Rating: 
Summary: Jet Li vs. The English Patient
Review: Last night, after kung fu class, I watched Legend of the Red Dragon. Chop socky is just the way to end a night of hard training! The movie very loosely tells the tale of the Shaolin massacre, when almost all of the monks were murdered in an all-out attack. The survivors consist of a hidden kung fu master and five child monks with map portions tattooed on their backs and the legacy of Shaolin in their minds. Jet Li plays the ubiquitous Hung Hei-Kwun, hero of 90% of all kung fu flicks. Legend of the Red Dragon is the sort of movie that fuels parodies. It is filled with surreal ridiculous elements which make me pause the movie frequently so I can laugh hysterically. From its piggyback baby battle to its miniature chrome Batmobile, to the revelation that Jet Li is going commando, the film is filled with classic WTF moments. I swear the bad guy in Legend of the Red Dragon is the English Patient. Check him out, and you'll know exactly what I mean. The movie is filled with sped-up wire fu, but this doesn't detract too much from some truly spectacular fight sequences using darts and collapsible staves. Jet Li kicks some serious butt, and so does Miu Tse in his film debut; he's the little boy with a miniature Mohawk who plays Jet Li's son. I'll be on the lookout for his subsequent movies!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most enjoyable martial arts films of recent years
Review: As a relatively new martial arts film addict, I have to say that I loved this movie. American martial arts films pale in comparison to Hong Kong originals such as this, and Legend of the Red Dragon proved to be a great little detour from the road of hand to hand kung fu action I have been following for some time now. The main weapons of choice here are spears and darts, and the many fight scenes are simply incredible. The laws of physics get swept right out of the window, but that's okay be me; only one or two moves here struck me as patently ridiculous, but even these were exciting and thrilling. The dubbing was indeed rather bad, but I came to this movie for action, and that is what I got. Jet Li stars as the warrior Hung Hei-Kwun, a loyalist to the Ming dynasty; as the movie opens, we see him return to his village to find everyone there slaughtered by the Manchus - everyone except his infant son Man Ting (Miu Tse). Vowing revenge, Kwun lets his toddler (and fate) decide whether the boy lives to join his father's fight or joins his mother in death; the boy chooses wisely. A betrayal of grand proportions soon finds Kwun surrounded by enemy fighters; many a martial arts hero has wiped out a troop of baddies all by himself, but Kwun does it with his infant son strapped to his back all the while. When we next meet up with Kwun and his son seven years later, young Ting is the baddest little dude in town - a kung fu fighting machine, an incredibly disciplined young warrior, and a serious lad who probably has more self-control and wisdom than even his father. Now penniless, Kwun agrees to serve as bodyguard to a wealthy merchant, and it is in his service that he gets to know Red Bean (Chingmy Yau), half of a mother-daughter con artist team currently plotting to rob Kwun's employer. As all of this is going on, a master at the threatened Shaolin school is busy tattooing a map to the Shaolin treasure on the backs of five of his pupils in an effort to keep the treasure safe (although the fact the boys always seem to be together sort of defeats the purpose). An old enemy of Kwun's, one whom he thought he had killed, wants that treasure, and he especially wants to kill Kwun. This dude looks like he stuck his head in a pot of boiling water for about half an hour, but he is strong and invincible thanks to a witch's spell. He also drives a metal super-car, something you just don't see everyday in films about the China of the distant past. The Batmobile thing pushes the envelope way too far, but the movie is good enough to make up for the filmmaker's indiscretion. Anyway, Kwun and Ting must fight to defeat the evil man from Kwun's past, protect the tattooed boys and in doing so save the Shaolin treasure, and deal with his feelings toward the lovely Red Bean. For the most part, he just fights. All of the action sequences in the film blew me away (but of course I'm not hard to impress when it comes to this type of action); you've got claws and darts being flung pell-mell out of nowhere, sword fights galore, and a little bit of kung fu thrown into the mix. Li and his fellow performers are lightning quick in their movements, the main female characters are a force to reckon with, and young Ting is just a joy to watch. Not only can he lick five boys his own age without breaking a sweat, he is basically an equal partner with his father, fighting right alongside him when the moment arises. Their weapons are a little on the souped-up side, but, boy oh boy, it makes for some spectacular fight scenes. The biggest mystery to me when it comes to Hong Kong films such as this is the comedy aspect. As this movie progresses, an initially grim, sober tale is injected with increasing doses of comedy (only a small part of which can be attributed to the less than perfect dubbing). Some of it is funny, but the movie suffers a little bit in the process. Still, though, the amazing fight scenes alone make this a film that any martial arts fan should enjoy, and I might add in closing that the cinematography is also quite good, boasting one particularly beautiful scene midway through the film.
Rating:
Summary: Kunfu action Theater
Review: Yo FourHawk is the man!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Jet Li is the man, but this movie is AWFULL!!
Review: Well, lets see where does the madness begin!? Well first I have to say that I bought this movie way back when Fist of Legend first came out in 1994.(Which was a great film.) But this one was garbage. I am a HUGE Jet Li fan, he is one of the most talented martial artists to date, but the movie was awfull. First I do not like all the flying around stuff so that turned me off. The fights were very unrealistic, and the Villian had a metal car!?? Man..What is that about!!? It was More like a fantasy cartoon, that I could'nt wait to end. The movie was Very disapointing! I think it is as bad as "Kung Fu Cult Master". no, Actually that movie was better. This one was pretty bad. And whats this I read from a review about karate in the movie???...Come on man...Jet Li does KUNG FU...and There was no karate in China back when the movie was set! I guess ignorance is bliss!
Rating:
Summary: Jet Li proves as enjoyable as ever.
Review: This may not be Jet Li's most exciting movie, but it does merit purchasing if you are truly a fan. If you are looking for Matrixesque Martial Arts sequences, well keep looking. However, if you are truly a martial artist or just an enthusiast, you'll appreciate the action scenes in this movie. At times, like all Chinese Kung Fu theatre, there are silly unrealistic action segments, and some of the dialogue just doesn't translate to English very well. Nonetheless, Jet Li and his "son" both take on their share of villians. The action sequences involving the kid are most enjoyable. Especially when he teaches a lesson to a few of his young peers and finishes in a pose of Single Whip. Real fans of Jet Li would want this movie. And, if you only know him from Romeo Must Die or Lethal Weapon 4 and you want to witness vintage Jet Li (3 time National Wushu Champion of Republic of China)then you should give this one a go.
Rating: 
Summary: Over the Top--On Purpose
Review: Before Jet Li became the mainstream Hollywood icon of LETHAL WEAPON fame, he was simply another of Hong Kong's chop socky martial arts stable of fighter actors. Li was originally a Wu Shu champion of China who early in his life made his first action film. His incredible athletic ability made him a fan favorite in both Beijing and Hong Kong. For years, he made dozens of movies that were designed for the local Chinese market. In THE LEGEND OF RED DRAGON, directors Jing Wing and Corey Yuen present Jet Li in another film that defies Western standards of criticism. In order for a Western audience to appreciate a movie like this one, they have to forget not only a non-Oriental sense of hammy-faced acting but the laws of physics as well. The plot is merely a flimsy hook upon which to permit some truly incredible special effects that are so over the top that we can assume that they are by design rather than incompetence. Jet Li and his infant son are the only survivors of a village that has been slaughtered by an evil regime that is looking for a treasure map that has been tattooed on the backs of five young boys. This map is often referred to but figures in not at all during the working out of a paper thin plot. Li has a romance with the daughter of a mother-daughter con team that seeks to marry rich men and then rob them. The five survivor boys team up with Li's son to battle not only the minions of the regime but also a reincarnated metal-man who incredibly has been magically rendered immortal. Most of the action scenes defy the laws of physics and gravity, but I think that is the point of this genre of cinema. For all the killing, there is remarkably little gore. What you see is a sanitized version of a universe in which the inhabitants exist only to fly Tinker-Bell like with no one really getting hurt. Once a Western viewer adopts the requisite mind set, then films like this one can be enjoyed on their own terms, which have more to do with the faded memories of his own childhood than with the rigidly defined constraints of current Hollywood filmmaking.
Rating:
Summary: Jet Does History Again!
Review: Jet plays Hung Xi Guan (I believe he's historically the brother of Wong Fei Hung) and Tze Miu plays his son Man Ting in a great story about survival. Hung Xi Guan is wanted by Imperial troops for his rebellion and he and his son is on the run. Many years earlier, a former friend of Hung backstabbed him and joined the troops. Hung had to fight and kill him to survive, but he did't die. Instead he came survived and became this "poisonous man" who is now running the troops. The Imperial troops are also also killing innocents to fight a group of kids that have a certain treasure map tattooed on their backs. You won't see Jet using his fists too much in this movie for he is using a special kind of spear throughout and its pretty cool. His son however played by Tze Mui is pretty awesome in this movie. This boy got some real kung fu skills and he really shines here. The ever so beautiful Chingmy Yau is also in this film. There are plenty of fights in this movie to keep kung fu buffs happy and they are all well choreographed. The story is quite touching for its time as well, and the humor is definitely present. One thing I didn't like about the film is the "poisonous man" riding around in a metal car...watch it and you'll see, its really weird. Now, I've read that a US release will be coming out under the name The Legend of the Red Dragon...hmm...as far as I can remember, this has very little to do with any dragon, let alone it being red...I believe this film will only have an English dub, and you know how nasty that can get. Folks, stick with the original because I'm down right sure that a lot of the original comedy and feel to the film will be cut out of the new rerelease. Now, there are 2 HK versions, one being from Tai Seng and the newly released and remastered Universe version...get the Universe one cause the picture and sound is far better than Tai Seng. Of course the US release will probably have the best sound effects, but the Universe release is loud enough. If you buy any American rerelease that is only English dubbed, just make sure you got the original too....Trust me, it'll start to bother you after a while. Anyways, this film is great, and well worth your viewing. ...
Rating:
Summary: This is the dubbed version of New Legend of Shaolin
Review: An overall decent film with good action sequences. It's just unfortunate that this isn't the original version.
Rating:
Summary: Jet Li and that kid are awesome!
Review: Jet Li playing the role of a father took a little getting used to. But once I saw the kid in action, all of my premonitions vanished. In real life he is a student of Wushu, and boy can he move. The story was somewhat interesting, but Meng (the half robot guy) irritated me. Watching him spin and whirl around was just too much.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta be somekind of masterpeice
Review: The Legend of the Red Dragon is really something else entirely from typical kungfu flicks and their parodies. I give this film 5 stars for being completely unique and being so outragiously and consciously 'bad'. The level of camp in this movie is relentless and over the top, it hardly lets up for minutes at a stretch. The film is so consistent that I have to veiw it as deliberate it everything it does, I would have to guess that it is exactly what the creators/colaborators desired and as such it is very weird, but an oddly compelling veiw. Also the flow of sequences, the dialog, and actual events have a surreal undercurrent that subltly prevaids the film. It is very dream like in its bizarre dialog shallow relationships and plot holes even holes in individual scenes. It is hard to say how much of this if any is intentional but I think this movie has a weird aspect and vision that attempts to turn failures into features. Anyway this film is definately an experience and would recommmend it to someone with a seasoned eye and a fairly open mind. An iron stomache is probably mandatory so most shouldn't bother.
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