cunning when he's a member of
the good guys and equally menacing when he converts to the main bad guy of the
piece.
On the other hand, Fannie Yuen's Miss Li was introduced as an important
character, but quickly drops off the map and ceases to become a factor. This is
unfortunate, since the movie establishes early on that Li and Chin Bo had a
mutual attraction, and I wonder if keeping her around, as a sort of moral
"compass" for the wayward Chin Bo might not have been a better idea
and given both characters more resonance and credibility. As it stands, Chin
Bo's shift from Shaolin monk to vicious bad guy is not all that believable.
Tai Chi Master is a standard Hong Kong period
martial arts movies. It has all the ingredients and all the simple plot points
of dozens, maybe hundreds, that have come before it, but the one thing that
makes it stand out is its wall-to-wall martial arts clashes and its very funny
humor.
In a word, Tai Chi Master is everything you want in
a Jet Li period movie, and absolutely nothing else.
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